SHADY TATTOOPiercing aftercare – how to care for a fresh piercing
By the SHADY TATTOO team · 21 October 2026
In short: wash your hands before touching the piercing, clean it with the product recommended by your piercer (e.g. sterile saline), don’t remove the jewellery, and avoid swimming pools, saunas and pressure. An earlobe usually heals in a few weeks, cartilage in a few months or longer.
A fresh piercing is a small wound with jewellery inside. How you look after it in the first weeks has a big impact on comfort and the result. Besides tattoos, SHADY TATTOO also offers piercing in Wieluń – ear piercing is done with the STUDEX System75. Below are general aftercare rules. The most important instructions, however, are always the ones you get from the person who did your piercing.
Daily hygiene
Clean hands first
Wash your hands before every time you touch the piercing. Dirty hands can cause irritation and infection.
Cleaning
Clean the piercing with the product recommended by your piercer, e.g. sterile saline. Gently remove any dried discharge – without scratching or picking.
Drying
Gentle drying with a disposable paper towel is generally recommended instead of a shared towel, which may carry bacteria.
Don’t remove the jewellery
Handle the earring according to your piercer’s instructions. Removing the jewellery during healing can make the piercing close quickly or make it hard to put the jewellery back in.
What to avoid while it heals
As described on our piercing page, avoid:
- swimming pools, saunas and bathing in open water,
- pressure on the piercing – e.g. sleeping on it, or tight clothes, hats and headbands,
- cosmetics that irritate the skin (perfume, hairspray, make-up near the piercing).
Extra general tips
These are general industry practices, not individual advice.
- with an ear piercing, regularly clean your phone screen, pillowcase and headphones,
- be careful when brushing your hair and getting dressed so you don’t snag the jewellery,
- don’t use harsh products on your own (e.g. surgical spirit, hydrogen peroxide) unless your piercer recommended them.
How long healing takes
It depends on the location:
- earlobe – usually a few weeks,
- cartilage – even a few months or longer.
A piercing can look healed from the outside before the channel inside has fully healed. That is why it’s worth following the aftercare rules for the whole period recommended by your piercer.
Jewellery and healing
Fresh piercings usually use jewellery made of materials with a low risk of allergy, such as implant-grade titanium. A longer post is fitted first to leave room for swelling, and it is swapped for a shorter one only after the swelling has gone down, ideally by a piercer.
What’s normal and what isn’t
Usually normal in the first days
Slight redness, minor swelling, tenderness and clear or slightly whitish dried discharge.
When to see a doctor
If pain, swelling or redness get worse, pus or a fever appears, or the jewellery starts to sink into the skin, contact a doctor. Remove the jewellery only if a doctor or piercer tells you to. For minor doubts, ask the person who did your piercing.
Preparing for a piercing
How to prepare for the procedure (a meal, sleep, no alcohol, information about your health) is described on our piercing page.
Who does the piercing
At our studio piercing is done by Martyna, the studio manager – including ear piercing with the STUDEX System75. She can answer your questions about dates and details. Planning your first one? See types of ear piercing – which one to start with.
Planning a tattoo too? Skin healing after a tattoo is similar in spirit but different in the details – read our tattoo aftercare guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can I move the earring?
Follow the instructions of the person who did your piercing, and don’t remove the earring while it heals.
When can I change the earring?
When it has fully healed and the swelling has gone down – ideally at a piercer’s.
Can I go swimming with a fresh piercing?
Swimming pools, saunas and bathing in open water should be avoided while it heals.
What system do you use for ear piercing?
Ear piercing is done with the STUDEX System75. Details on the piercing page.
Book a consultation
Want an ear piercing? Call the studio on +48 691 351 557 or see our contact page.
SHADY TATTOO, ul. Głęboka 15/3, 98-300 Wieluń, Poland · Mon–Fri 9:00–19:00, weekends by appointment (Ola and Zuzia)
Contact SHADY TATTOO → · Phone: +48 691 351 557 · Instagram: @tattoo.shady · Facebook: tattooshady
ONE LIFE. ONE SKIN. ONE RIGHT CHOICE.