Aftercare

Good aftercare makes a real difference to how well you heal. This page covers piercings, permanent makeup and SQT bio microneedling. You'll also get advice from Rita on the day, and if what she tells you is different from this page, follow her advice, because it's based on your own skin and treatment. If you're unsure about anything while you're healing, message us. It's always better to ask.

Piercing aftercare

Every piercing: the basics
1. Wash your hands with soap and water before you touch the piercing or the area around it.
2. Clean it twice a day with sterile saline (a 0.9% saline wound wash from a pharmacy). Spray or soak, then gently remove any crust with clean, non-woven gauze or kitchen roll. Don't use cotton wool, which leaves fibres behind.
3. Pat it dry with clean, disposable paper. Shared towels can carry bacteria.
4. Don't twist, turn or play with the jewellery. Extra movement irritates the channel and slows healing.
5. Don't over-clean. Twice a day is enough. Avoid alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, antiseptic creams, tea tree oil and home-made salt mixes.
6. Keep make-up, fake tan, hair products, perfume and lotions away from the piercing.
7. Avoid swimming pools, hot tubs, the sea, lakes and long baths until it has healed. Showers are fine.
8. Avoid pressure and knocks: don't sleep on it, and take care with tight clothes, helmets, headphones, masks and phones.
9. Leave the starter jewellery in for the whole healing period, even if it looks healed. A piercing can look fine on the outside before it has healed inside. Come back to us to downsize or change jewellery.
10. Look after yourself. Good sleep, a balanced diet and not smoking all help you heal.

What's normal in the first few weeks
Some redness, swelling, tenderness and a little bleeding in the first few days. Clear or pale yellow fluid that dries into a crust around the jewellery. Itching as it heals. The piercing may feel settled one week and tender the next, which is normal, especially for cartilage.

Typical healing times
These are typical ranges. Everyone heals differently, and your health, aftercare and how often the piercing gets knocked all affect it.

Ear lobe: 6–8 weeks, sometimes up to 3 months. Clean behind the ear too.
Helix, forward helix, flat: 6–12 months. Don't sleep on it. A travel pillow can help.
Conch, tragus, anti-tragus: 6–12 months. Avoid in-ear headphones on that side until healed.
Rook, daith: 6–12 months. Keep hair and hair products away.
Industrial: 9–12 months, sometimes longer. Two holes heal at their own pace; protect from hats and headphones.
Nostril: 3–6 months, sometimes longer. Be careful when washing your face, drying with a towel, or blowing your nose.
Septum: 2–3 months. Don't flip it up and down while it's healing.
Eyebrow: 2–3 months. Keep make-up and face products away.
Lip and labret: 2–3 months. See "Oral piercings" below.
Tongue: 4–8 weeks. See "Oral piercings" below.
Belly button: 6–12 months. Loose, high-waisted clothes; avoid belts and tight waistbands rubbing.
Nipple (18+): 6–12 months. Soft cotton top or sports bra; avoid friction.
Female genital (clitoral) (18+): Around 4–10 weeks for most placements. See "Genital piercings" below.

You may need a shorter bar fitted once the first swelling has gone down, often within the first few weeks for tongue, lip and some cartilage piercings. We'll tell you when.

Oral piercings (tongue, lip, labret)
Rinse your mouth with an alcohol-free mouthwash or a salt-water rinse after eating, smoking or drinking anything other than water, but no more than 4–5 times a day.
Clean the outside of lip and labret piercings with saline twice a day, as above.
Swelling is normal for the first few days. Cold water, ice chips and sleeping with your head slightly raised help.
For the first couple of weeks, eat soft foods slowly, and avoid very hot, spicy or acidic foods and alcohol.
Avoid kissing and oral contact, and don't share cups or cutlery, while it heals.
Don't click the jewellery against your teeth. Ask us about downsizing once the swelling has settled, as a long bar can damage teeth and gums.

Genital piercings (18+)
Clean with saline once or twice a day and after sex. Rinse with clean water after using the toilet if needed.
Wear clean, breathable cotton underwear and avoid tight clothing.
Avoid sexual contact for at least the first few days, and use a condom or barrier for the whole healing period, even with a regular partner.
Avoid baths, pools and hot tubs while it heals.

Jewellery
Your piercing comes with titanium jewellery. Don't change it until the piercing has fully healed, and don't take it out if you think it's infected, because that can trap infection inside. Contact us or your GP instead.

Permanent makeup aftercare (brows, lips, eyeliner)

What to expect
Straight after treatment the colour looks darker, sharper and bolder than it will once healed. Over the first 7–14 days the area may feel tight, look shiny, then flake or scab lightly. Underneath, the colour can look patchy or too light for a while before it settles. Healed colour is usually clear after about 4–6 weeks. Results vary from person to person, and most people need a top-up to perfect the shape and colour.

Days 1–14: all areas
Gently blot away any fluid on the first day with clean tissue.
Wash your hands before you touch the area, and touch it as little as possible.
Keep the area dry, apart from the cleaning or balm routine Rita gives you. Keep showers short and lukewarm, and keep your face out of the water.
Don't pick, scratch or peel flakes or scabs. Let them come away by themselves, or the colour can come away with them.
No make-up on the treated area.
Avoid swimming, saunas, steam rooms, hot yoga and heavy sweating exercise.
Keep the area out of strong sun and off sunbeds. Wear a hat if you're outside for long.
Avoid facials, peels, retinol, acids and exfoliating products on or near the area.
Sleep on your back if you can, on a clean pillowcase.

Brows (microblading, powder, combo, nano)
Expect flaking around days 5–10. The brows may look lighter or patchy for a while before the colour comes back through.
Don't tint, wax, thread or pluck in the brow area until it has healed.
Keep fringes and hair products off the brows.

Lips (lip blush, lip liner, neutralisation)
Swelling for 1–3 days is normal. Keep the lips moist with the balm Rita gives you, applied thinly with a clean cotton bud.
Drink through a straw for the first few days and avoid very hot, spicy or salty food.
Avoid kissing while the lips are healing.
If you get cold sores, tell us before your appointment. Lip treatment can trigger an outbreak, so you may want to speak to a pharmacist or your GP about antiviral treatment beforehand.

Eyeliner and lash line
Mild swelling and watery eyes are normal for a day or two.
No mascara, false lashes, lash extensions or lash lifts until healed.
Don't rub your eyes. Leave contact lenses out for the first few days.

After healing
Use a high-SPF sunscreen on the area every day. Sun fades permanent makeup.
Tell any doctor or skin specialist about your permanent makeup before laser, IPL, peels or an MRI scan.

Your top-up
Most clients need a top-up once the area has fully healed, usually around 6–8 weeks after the first session. For new treatments, one follow-up is included if it takes place within 84 days of your first appointment.

SQT bio microneedling aftercare

What to expect
SQT uses tiny natural spicules from marine sponges that work into the skin for a few days after treatment. It's normal for skin to feel prickly, warm or tight, look red, and then become dry, flaky or peel. The prickly feeling is usually strongest in the first 24 hours and settles over 2–3 days. Peeling usually starts around day 2–3 and lasts a few days. Some people have a short itchy or red flare around day 3, which usually settles within 1–2 days. How your skin reacts depends on the treatment and your skin.

First 24–48 hours
Don't wash the treated area for the time Rita tells you (often the rest of the day), then use only lukewarm water and a gentle cleanser.
Don't touch, rub, scratch or massage the area, as this pushes the spicules around and can irritate the skin.
No make-up on the area for at least 24 hours.
Avoid exercise, heavy sweating, saunas, steam rooms, hot baths and swimming for at least 48 hours.
Sleep on a clean pillowcase.

The first 1–2 weeks
Use only the products Rita recommends. Stop retinol, retinoids, AHAs, BHAs, benzoyl peroxide, vitamin C serums and scrubs until she says you can start again, usually after about a week.
Let peeling come away by itself. Don't pick it.
Wear a broad-spectrum SPF 30–50 every day and keep out of strong sun and off sunbeds. Freshly treated skin burns and pigments more easily.
Don't have waxing, peels, laser, IPL or other facial treatments on the area for at least 2 weeks.
For a scalp (hair loss) treatment, ask Rita when you can wash your hair and use styling products or colour.

Who SQT isn't suitable for
Most SQT treatments are 18+. Hydration (Nourish & Hydrate), Anti-Acne and Anti-Pigmentation are available from age 12. Before any treatment, Rita goes through a health questionnaire with you. SQT is usually not suitable, or needs to wait, if you:
are pregnant
are breastfeeding (most UK clinics avoid treatment; the UK distributor says to check with your doctor first)
have an active skin infection, cold sore, warts, open wounds, cuts or sunburn on the area
have a flare of eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis or inflammatory rosacea on the area
have taken isotretinoin (Roaccutane) in the last 6 months
have had a peel, laser, IPL, waxing or injectables on the area in the last 2 weeks, or used retinoids or acids in the last 2 weeks
have a known allergy to sponge or silica
have been unwell in the last week.

You'll need your doctor's advice first if you have diabetes or another condition that affects healing, an autoimmune condition, take immunosuppressant or blood-thinning medication, have had chemotherapy or radiotherapy in the last 12 months, scar badly or have a history of keloid scars, or often get cold sores (you may need antiviral treatment first).

When to contact us or a GP

Contact us (call or WhatsApp 07442 727878) if:
you're not sure whether something is normal
your jewellery feels too tight, is sinking into the skin, or the ball or end has come loose
a bump has formed near a piercing
your PMU looks patchy or uneven once it has healed
your skin is still very red or irritated more than a few days after SQT.

See your GP or a pharmacist, or call NHS 111, if:
the area is getting more red, hot, swollen or painful instead of better
there is thick yellow or green pus, or a bad smell
red streaks are spreading out from the area
you have a high temperature or feel generally unwell
a rash, hives or blistering appears (possible allergic reaction).

Call 999 or go to A&E if:
your tongue or mouth swells so much that it affects your breathing or swallowing
you have signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face or throat, or difficulty breathing
bleeding won't stop with firm pressure.

If you think a piercing is infected, don't take the jewellery out unless a doctor tells you to. More information: NHS, "Infected piercings", nhs.uk/conditions/infected-piercings.

This page is general guidance and doesn't replace medical advice.

Piercing aftercare services
Private • Hygienic • Professional Care
Aftercare Check – existing TAA clients (pierced with us within the last 4 weeks): Free, no deposit · 15 min
Aftercare Check – piercing done elsewhere: £15 · 15 min
Aftercare Check (after 4 weeks): £10 · 15 min
Deep Cleaning (build-up removal & hygiene reset): £15 · 15 min
Cleaning + Jewellery Adjustment (includes tightening & repositioning): £15 · 15 min
Irritation Support Session (for sensitive or problematic piercings): £20 · 30 min
Premium Aftercare Session (complete clean, jewellery check & personalised advice): £25 · 30 min
Downsizing / Jewellery Change: £10 plus jewellery · 15 min
Paid aftercare services take a £10 deposit when you book online (never more than the price, so £10 services are paid in full at booking). The free aftercare check takes no deposit or payment. Book online under Piercing Aftercare at /book-online.