Healing times vary by placement. Earlobe piercings typically take 12 weeks to heal, while cartilage piercings can take anywhere from 8 to 12 months to heal fully.

Everyone heals at a different pace, so keep up your aftercare routine even once your piercing looks and feels healed on the outside.

Cartilage piercings, including helix, tragus, conch and rook placements, generally take 8 to 12 months to heal completely.

Cartilage has less blood flow than the earlobe, so healing is slower. Book a downsizing appointment around 4–6 weeks in, and avoid sleeping on the piercing while it heals.

Clean your piercing once or twice daily with a sterile saline solution, spraying both the front and back of the piercing.

Avoid twisting or rotating the jewellery, and don't use cotton pads or wool to dry it as the fibres can catch. Instead, pat dry with clean gauze.

A sterile saline spray is the safest and most effective option for piercing aftercare. Avoid harsh products like surgical spirit, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or tea tree oil, which can dry out and irritate the healing tissue.

Our fine mist sterile saline spray is designed for gentle daily aftercare and is available in store and online.

We recommend a pre-made sterile saline spray over a homemade salt water mix. Homemade solutions are difficult to get right - too much salt can dry out and irritate your piercing, and unsterile water can introduce bacteria. A sterile saline spray gives you the correct concentration every time.

Yes - some redness, soreness, swelling, light bleeding and clear or pale discharge are all normal in the first 2–3 weeks.

Mild itching is also a common part of healing. If swelling is severe, worsens after the first few days, or is accompanied by heat, throbbing pain or yellow/green discharge, contact your piercer or a pharmacist.

If you suspect an infection — increasing pain, heat, spreading redness, or yellow/green discharge — don't remove your jewellery, as this can trap the infection inside as the hole closes.

Keep cleaning with sterile saline and visit your GP or a pharmacist, who can properly assess it and advise on the right treatment.

Bumps on or around a piercing are common, especially on cartilage. Most are irritation bumps caused by knocks, sleeping on the piercing, ill-fitting jewellery or moisture, and usually settle once the irritation is removed and you keep up a consistent saline routine.

If a bump persists or keeps growing, book a check-up appointment with us.

Try not to. Sleeping on a fresh piercing puts pressure on it, which can cause irritation bumps, swelling and even change the angle of the piercing. A travel pillow works brilliantly — rest your ear in the hole so nothing touches the piercing while you sleep.

Quick showers are fine — just keep shampoo and soap away from the piercing and dry it gently afterwards. Avoid swimming pools, hot tubs, steam rooms and soaking your piercing in the bath while it heals, as prolonged moisture and waterborne bacteria can irritate the piercing and slow healing.