Whether you are young or old, getting your ears pierced is an exciting adventure. However, we have all heard about the horror stories about ear piercings going wrong.
This article seeks to provide information on everything you need to know about ear piercings, including how long after ear piercing can you change earrings.
If you are new to piercing, you really should read my last post: I Want to Get My Ears Pierced-What Should I Know? You will learn a lot in this post!
Ear piercings are fun and easy to obtain. Usually obtained during the adolescent years, ear piercings are one of the earliest forms of body modification.
In various parts of the Persian Empire, several carvings showed mean wearing earrings. Similarly, many children in South India have their ears pierced before attaining five years old. Today, children get their ears pierced as early as seven months.
Despite its popularity, the process of ear piercing is not a casual event. Your piercer will do most of the ear piercing process. However, once you leave the shop with your new piercings, you have to ensure you take proper care for them to heal correctly.
It may take a long time for new piercings to heal, but it is definitely worth it. Your piercer should give you tips and instructions on how to take care of your piercing as soon as you obtain them. Here are some crucial tips on how to take care of your ear piercings.
Hey, guys. Before reading this topic, you guys might be interested in this topic: Why Do My Ears Itch When I Wear Earrings? or this problem you may be encountered many times: Why do my ears hurt when I wear fake earrings? (fake earrings are not fake, they fashion earrings and they are made of inexpensive material or metals). If you want to know more, feel free to read.
How Long After Ear Piercing Can I Change Earrings?
Body piercings have different time frames for healing.
Fortunately, ear piercings are one of the fastest piercings to heal in your body.
If your ears are newly pierced, it is best not to remove your earrings immediately.
Allow them to stay in for several weeks to allow the wound to close and avoid trapping infection in the skin.
Ear lobe piercings heal quite quickly as compared to cartilage piercings.
Within 4 to6 weeks, you should expect these ear piercings to recover, enabling you to change your earrings as often as you want.
Cartilage piercings may take a maximum of three months to heal completely, and sometimes, even more, depending on the location.
What happens if you change your earrings too early after piercing them?
Piercers recommend that you remove earrings from newly pierced ears only after they completely heal.
If you want to change them before that, it is best to have your piercer do it with surgical stainless steel or implant-grade titanium earrings of your choice.
Changing the earrings on your newly pierced ears too soon increases your chances of exposing the piercing to infections, causing irritation and even rejection of the new earrings.
You should change your freshly pierced ears after at least 6 weeks so that the density and type of tissues in ear lobes heal completely. Before the 6 weeks wind up, the piercing hole is too delicate and can easily get infected by various bacteria, causing various pierced ear infections.
Furthermore, if you change your earrings too early, the chances are likely that you do not have the appropriate metal jewelry for it.
Fashion earrings made from low-quality materials may cause allergic reactions to your skin.
You also have to consider the size/thickness of the earring. Piercing studs have an exact size that is appropriate for newly pierced ears; to prevent pain and inflammation of the piercing.
Can I change my earring after 1 day?
Changing your earring after 1 day of it getting pierced is a painful and dangerous ordeal.
Not only are you exposing the flesh wound to dirt and bacteria but also increasing its healing period.
By changing your earrings this soon, you are prone to get the piercing infected, especially if your hands are dirty.
Chances are also likely that you did not sterilize the new earring you want to wear.
Can I change my earrings 5 days after piercing?
Different people heal within different time frames. For some, they can comfortably change their newly pierced ears from one earring to the next as soon as 5 days after getting them pierced. However, this is a hazardous move because it may infect the wound tract, giving access to bacteria and dirt.
Exposure to infections also lengthens the healing time of your piercing.
Furthermore, you likely do not have the correct type of jewelry to fit in your new body piercing, nor have you sterilized it properly.
Failure to do this further worsens your piercing and could lead to pierced ear infections. It is best to wait until your ear piercing completely heals to change to the earrings of your preference.
Can I change my earrings after 3 weeks?
Always ensure you are touching your newly pierced ears with clean hands.
Use antibacterial soaps that do not have scents, perfume, or alcohol, to prevent aggravating your piercing. Similarly, clean your piercing thoroughly to avoid any bacteria build-up around it.
Some people can change their earrings after 3 weeks without feeling any pain, meaning their piercing wound has recovered.
However, others may change their earrings within the same time frame and start bleeding. As stated above, different people heal within different time frames.
If you change your earrings after 3 weeks and it begins to bleed, it simply means you have irritated your piercing.
It is best to go back to where you got the piercing for further clarification since at 3 weeks your piercing should be almost completely healed.
The type of equipment used contributes to the healing process of an ear-piercing.
People who obtained ear piercings by use of a piercing gun take a longer time to heal than those who utilize a sterile and hollow needle. The type of material of the piercing stud also contributes to the healing period of a piercing.
It is best to use surgical-grade titanium earrings immediately after getting your piercing due to its high hypoallergenic nature.
Can I change my earrings a month (4 weeks) after the piercing?
If your piercings are on your ear lobes, you may opt to change your earrings a month after piercing.
However, you have to be very careful and practice proper aftercare procedures to avoid pierced ear infections. The piercing may not be fully healed, leading to the possibility of exposing the wound to bacteria.
However, cartilage piercings take between 3 to 9 months for them to heal correctly.
Fortunately, different people heal at different times, depending on how well you take care of the piercing immediately after the procedure as well as how your body reacts.
Can I change my earrings after 5 weeks?
Many professional piercers recommend that you do not change the earrings in your newly pierced ears after five weeks, especially if it is a cartilage piercing.
Piercings on your ear lobe take approximately 6-8 weeks to heal entirely while cartilage piercings take about 6-12 months to heal.
Replacing your earring as early as five weeks may result in severe irritation and pierced ear infections, because of the small wound in your piercing that needs to heal fully.
In case you are uncomfortable with your earring such that it causes some pain, ensure your piercer inserted the correct metal material earring.
Hypoallergenic metals, like gold, medical-grade titanium, and surgical stainless steel (SSS) are the best options. We write a post on this topic: Is Surgical Steel Good for Sensitive Ears? ( Detailed Answer)Stick to these kinds of metals as you change your earrings to avoid the risk of infection.
Can I change my earrings after 6 weeks?
Changing the earrings in your newly pierced ears is not a challenge as long as you observe the proper aftercare and cleaning procedures.
At 6 weeks, your ear lobe piercing should be healed depending on how your body reacts.
However, if you feel some pain or irritation as you try and change the earrings, it is best to wait a couple more days.
Always make sure your hands are clean, and you have disinfected your new earrings before wearing them.
What happens if you change your earrings before 6 weeks?
Before you left the piercing shop, your piercer should have given you an ideal timeframe of when you could change your earrings.
In most cases, it is between 4-8 weeks for ear lobe piercings and 6-12 months for cartilage piercings. Failure to abide by these guidelines could cost you a lifetime of pain.
The healing period in different people differs, affecting the healing period of ear piercings too.
Changing your earrings before the recommended six weeks is likely to irritate your new piercing and expose it to bacteria, leading to pierced ear infections.
If you remove your earrings out overnight before six weeks, you also risk your holes closing up, prompting you to go back for another piercing.
How to look after a new ear piercing?
Ear piercing aftercare is just as important as the process of piercing itself.
It is vital to always keep the area around the piercing clean by cleaning it at least three times per day using aftercare solution. You should also rotate your piercing stud at 360° at least three times every day.
Always wash your hands before touching such piercings to avoid exposing it to any bacteria.
New piercings should be soaked at least three times a day in a salt or saline solution for approximately two to five minutes. Use clean and soaked gauze to clean the area. Once your piercing fully heals, sanitize your jewelry using a disinfectant, whenever you remove your earrings.
Often, dead skin as a result of infrequent earring removal or dandruff may accumulate around your ear, creating a nidus for germs.
It is advisable to get a professional to pierce your ears rather than doing it at home. Piercings that are not on the ear lobe should be done with piercing guns rather than needles.
However, always ensure your piercer observes sterility and proper sanitation while using various types of equipment. It is also essential that they give you advice on aftercare protocols as well as tips.
How long do ear piercings take to heal?
Most ear lobe piercings take approximately 4 to 6 weeks to heal after you get them done.
However, healing depends on how well you take care of them and how fast your body heals. On the other hand, cartilage piercings take a bit longer to recover fully.
It may heal within a couple of months, but the standard healing timeframe is between three to nine months.
In some cases, they may require more time to heal, depending on the location of the piercing.
What to do on the day you get your ears pierced?
Before getting an ear piercing, it is crucial to choose the piercing you want and what location offers their services to your liking.
Ensure your preferred location observes sterility and sanitation when using their equipment for the procedure. So, you have sat on the chair, and the worst part is over.
So, what do you do for the first day as far as aftercare is concerned?
Avoid any activities that may lead to the exposure of your piercing to dirt or irritation. Do not rub your ears or bump into anything that would irritate your new piercings. If you have to touch your newly pierced ears, clean your hands thoroughly first.
What not to do while your ear piercing is healing?
Ear piercing aftercare is quite a long process, but luckily, it is repetitive. Once you master a good cleaning and aftercare routine, your piercing will heal in no time.
Similarly, there are activities you should avoid while your ear piercing is healing. Avoid playing with your piercing or handling it excessively before it fully heals.
Be careful when wearing clothes to prevent the earring stud from getting caught on your clothes. In some instances, you may need to sleep on one side to avoid crushing the ear while it is still healing.
Easy ways to clean an ear piercing
Before cleaning or touching your ear piercings, it is vital to thoroughly wash your hands with antibacterial soap to avoid exposing your piercing to dirt and bacteria.
By using a soft clean cloth or cotton swab, dip it into a saline solution, preferably the one given to you by your piercer.
However, you may also mix distilled water and salt to create a similar solution.
Swab your piercing gently with the cotton swab or clean cloth around the piercing, and not forgetting the back of your ear. Afterward, turn your piercing stud by gently grasping it between your fingers and turning it at 360°, both anticlockwise and clockwise.
Apply an antibiotic ointment to the posts of the earrings and then rotate them in both directions, to allow the ointment to enter the piercing.
Clean your piercings at least twice a day as part of your morning and bedtime routine. It might be a painful process at first, but it is definitely worth it. Remember, you should not remove your earrings before they recover fully.
Conclusion
When you decide to have an ear piercing, it is best to have it done by a professional with excellent hygiene practices. Ensure you follow the aftercare instructions carefully until the wound completely recovers.
Knowing precisely after how long you should change your earrings after an ear piercing helps in caring for your open wound effectively. Luckily, most ear-piercing infections are treatable at home and guaranteed to heal after a few days. If symptoms persist, your doctor may put you on antibiotics to properly treat the wound.
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Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.