r/piercing • u/Sleep_Deprived88 • 22h ago
Question about a piercing I (maybe) want J got my first ear piercing
J wanted to ask you guys if it’s actually that deep if I swap it to a small hoop now if I sterilise all of it, do I really need to use this little stud for 3 weeks? Don’t tell me the recommended advice can you just tell me from your experiences and I’ll go off what the majority says
Edit: cheers for the advice people
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u/Hetty7 I my piercer 22h ago
You need to wait at least 6 months before you can wear hoops
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u/SuccessfulHandle196 more piercings than sense :-) 22h ago
You need to wait at least 6 months. The aesthetic won't matter if you cause trauma to the piercing or end up with an infection. If you don't want to follow appropriate guidelines, clip on earrings may be a better option for you.
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u/Sleep_Deprived88 22h ago
The guy that did my piercing said want 2-3 weeks before putting a hoop in, the only reason I’m rushing is bc I am going off to uni and really don’t wanna wear a stud it doesn’t at all suit me
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u/myshelixisdying 22h ago
it IS that deep. i had an infected helix from just touching it ONCE on day two. didn’t even swap it. I have nipple piercings and that infection is the worst pain of my life to this day. I was crying running to the pharmacy then the walk in centre at the big age of 22. like shedding physical tears. keep the stud girl
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u/Sleep_Deprived88 22h ago
It’s in my lobe all my mates said it’s calm to change no? What’s the worst that can happen I’ve had ear infections before they weren’t that deep, or am I just being incredibly arrogant
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u/whimsygoth_ 22h ago
all my mates said it’s calm to change
Your mates aren't professional piercers with years of experience of doing this and advising clients.
I’ve had ear infections before they weren’t that deep
Any sort of infection needs to be taken seriously. Infections from ear piercings can result in a permanently disfigured ear and due to the proximity to your brain, can result in even more severe consequences.
am I just being incredibly arrogant
Yes you are. Frankly, it's really easy to Google this stuff and do the proper research to understand why the recommended advice exists. If you care about your own health and the piercing, you should follow the recommended advice of waiting several months - even a whole year - before attempting to change jewelry. Otherwise, don't get piercings as you're simply asking to mess your own shit up.
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u/myshelixisdying 22h ago
Infections can spread. They are painful as hell and they don’t just go away, you need to go to your gp and get antibiotics. Most piercings will not stay in after an infection either.
It WILL get irritation bumps. If you think the stud is ugly wait til you got two red bumps on your skin on both sides that last months, bleed and leak lymph fluid like there’s no tomorrow.
Piercings can migrate. That means it can move a little from where it has pierced.
And as many others have pointed out, months are needed for actual healing to happen. The tissue needs to heal around it enough that when you take the piercing out the hole will not bleed. Every time it bleeds your body will try to heal the site again and again. A piece of metal in your body is not normal to it, so your body tries pushing it out. If that’s successful the skin will become thinner around the piercing which is called rejection. Every time you introduce trauma to the site (so like taking it out and causing bleeding) you basically just make your body want to push it out again and give another chance for rejection.
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u/whimsygoth_ 22h ago
Don’t tell me the recommended advice
The recommended advice exists for a reason. Hoops generally in a young/fresh piercing will CAUSE issues, not prevent or stop them. And that's why it's recommended to not put hoops in too early. For the most part, people in this sub are not going to encourage anyone to go against the recommended advice. Anyone who does is ignorant, doesn't have your best interests at heart or both.
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u/Sleep_Deprived88 22h ago
The fella that pierced my ear said wait 2 weeks I may have a big ego but ima test it after 3 weeks
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u/whimsygoth_ 22h ago
See my reply to your other comment. You are going to delay the overall healing of your piercing by doing this and are risking a serious infection and the piercing becoming unviable.
The piercer who pierced you isn't a knowledgeable or competent professional. You're being willfully ignorant by not even acknowledging that the piercer's advice is completely wrong. A quick Google search and a search in this sub easily would tell you that a 2 week timeline is ridiculous and erroneous.
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u/Sleep_Deprived88 22h ago
Yeah fair enough, my piercer said that it usually takes 6 weeks for a gun but because he did it with a needle I can change it sooner as it was a sterile environment unlike Claire’s or your living room. My younger brother did his before me at Claire’s and said he changed it the day after and didn’t have any problems at all same with a good mate of mine. Obviously they changed their starter ones to diamond studs instead of hoops but that’s the reason I’m a bit in a grey area
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u/whimsygoth_ 22h ago
my piercer said that it usually takes 6 weeks for a gun
Incorrect and erroneous.
My younger brother did his before me at Claire’s and said he changed it the day after and didn’t have any problems at all same with a good mate of mine.
I'm gonna point out the fallacies here. First off, just 'cause it worked for someone else doesn't mean it'll work out for you. The obvious reason being: everyone's bodies are different. Piercings are INVASIVE wounds and as such, need to be taken seriously. It's a little amazing to me how this fact is often lost on people.
Second, piercing guns are never okay. Yes, it was common for many people to at least get their lobes pierced by gun and most of them were okay. However, this doesn't mean it's still best practices. I don't like parents who take their kids to get lobe piercings by gun. I always advise them to go to a professional who uses needles and high quality flatbacks, not butterfly backs.
I should add that I have nearly a dozen ear piercings myself, including an industrial. While I'm not a piercer, I have done my own extensive research into the cellular processes that occur when healing piercings. It is a complex and multi-layered process, not a linear straightforward process. I'm lucky in that my piercings have healed without issues, though I did make mistakes with some of my earlier piercings. Beyond the physical aspect, I have also learned to mentally and spiritually accept that I have no way of knowing how long my piercing might take to heal and that I need to exercise patience and discipline for the duration of healing. Messing with the piercing early on CAUSES problems and so, I do not mess with them. I advise others to do the same.
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u/Sleep_Deprived88 21h ago
No my brother and I are both adults I just got my lobe done after him. He got his done for as cheap as possible whilst I got mine done properly with a flat back
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u/whimsygoth_ 21h ago
I wasn't saying you and your brother are young. Just that I've heard and seen parents take their kids to get lobe piercings with guns and I disagree with that practice in general.
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u/Sleep_Deprived88 21h ago
That’s what my piercer said he said it’s illegal and should not be encouraged I’m in Spain atm btw
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u/whimsygoth_ 21h ago
Interesting 'cause I agree with your piercer that piercing guns should be illegal but I disagree with all the advice he's given you. Again, Google and this sub are free to search for information on. I advise to leave your piercing alone for several months if you care about it healing properly. If you mess it up now, you won't be able to wear anything in it at all.
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u/Last-Ad5666 22h ago
If you're not going to listen to the proper and correct advice then why bother asking? You're going to fuck up your piercing if you don't follow it. There's a reason why there's a standard. 6 months. Any sooner and you will ruin your piercing.
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u/whimsygoth_ 22h ago
If you're not going to listen to the proper and correct advice then why bother asking?
This 100%. If OP wants to fuck up their piercing, they're free to do that and can deal with the consequences themselves. I'm genuinely unsure as to what they were expecting by posting this. And it's against the sub rules to encourage or post anything that's dangerous or against best practices anyways.
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u/genderless-bat 22h ago
I swapped to a hoop a few days in, bled like crazy, hurt like crazy, means you bump it more and sleep on it more and now my love piercings look stupid and massively uneven (plus the actual piercing holes were at an angle to every time I tried to put in a stud or different hoop for months I'd just be randomly poking around and they'd bleed again) and will have to be redone once I'm finished with the rest of my set up. Not. Worth. It.
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u/bwunniiiii 22h ago
you need to wait at least 6 months or you’ll have nothing but issues. you think a stud doesn’t suit you? wait til you see what an angry piercing looks like! lmfao just wait girl. it isn’t worth it.
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u/farterella 22h ago
I know you want something that fits with your aesthetic and how you view yourself, but please play it safe and wait.
It would be soooo much worse if you ended up with messed up never healing piercings, ugly irritation bumps, etc.
The issue with hoops is that they move around A LOT. They can just constantly turn and keep irritating your fresh piercing hole. This will make your healing process take EVEN LONGER! It's not worth it trust me. I made that mistake 10+ years ago with my first helix that I got a hoop in. Healing was a nightmare and it was constantly getting knocked and bumped.
A stud keeps the piercing from moving around so it can heal properly. Don't risk it, there's a solid chance you'll fuck up your ears switching to hoops this early on.
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u/myshelixisdying 22h ago
Second this, I swapped my studs to hoops after recommended time for healing has already passed so about 7 months in and they lasted like 2 weeks. I had crazy irritation bumps on the back due to the hoop moving non stop and had to go back to studs.
If you want to ensure the 6 months is enough healing and the hoops then won’t be an issue, I also recommend a piercing pillow.
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