If you’ve recently had your ears pierced, or are planning to, then you’re in the right place! We’re here to introduce 3 things you need to remember throughout the recovery time to help them heal well, so you can enjoy your piercing for years to come!
Leave Your Earrings In For At Least 6 Weeks, Day and Night!
The first thing that you need to remember is to leave your earrings in for at least 6 weeks, making sure you keep them day and night. Some piercings, like tragus or daith piercings, will need to be left in for closer to 12 weeks, however lobe piercings will be 6 weeks. This is to make sure that the piercing can completely heal and also to prevent infection. If you take them out even overnight, this is enough time to cause them to heal badly, so make sure you keep them in! Think carefully about the earring that you originally have it pierced with as you will have it in for a while. However, the time will fly by and soon you can experiment with all kinds of hoops and earring charms!
Clean Twice A Day With Saline Solution
The next thing you need to do is clean your piercing with saline solution twice a day for a month! Most piercing places will sell saline solution, however you can also easily make your own at home by combining 2 cups of boiling water with 1 teaspoon of freshly ground salt. Stir until the salt dissolves and you have your saline solution! Make sure to make it fresh every couple of days.
Then, take clean cotton wool pads or buds and then clean around the piercing, making sure to get as close as possible. This will help to draw out any discharge, stimulate blood circulations and prevent infections from developing. If you do think an infection has occurred, make sure to go to the person who did the piercing and ask for their advice. This might seem like a bit of a chore but it will certainly be worth it when you have a great new piercing that has healed really well.
Be Careful How You Sleep
Another thing you need to be careful of is how you sleep. This isn’t as much of an issue with lobe earrings, but when you get a piercing in the cartilage, it can migrate slightly to a different place, causing the piercing hole to expand. So, you need to avoid sleeping on the side of your head that the piercing is on for as long as possible, ideally 2-3 months. This will help to make sure that the piercing heals in the right place and that you don’t have any problems later down the line! Some people find they have no issues lying on their ear as soon as it feels comfortable to do so, so just remember to check with your piercer who will be able to give you more specific advice!
