How to Clean New Ear Piercings and Change Your Jewelry For the First Time
Congratulations! Getting your ears pierced is a special milestone. Regardless of when you have your ears pierced, it is exciting to know that you will soon be able to wear earrings that complement your sense of style!
How To Care For Your New Piercing
Most girls past the age of 16 have at least a single hole in each ear (besides the ones they were born with), be it at the hands of a Claire’s clerk, a technician at Piercing Pagoda, from the doctor’s office, or by your long lost twin at summer camp. But the responsibility of ensuring proper healing falls to the pierced and the pierced alone. So what does that include? We turned to the master, our friend J. Colby Smith for some answers:
“There are two ways to clean a new piercing. A lot of piercers will recommend saline solution, which is saltwater. Our bodies are made up of salt and water, so contact solution and things like that are all made of saltwater. If you’re going this route, use a paper towel or something that is non-fibrous—not a Q-tip, not a cotton ball—and saturate that with the saline so it’s nice and wet and then use it like a sloppy compress over the piercing. There are also a lot of sprays out there. Sometimes they’re meant for wound washes, so the spray is a little stronger, but every once in a while you can find one that sprays in a nice mist which is good for the inside of your ear—it’s easier to get in there. I’d just recommend sticking a little something down inside the ear so the spray doesn’t go into your earhole. [Laughs]
But the way that I usually recommend people clean their piercings, that I think is a little more practical because everyone takes a shower—you know, for the most part—is just with soap and water. It doesn’t really matter what brand of soap as long as there’s no alcohol and or perfumes in it. Soap and water has worked for thousands of years, and it will still work now. You don’t want to use alcohol or peroxide because, while they both clean, they take moisture out as well which will lead to more scarring. The idea with the soap and water is that it cleans the wound, but it also leaves some moisture in there.
You want to clean your piercing twice a day. Generally, the more you leave it alone the better off it is. And don’t fiddle with it. A lot of people think that their skin is going to fuse to the jewelry, but it won’t. If it’s wet it’s OK to rotate it, but if it’s dry that will break the scab and cause it to bleed, which creates another open wound so it will just take longer to heal.
The number one problem I see with piercings is that a lot of people talk about the little bump that they get; out of every 60 that I do, I see at least five that come back with the little bumps on them, which is a result of trauma on the wound. Especially with your ears—it’s from laying on your piercing, or if you snag it with a hairbrush, or if you’re taking your shirt off and you snag it on that, or if you’re making out with someone and they get a hold of it wrong. These things remind your body that there is a foreign object there, which sort of reactivates the healing process.
The most important thing to remember is that you know your body better than I do, and you have to listen to what your body is saying. We’re all different. Your body’s job is to get rid of a foreign object, so if you make a hole and put a foreign object in there, your body will immediately go to work trying to get rid of it. The area swells, which is basically your body’s way of trying to force the object out of there. Usually we do piercings thick enough and deep enough to force the body into just accepting the fact that the piercing needs to stay there, and your skin will just heal around it instead of getting rid of it. It’s also important to remember is that there is no miracle cure. A lot of people come in, they get pierced, and they think that that’s it. The healing process involves keeping it clean and time—time being the most important thing. If you’re not a patient person then piercings are not for you.”
Photo by J. Colby Smith.
How to Clean New Ear Piercings and Change Your Jewelry For the First Time
Congratulations! Getting your ears pierced is a special milestone. Regardless of when you have your ears pierced, it is exciting to know that you will soon be able to wear earrings that complement your sense of style!
The most important part of ear piercing is actually the ear piercing aftercare, which happens in the first several weeks following the piercing. Good piercing aftercare and high-quality aftercare products will help you avoid infection and help your ear piercing heal more quickly.
Continue reading to learn how to care for your newly pierced ears, the “do’s and don’ts” of proper earlobe piercing aftercare, and some tips and tricks to follow for changing your earrings for the first time!
What is ear piercing aftercare? When does it start?
Ear piercing aftercare begins the same day as the piercing and should be performed 2-3 times per day. You’ll continue this regimen for several weeks-to-months. This timeline is different depending on where in the ear you get pierced; your nurse will give you the specific timeline appropriate for your piercing. Getting into an aftercare routine early on is a good idea, so caring for your ear piercing is incorporated into your everyday routine. For example, clean your ear piercings when you brush your teeth in the morning and the evening. This is one way to remember to do it!
How do I clean my piercing?
The most important aspect of caring for your ears is good hand hygiene. Always wash your hands thoroughly before touching your earrings. While it may be tempting to touch your new earrings (they are beautiful), it is important to avoid playing with them. You should only touch your new earrings when you are cleaning your ears.
You will need to spray the piercing site 2-3 times a day with your Rowan Advanced Aftercare and Cleanser . To clean your piercing, spray the pierced area directly and ensure the piercing site is soaked properly, and allow it to air dry. We do not recommend using hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, or antibiotic ointment on the skin. While performing ear piercing aftercare, make sure to pull back your hair so it does not get caught in the earring!
Always leave a space between the back of the ear and the earring back. If wearing a butterfly back, do not push earring backs close to the back of the earlobe, as the piercing needs plenty of room to breathe and heal. For many starter earrings, the earring back will click into a notch towards the end of the post and should remain at this location.
Lastly, avoid letting regular soap, shampoo, conditioner, or hair products sit or remain in the ear piercing site. After your piercing comes into contact with soap or other products (which will happen when you wash your face or shower), the piercing site should be thoroughly rinsed. You may opt to perform one of your daily cleanings after you shower to ensure the piercing site is clean.
How long do ear piercings take to heal?
It takes a year for a piercing to heal entirely, and removing the starter earrings too early may cause the earring hole to close. Your nurse will tell you at what point it will be safe to change your earring. Once you’ve reached the point when you can change your earrings, continue wearing lightweight hypoallergenic earrings, including to sleep, bathe, and play sports, until the ears have healed completely.
We love our endless hoops for 24/7 wear, they’re so comfortable! If you are physically active or playing sports, it is recommended to wear small sports studs instead of hoops or dangly earrings, which can get caught or tangled.
How do I change my earrings for the first time?
The first step in changing your earrings is to start with clean, sanitized hands. This will help prevent infection and ensure that your ears stay healthy. Next, you need to sanitize the hypoallergenic earrings you will be changing into with rubbing alcohol. Make sure the alcohol has completely dried off of the earring before attempting to place the earring in your ear.
Now you’re ready to remove your current earrings. Removal will be nuanced depending on what kind of earring you started with, but not to worry! Here are tips that will make you a pro in no time:
General Tips
Be Prepared to Go Fast
Your body is working hard to heal your piercing, which means that even a minute without an earring in your new piercing can cause the hole to begin to close. Focus on one ear at a time – removing and replacing earrings on one side, then the other.
If you are having pain when attempting to place a new earring in your piercing, stop and do not force the earring through! Not only will forcing the earring through worsen your pain, but it can cause trauma to your ear. It’s better to re-pierce the hole than to force a blunt earring through a partially closed piercing.
If you can feel a small amount of resistance and no pain, lubricating your ear and the jewelry with your aftercare solution can help the earring go into place smoothly.
Bleeding
You might see a small amount of bleeding when you remove your earrings for the first time. Don’t worry, though! A piercing is a wound that heals from the outside-in, and the healing process takes approximately a year. Use your aftercare to remove any blood from your skin once you have placed your new earrings in the piercing.
Guides for Each Earring Type
Bell-Back Earrings
Firmly grasp the front of the earring between your pointer finger and thumb, and do the same with the earring back. Pull the earring back from the post in one fluid, strong motion, then gently remove the post. The bell-back is very secure to the post, and it will take a little more effort than a butterfly-back.
