1. Twice a day, AFTER WASHING YOUR HANDS, take warm water or warmed saline wash/sea salt solution on a paper towel and soak piercing for a minute or two. A dixie cup(a new one each time) filled will do for some piercings such as navel, nipple, ear lobe or penis. For female genital piercings this can be done seated on a toilet.

2. After the "crusting" has been softened remove with a wet Q-tip. Flip the Q-tip over and soak with a few drops of betadine/triadine. Use hibiclens if you have shown any allergies to shellfish or have had any iodine reactions.

3. Using the Q-tip, put the betadine/hibiclens on both sides of the jewelry and on the skin next to the hole.

4. Rotate the jewelry back and forth to allow the betadine/hibiclens to penetrate the piercing, and leave on for 3-5 minutes.

5. Rinse using clean warm water. Remember to rinse well and pat dry. If any traces of color are left, the piercing needs to be rinsed more. No staining should occur if ALL the solution is removed.

6. Follow these steps twice a day for the first 2-3 weeks. After that you may do the soaking and crust removal twice a day and use the betadine/hibiclens only once for the length of the remainder of the healing process.

7. Always remember to rinse your piercing at the end of your shower
with clean running water to remove any shampoo, conditioner and/or soap.

8. Should you choose to go swimming, please rinse the piercing with clean water EVERYTIME you will be out of the water for more than 10 minutes or so and do one of your cleaning at the end of the session. DO NOT swim in lake water or like bodies of standing water. Also try to avoid ocean waves and places that would contain "churning" water with sand and other impurities.

9. In the case of a penis piercing, use ONLY non-lubricated condoms.
Use condoms even if you know your partner and normally wouldn't. This will protect your piercing from foreign fluids which can be iritating to a new piercing. And use only water based lubricants, if any are needed.

10.In the case of a piercing that might be exposed to chemical processes, for example an ear piercing and hair dye... you may coat your piercing with vasoline or a similar product to protect it. Making sure it is completely cleaned off when the process is completed.

(With any piercing, remember to flip your ring up and down as well as turning it when doing your cleaning, thus preventing the channel from healing the jewelry into one position.)

DO NOT USE ANY CREAMS, LOTIONS, OILS, OINTMENTS, PERFUMES, POWDERS, PEROXIDE OR ALCOHOL IN OR AROUND ANY PIERCING.

FOR FACIAL AND EAR PIERCINGS BE CAREFUL WITH MAKEUP, HAIRSPRAY AND GELS... DO NOT LET ANY GET ANY INTO YOUR PIERCING. USE CAUTION WITH BRUSHES AND COMBS AND PLEASE REMEMBER TO CHANGE YOUR PILLOW CASE OFTEN. ALSO PLEASE AVOID WAXING IN AREAS OF PIERCINGS, SORRY BUT BACK TO PLUCKING.

PLEASE DO NOT DO YOUR CLEANINGS WHEN YOU GO TO BED AND THEN AGAIN WHEN YOU WAKE UP UNLESS YOU HAVE SLEPT IN DIRT, SUCH AS A CAMPING TRIP. TRY TO BREAK UP YOUR DAILY ACTIVITY- LIKE FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AND THEN AGAIN AROUND DINNER TIME.

DO NOT TOUCH IT WITH DIRTY HANDS OR TURN THE JEWELRY WHEN IT IS DRY.

BASICALLY IF YOU ARE NOT DOING ONE OF YOUR CLEANINGS.... LEAVE IT ALONE.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, LADIES WITH GENITAL PIERCINGS PLEASE "SIT" DON'T "PLOP" INTO CHAIRS AND CARS. IF YOU DO THIS JUST ONCE THE WRONG WAY YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHY.

1. Put ice in your mouth onto the piercing, both sides if possible, as often as possible for the next 24 to 72 hours longer if it's still swollen.

2. Use Listerine or Cepacol anytime you eat, drink, or smoke anything that is not water.

3. When brushing your teeth it is important to include your tongue, thus removing more bacteria than just brushing your teeth. you may also brush any exposed portion of the jewelry to remove plaque in the same manner.
Listerine does make a toothpaste you may use it but it is not a requirement.

4. Twice a day, place a couple of drops of Glyoxide near entrance of the piercing, it will foam. As it does move jewelry back and forth to help Glyoxide enter the piercing and remove any food particles or other foreign substances from the piercing.

NO ORAL SEX OR TONGUE KISSING FOR 2 WEEKS AFTER AN ORAL PIERCING.

PLEASE AVOID CHEWING GUM FOR A MINIMUM OF ONE WEEK PREFERABLY 3 WEEKS.

NO SPICY FOOD, FRUIT JUICES (LIKE O.J. OR GRAPEFRUIT), AND HEAVILY CARBONATED BEVERAGES. IF YOU LIKE SODA THAT MUCH ADD A BIT OF WATER TO IT AND IT WILL KNOCK OUT SOME OF THE CARBONATION.

ABSOLUTELY NO STRAWS, THEY WILL CAUSE SWELLING AND CAN CAUSE BLEEDING.

FOR TONGUE PIERCINGS: PLEASE REMEMBER TO CHEW SLOWLY. THERE IS NOW A NEW ADDITION TO YOUR TONGUE. (DURING THE ACTION OF NORMAL CHEWING, THE TONGUE MOVES THE FOOD TOWARD THE TEETH. SINCE THE TONGUE NOW HAS AN EXTENSION THIS WILL TAKE MORE TIME TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF CLOSING TEETH.)