1. Wash your hands before touching your piercing.
2. Wash the area surrounding and including the piercing with an antibacterial soap.
3. Concentrate on the piercing itself and soak away the crust (do not pick or pull at the crust -- just like a scab, it is connected to the healing tissue).
4. Lather up the jewellery and move it back and forth through the piercing six or seven times.
5. Allow the cleanser to soak in for one minute.
6. Rinse off the cleanser with some warm water and move the jewellery a couple of times to allow any excess cleanser to be removed from inside the piercing.
7. Pat dry the piercing -- Do not rub with a towel.

These are best treated with a three stage cleaning process. They are cleansed in a similar manner to general body piercings.

1. Instead of using a soap, the best is to use Bactine as it soaks into the tissue layers much better. For the first month, use the Bactine full strength.
2. For the second month, use the Bactine at half strength (mix with one part water -- since the bottle may be half full, just top it off with water). At this point the full strength Bactine is a little too irritating for the piercing.
3. From the third month on, wash the piercing with a hypoallergenic soap until it is healed (when crusting stops).

With a ring, you may follow general cleaning rules. With septum retainers and nose screws, it is best to use a slightly modified regiment:

1. With a Q-Tip soak the area surrounding and including the piercing with Bactine or warm salt water.
2. Gently soak away the crusty formation.
3. Soak the piercing with some Bactine (the Bactine contains small amounts of lidocaine, so if some gets on your lips you may notice a temporary numbing effect) and wiggle the jewellery back and forth.
4. Allow the Bactine to soak for one minute.
5. Rinse off with water.

The outside of the piercing should be cleaned following the general cleaning rules. For the inside of the piercing:

• For the first two weeks rinse with a diluted (two parts water : one part mouthwash) antibacterial/antiseptic mouthwash for ten seconds after you place anything in your mouth other than water (this includes cigarettes). As an alternative to mouthwash you may use saltwater (strong, but not so strong that there are crystals undiluted). If the colour of the surface of your tongue changes to a greenish or brownish colour add more water to your rinse (the colour is caused by a resident bacterial imbalance).

Clean following general cleaning instructions, but with the following additions:

1. Urinate after cleaning to flush any cleaning agents from the urethra, as they may be an irritants.
2. Cleaning agents may also irritate the vagina, and can cause yeast infections to a depletion of resident bacteria.
3. Clean piercings after intercourse, and use a condom during the healing period. Oral contact should also be avoided. Also, certain lubricants and spermicides may irritate piercings.

1. For the first two weeks rinse with a diluted (two parts water : one part mouthwash) antibacterial/antiseptic mouthwash for ten seconds after you place anything in your mouth other than water (this includes cigarettes). As an alternative to mouthwash you may use saltwater (strong, but not so strong that there are crystals undiluted). If the colour of the surface of your tongue changes to a greenish or brownish colour add more water to your rinse (the colour is caused by a resident bacterial imbalance).
2. For the next two weeks (third and fourth), rinse four times a day with an undiluted mouthwash.

1. Sucking on ice-cubes, popsicles, and Freezies (basically anything cold) will provide a temporary relief.
2. You can take a regular strength Aspirin (Tylenol will not help with the swelling) to slightly reduce swelling. This has a longer effect than ice-cubes.
3. For a more sore tongue you can take regular strength Midol (this contains aspirin plus a muscle relaxant -- the extra-strength contains Tylenol).
4. It is good to leave a jug of water in the fridge so that in the morning when you wake up you can have a large drink of cold water to soothe your tongue (since when you are lying down the blood pressure increases to your tongue). Slowly drink the water, allowing it to bathe your tongue.

1. Avoid foods that are temperature hot (this includes coffee, tea, and soup) -- Allow it to cool first. Spicy food should also be avoided altogether as these will increase the swelling.
2. The important thing with food is to take small bites at first and to eat slowly and carefully.
3. Do not get frustrated with the healing process. It is easier to try to adapt to your tongue healing than to fight it.
4. Avoid oral contact with other people (no open-mouthed kissing or sex) since you have an open wound in your mouth. This applies for the first four weeks.
5. Avoid playing with your tongue bar for the first three weeks as this may cause a slight tear in the fresh piercing.
6. Do not put yourself in a situation where you will be forgetting to rinse.

STRONG ANTISEPTICS
Hibitane (do not use on face as it can cause blindness or deafness), Betadine (may discolour plastic or gold jewellery) - Strong antiseptics need only be used in the case of infection, and are not generally required.

MILD ANTISEPTICS
Salt Water Soak - Salt water soaks are good for loosening up crusty formations, and are also good for drawing out infections. Sea salt is best, but table salt will do.
Bactine - Bactine is an appropriate cleaning agent for facial piercings -- Since it contains a small amount of lidocaine, it is good for ears that are slept on and need a little extra care. Bactine is also appropriate for infected piercings. Neutrogena Antiseptic Cleanser is a good alternative to Bactine for those people with sensitive skin or an allergy to lidocaine.

ANTIBACTERIAL SOAPS
Jergens Antibacterial Soap (gentle on the skin), Antibacterial Dial Liquid or White Bar (Not for sensitive skin), Neutrogena Bar Soap, Lever 2000 Antibacterial Soap, for sensitive skin use Spectro-Jel 2000 -- This is the best type of cleaning agent to start with. For most piercings, it is enough to keep it clean and bacteria-free, and allow the body to do it's healing unassisted.

OINTMENTS AND CREAMS
Baciguent (petroleum jelly based), Mecca (a natural alternative to Baciguent) - Use of these ointments should generally be limited to the first two weeks. Baciguent is an antibiotic so it's use must be limited to 10-14 days and no longer. Because it is greasy it must be used sparingly as it can plug pores, follicles, and ducts (and therefore should not be used on nipple piercings). Be sure clean it off thoroughly after use. Mecca is a very good all-around antiseptic that can be used on all piercings. It is water soluble so your body can easily break it down. Because it is not an antibiotic its use does not have to be restricted to a certain time-frame. Mecca is readily available through Shopper's Drugmart, but may not be available in all pharmacies.
Vitamin E Cream - Can be used in the case of dry skin -- some people are allergic, so look out for undue redness or irritation, and don't use in the first three weeks.

MOUTH-RELATED CLEANING AGENTS
Mouthwash - There are many suitable brands of mouthwash, but it is important to choose an antibacterial one, and alcohol-free is also good (because the swelling will come down slightly sooner). For some people, too much use of mouthwash can kill the mouth's own bacteria (if this happens, you'll notice bad breath and an off-colour tongue). This is nothing to worry about, but you should switch to salt water rinses instead of mouthwash.
Anbesol - Anbesol is appropriate for tongues and the insides of lips. Although it stings a bit when you put it on, it also numbs the area and is good if the piercing is particularly sore. Anbesol may also help reduce keloiding.

1. Avoid contact with other people's body fluids (saliva, sweat, etc.). Even your own sweat may irritate the piercing. Be sure to rinse the area after all exercise to remove all sweat. If you have genital piercings, use a condom or dental dam during healing.
2. Always wear clean clothing and change bed-sheets during healing.
3. If the piercing is an ear piercing, clean your telephone.
4. Check any threaded jewellery (such as barbells) once a day to make sure the beads are screwed on tightly.

Should I take vitamin supplements?
You can take vitamin supplements (C, E, and B-complex) to help the healing process.

How can I tell if I have an infection, and what should I do?
The most obvious sight of infection is pus coming out of the piercing (although on tongue piercings, what looks like pus is often just plaque). If the pus is white, the infection is very minor, or may just be natural healing secretions. Use a mild antiseptic for a few days. If the pus is yellow, the infection is a bit more serious. If a strong antiseptic doesn't clear it up within a few days, come in and let us take a look at it. Green pus indicates a serious infection. Come in as soon as possible, and if you can't do that, see a doctor. Whatever the case, do not remove the jewellery as the holes may close around the infection, resulting in an abscess.

If I clean it more will it heal faster?
Do not over-clean. Over-cleaning will irritate the piercing and lengthen the healing time. Remember, it's not your cleaning that heals the piercing -- What you are doing is just making it easier for your body to heal.

Keloids: A keloid looks like a small reddish bump on the piercing. A keloid forms when a piercing is exposed to stress (either internal or external). Internal stress is related to the piercing specifically (clothing may be pushing on the piercing, sleeping on the jewellery, a slight rip in the edge of the piercing from over-stretching). External stress is when an outside source affects the piercing -- for example, body products, laundry detergents, and germs. The most important thing during the treatment of a keloid is to remove the stress causing the keloid. To aid the body in breaking down the keloid there are a few things you can do:

1. Vitamin E oil (the stuff inside the capsules). Break open the capsule and place the vitamin E over the piercing, allow it to soak in for ten minutes, and then rinse it off. Do this once a day.
2. Hydrocortisone Cream (for example, Cortate). This is available without prescription from your pharmacist. Apply once a day and leave on.
3. Hydrogen Peroxide. This is only good for viral and germ related keloids. Soak the piercing with it once a day.
4. Aspirin (oral piercings only). Crush one regular strength aspirin into a fine powder and add one drop of water. Apply this paste to the keloid. Rinse it off after five minutes, and do this once a day.

Boils: A boil looks a pimple. It is a localised strep (streptococci, a very common bacteria) infection. When it first appears, break its surface and apply an antibiotic cream (not an ointment, which does not penetrate). Apply a hot cloth, as this will help speed up the absorption and reaction of the cream. If the boils are recurring, see your doctor for a prescription strength antibiotic.