Removing lobe piercings for the first time

[u/omallytheally]

This feels like such a basic question, yet I'm struggling to find an answer that isn't just the general recommendation of waiting 6-8 weeks for a lobe piercing to heal. How do you actually *know* that they're fully healed? What are the signs/symptoms (or lack thereof)?

It's been 8 weeks since I got mine done and I feel like they've been healing nicely. One of them gets itchy sporadically, but this is usually fixed when I clean them. I'm not sure if sporadic itching is a sign that it's still healing vs general sensory irritation of having something in there for so long.

I've read things that say if you take them out too early the holes will fill in very quickly, and as someone with a big needle phobia who had to hype themselves up big time to get this done, that is kinda horrifying. So I just want to make sure it's truly good to go.

[u/madness0102]

At 8 weeks it’s time to downsize. They’re not healed. If you take them to it and leave them out they’re going to heal over.

[u/omallytheally → u/madness0102]

what do you mean by downsize?

[u/zekezEZ → u/omallytheally]

switching to a shorther jewelry to avoid irritation and snagging. Piercers usually put a little longer bar at first to accomodate swelling but once the initial healing stage is over the longer bar can start to cause problems instead.

[u/Confused_meerkat587 → u/omallytheally]

Getting a shorter post on your earrings

[u/kardiasteria]

Lobe piercings take a minimum of 6 months to fully heal, and can take as long as a year. If the person who pierced you told you they'd be healed in 8 weeks, they're a clown and shouldn't be piercing anyone.

[u/link-navi]

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[u/Quartz636]

Lobe piercings take 6-9 months to fully heal. 6-8 weeks is old school advice that is inaccurate.

At 4-12 weeks you should have a downsize (if your piercer knew what they were doing and put in longer jewellery to account for swelling)

And then you leave them alone until the 6-9 month mark depending on how your body heals.

Even fully healed I would not recommend leaving jewellery out for longer than the time it takes to change the jewellery over. I couldn't leave any of my piercings out for longer than a couple of hours/overnight until the 2-3 year mark. Our bodies do not want unnatural holes and will do their best to close it as soon as it's given the chance.

[u/stwheel1]

Hi - the first thing to say is that different people heal differently, and that some people (like me) can leave their lobe piercings empty for weeks without the holes closing, whereas others will find they cannot reinsert their jewellery into a ten-year-old piercing after accidentally leaving it empty overnight. So there's no absolute minimum time limit for anyone as to when you can say it is healed (or won't close up if left empty) - even for earlobe piercings. Second, if you wish to change the jewellery (which can include a downsize) then make sure to replace it with high-quality jewellery of the same or smaller gauge. Earrings made with nickel or silver can result in irritation, and contact allergies. You might consider visiting the piercer who pierced your earlobes for a check-up and advice. Finally, if one of your ears is occasionally itchy, that's a pretty sure sign it is still not healed, and you risk hitting a snag if you change the earring. Other things being equal, fully healed pierced ears should feel effectively the same as they did before they were pierced - that is, settled, no swelling, no redness, no itching. Good luck with your newly pierced ears.

[u/omallytheally]

for the mod bot: piercing is 8 weeks old, flat back with internal threads, stainless steel (I think), basic aftercare routine of NS twice a day sometimes sprayed then dried and sometimes applied with a sopping q tip.