Symbiosis with Piercing

If you’re allergic to nickel, we recommend using titanium or bioplast jewelry.

Surgical steel 316L contains trace amounts of nickel, but it’s still purer than gold or silver—so if you don’t react to those metals, you shouldn’t react to steel either.. Steel should be avoided by people who have allergic reactions to 24K gold, cutlery, metal zippers, clothing buttons, and similar items.

For lip and tongue piercings

During the first two weeks, you can have a few alcoholic drinks, but don’t overdo it. Excessive alcohol consumption can cause the body to swell slightly, and a fresh lip or tongue piercing may become more swollen than expected, potentially leading to jewelry embedding. Alcohol also dilates blood vessels, which can cause increased bleeding from the piercing.

It’s best to avoid them for at least the first month after getting pierced. Pools are full of bacteria and chlorine, which can cause inflammation or infection of a new piercing. If your piercing is located above the neck (eyebrow, lip, ear, etc.), you can swim, but rinse the piercing well with clean water afterward and disinfect it before going to bed (for example, with Septasol or Octenisept).

For lip and tongue piercings

You can smoke just as you did before getting pierced, just follow the aftercare cleaning instructions carefully.

If you need to remove metal jewelry for an X-ray (RTG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or surgery, you can replace steel or titanium jewelry with bioplast jewelry – provided that you first consult your doctor to confirm whether such jewelry could still cause any issues (e.g., you cannot wear even bioplast jewelry in the tongue if a catheter is inserted through the mouth during surgery).

Unfortunately, in Croatia, many doctors still can’t separate their personal opinions from their professional duties, so they tend to view piercings with disapproval. It’s not uncommon for someone to have a health issue unrelated to their piercing or tattoo, only to be told that it’s the cause of the problem (“Someone pushed you and you broke your arm? That’s because of the piercing.”) 🙂
If that happens, seek a second opinion from another medical professional.
In defense of healthcare workers, it’s understandable, really. The only piercings they usually see are the infected, swollen, ingrown, or neglected ones. No one visits the ER to proudly show off a perfectly healed piercing they’ve had for three years. People go when the studio is closed or not nearby, and the problem just won’t “go away on its own.” Of course, there are also the occasional weekend ER visits after a wild Saturday night when a poor piercing fell victim to alcohol-fueled chaos.

Jokes aside, if you happen to have an urgent piercing problem and no piercing studio is open, it is of course better to go to the emergency room than to suffer at home. However, since most (older) doctors do not want to deal with piercings – as if it were a trend that will one day disappear – it would be good to know some basic information about your piercing: what type of jewelry you have and how to remove it. At your next visit to a piercing studio, ask your piercer to show you how.

COFFEE

Applies to tongue, lip, smiley, and tongue web piercings

Poses no problem for fresh piercings, as long as it isn’t too hot, warm drinks can increase swelling in tongue piercings and may cause bleeding.

COSMETICS

(powders, creams, perfumes, shaving foam, etc.)

Avoid applying any cosmetics to the area around a new piercing, as they can cause irritation or inflammation. Applying foundation or creams over jewelry with gemstones may cause them to darken or lose their shine (depending on the model and brand of jewelry). Trying to cover redness around the piercing with makeup is not a good idea.

SEA

Seawater helps the healing process of a piercing, as it acts as a natural saline solution and gently cleans the area while you swim. After swimming, rinse the piercing with fresh water to remove dried salt, which can cause irritation.

TRAVEL

Piercing jewelry is made from implant-grade materials, so you can safely pass through metal detectors. Keep in mind that a fresh piercing can cause discomfort and irritation during the first few days. If possible, get pierced after your trip. We strongly advise against getting a new piercing right before attending festivals or concerts.

TANNING BED

Sun exposure and tanning beds do not affect new piercings. However, avoid applying self-tanning creams, sunscreens, or after-sun lotions to the area around your piercing.

SEXUAL ACTIVITY

A new piercing should not come into contact with another person’s bodily fluids for at least two weeks after the procedure (or longer, depending on the piercing’s location, healing time, and individual sensitivity to movement). For new genital piercings, always use condoms during intercourse for at least 2-3 weeks after piercing. Be careful to avoid hitting or snagging the jewelry, and take extra care during hair removal.

SPORT

Physical activity can sometimes cause piercing-related complications. Avoid getting hit in the piercing, putting pressure on it while exercising (for example, doing sit-ups or lying on your stomach after getting a navel piercing), or wearing helmets that might press against eyebrow or ear cartilage piercings. Also, avoid contact with pool water (because of chlorine and bacteria) while the piercing is still fresh.

Certain precautions apply at all times – an impact on a piercing can cause problems regardless of its age. Other precautions depend on the piercing’s position and stage of healing (for example, if you have a tongue piercing, you don’t need to avoid swimming pools; if you’ve pierced your ear, you can still do sit-ups without issue).

PREGNANCY

During pregnancy, the body goes through various changes that can cause problems with piercings in different areas (most commonly with tongue, nipple, and navel piercings). There are no strict rules regarding pregnancy and piercings; every body is different, and while some women experience issues, others have none at all.

We recommend removing a navel piercing no later than around the 5th–6th month of pregnancy, as the growth of the abdomen stretches the skin and pushes the jewelry out of the body. In most cases, when any type of jewelry is left in throughout the entire pregnancy, the piercing channel may widen or the skin holding the jewelry may thin, which can result in the skin tearing and leaving a scar.

If you have had the piercing for several years, there is a high likelihood that the channel will shrink without jewelry but not fully close. After giving birth, when you are able, you can book an appointment to attempt reinserting the jewelry by tapering the channel (the service is free, and you can bring your own jewelry or purchase it from us).

If you have had the piercing for less than a year, the channel will most likely close; however, after you finish breastfeeding, you can get pierced again if you wish.

We recommend removing nipple jewelry around the 6th month of pregnancy to allow the channels to clear of lymph and close before breastfeeding begins. We do not recommend taking the jewelry out before each feeding and reinserting it afterward, as this constant irritation can cause increased secretion of lymph or blood plasma. Combined with irritation from nursing, this may lead to further complications. Once you stop breastfeeding, the nipples can be pierced again if desired.

If the body experiences significant swelling during pregnancy, it is possible that a tongue piercing may become uncomfortable. The jewelry can be kept in place; it is only necessary to use a longer bar, which can be changed back to a shorter one after childbirth.

SWEAT

If you consistently follow the aftercare instructions, sweat shouldn’t pose a problem. After physical activity, simply rinse your piercing with clean water and continue cleaning it according to the aftercare guidelines provided at the piercing studio. Some people have slightly more acidic sweat, which can irritate the piercing if you perspire heavily. In that case, contact the piercing studio for a check-up.