When Can You Change Piercing Jewellery?

One of the most common questions people have when they get a piercing (besides asking if it will hurt) is when they can switch out the initial jewellery for something different. It's no surprise, considering the wide variety of beautifully designed pieces available to decorate your ears, nose, lips, and eyebrows. When it comes to changing your piercing jewellery, timing is crucial.

 Here's what you need to know:

Initial Piercing and Jewellery

• Healing Time: The healing time for a new piercing can vary significantly, ranging from a few months to up to a year.
• Jewellery Accommodation: Initial jewellery is often larger or longer to accommodate swelling that can occur after the piercing.

Changing Jewellery

• Oral and Lip Piercings: Oral or lip piercings, such as the labret, medusa, or philtrum, can typically be changed relatively quickly, usually around six to eight weeks after getting them.
• Lobe Piercings: Lobe piercings heal relatively quickly, allowing you to change the jewellery after about six weeks.
• Cartilage Piercings: Cartilage piercings, like the helix, rook, daith, or industrial, require more patience. Most piercers recommend waiting three months, but complete healing could take six to eight months.
• Hidden Healing Process: Cartilage piercings can be deceiving, as they may appear healed on the outside before the inner part has fully healed. Avoid changing jewellery too soon to prevent irritation, prolonged healing, and potential infection.

Avoid Frequent Changes

• Risk of Frequent Changes: Continuously switching jewellery within the first year increases the risk of infection, allergies, and swelling. Patience is key.

Recognising a Fully Healed Piercing

• Healed vs. Recovering: A fully healed piercing differs from one that is still recovering. Look for decreased discharge, absence of pain or tenderness, and no red or pink skin around the piercing.

Retiring a Piercing

• Tough Decisions: Saying goodbye to a piercing can be challenging due to the cost, discomfort, and attachment to the jewellery. However, sometimes it's necessary.
• Piercing Prone to Rejection: If you notice signs of rejection, like redness, scaliness, or visible jewellery, it's best to remove the piercing to prevent severe scarring.
• Issues with Piercing Angles or Jewellery: In cases of improper piercing angles or persistent irritation bumps from crooked jewellery, removal may be necessary. Not all crooked piercings require removal, depending on severity and tolerance.
• Wrong Jewellery: If your piercing was done with the wrong type of jewellery or your current jewellery is problematic, seek professional assistance for a change. Avoid returning to the original piercer if they didn't perform the job properly.

Dealing with Infections

It's important to resist the temptation of continuously switching to new looks for at least a year after changing your jewellery for the first time. Frequent changes can increase the risk of infection, allergies, and uncomfortable swelling. So, how can you tell if your piercing is fully healed? 

A healed piercing looks different from a wound that is still recovering. The discharge should gradually decrease during the healing period. A fully healed piercing should not produce any discharge, feel painful or tender to the touch, or have red or pink skin around it. But what if you have to bid farewell to your piercing? It's never an easy decision, considering the cost of getting pierced, the discomfort involved, and the attachment to the jewellery. However, sometimes, it's best to accept that it may not have worked out as you had hoped.

Retiring and Moving Forward

Retiring a piercing, even if it's still healing, is tough. Recognise what can be saved and what must be accepted as a loss.

With time, usually a few weeks to months, you'll fully heal and be ready for new piercings. Armed with fresh knowledge and hopefully better luck, happy piercing awaits.