3 TIPS FOR CHANGING YOUR EARRINGS FOR THE FIRST TIME
Whether it is your first piercing or the latest addition to your stack, we know you’ll be eager to start mixing and matching your new earring styles!
There are a few things you’ll need to consider first before you do.
Take a look at our guide to make sure changing your earrings for the first time goes without a hitch!
1. Make Sure the Piercing Has Fully Healed Before You Change Your Earrings
The main piece of advice we can give you before changing your earrings for the first time is to make sure that the piercing has fully healed. It can lead to some troublesome complications if you take the stud earring out too soon and it it hasn't.
How to tell if your piercing has healed properly?
A fully healed piercing will have no sign of redness or swelling. Any pain will have also eased as should any natural discharge which can appear during the healing process. You should also be able to gently move the earring without feeling any discomfort.
Your piercing will have the best chance of healing quickly if you clean it regularly with a salt water solution (we recommend a mixture of 1/4 tsp salt to about 250ml cooled, boiled water).
Cleaning it once in the morning and once at night should be enough.
How long does it take for a piercing to heal?
How long you should wait before changing your starter jewellery for the first time depends on where your piercing is. In the case of ear lobes, you’ll want to wait at least 6 weeks before you switch your jewellery.
Cartilage piercings (such as Tragus, Upper and Lower Conch, or Daith piercings) take quite a lot longer to heal at 3 to 6 months.
Sometimes it can take up to year in the case of Helix and Navel piercings. It’s true though that everyone is different, so it’s best to check for signs that your ear is fully healed before making the decision to change your piercing.
You may need to take it out sooner if it’s causing you an excessive amount of pain as it can be a sign of an infection or allergic reaction.
However, this is much less likely if you’ve used a hypoallergenic metal for your first piercing; our stainless-steel ball stud earrings would be the perfect choice.
What Happens If You Take Starter Earrings Out Too Early?
Taking out an earring before your ear has fully healed can lead to a nasty infection, permanent swelling and in some cases, the body rejecting any new piece of jewellery you try to put in.
In some cases, an unhealed ear can effectively “swallow” new jewellery which will then need removing by a professional.
If you remove starter studs too early but don’t put in new jewellery, the earlobe can simply close back up, wasting the time and money you put into getting your piercing in the first place.
2. Take Your Time and Take Care
So, you’ve checked your piercing and it’s healed perfectly. You’ve ordered yourself a new pair of earrings and you can’t wait to get them in. But how do you swap them over without any fuss? With these easy steps, it will be a doddle.
How Do You Remove Starter Earrings?
Step 1: Wash Your Hands and Clean Your Ears
Wash your hands thoroughly with mild soap and water before you touch your piercing. If you need to, tie your hair back before using a fresh, clean cloth and soap and water to gently wipe around your piercing. This will make sure your ear is free of any dirt or dead skin cell buildup that might otherwise get into the piercing if it’s not 100% healed.
Step 2: Get Comfortable
Make sure you’re nice and relaxed so you’re not too tense to deal with any fiddly earring closures. You don’t want to go yanking them out in a panic and drop a back or worse still, damaging your lobe. So, take a breath and get comfy – preferably in front of a mirror as it might come in useful for the next step.
But beware! It’s best not to change your jewellery over the bathroom sink. One false move and you could end up losing your earring down the sink. Put the plug in or try sitting on the floor with a make-up mirror. That way it won’t have far to roll if you do happen to drop it.
Step 3: Remove or Open the Earring Back in the Correct Way
If you’re changing an earlobe piercing, chances are it’s a classic stud with a push back closing (also known as a butterfly back) like those found on almost all our allergy free studs.
To remove these types of earrings, gently pinch the back and apply a small amount of pressure until it slides all the way along and off the post. You might find it easier doing this in the mirror (as mentioned earlier) so you can watch what you’re doing. Once the back is off, gently pull the front of the earring forward so the post glides through and free of the ear.
If you’re changing a cartilage piercing, you may need to use a slightly different technique. Some posts (like those on found on most of our hypoallergenic cartilage studs) are threaded and require an end being screwed off whilst some rings need snapping open on a hinge. It’s best to ask your piercer when you get your piercing done to be sure.
3. Choose New Earrings That Won’t Cause You Discomfort
Congratulations! You’ve successfully removed your starter earrings. Now you can start getting creative with your style. But before you dive in, there’s a couple more things you need to consider first.
Make Sure You Choose the Right Size Jewellery
Be careful not to choose earrings with posts or threads that are two thick for your piercing – particularly if it’s a cartilage piercing.
You should also avoid wearing jewellery that’s too heavy and likely to put too much weight on your lobe. At least for the first 6 months or so.
Putting too much pressure on your piercings can sometimes lead to irritation.
But that’s less likely if you’re wearing hypoallergenic jewellery! Our pieces are made from high quality, medical grade stainless steel which 95% of people can wear completely irritation free. We also have some fantastic titanium options for those few people who can’t wear stainless steel.
How Soon After Having Your Ears Pierced Can You Wear Drop or Hoop Earrings?
Avoiding heavy jewellery is the reason why it’s a good idea to stay away from very large hoop earrings for the first six months after you’ve had your ears pierced. We recommend our perfect mini huggie hoops or small gold hoops instead.
We love huggie earrings because they can be dressed down or glammed up to suit your mood. You might want to stick with our timeless PVD plain gold hoop earrings or stainless-steel silver hoops earrings. Or personalise them with some stylish charms like those on our star and moon hypoallergenic charms and pearl hypoallergenic charms.
When Can I Switch to Other Styles?
It’s fine to switch from lighter styles to large or chunky hoops after your earlobes have been healed for six months.
Now it’s time to be as adventurous as you like! Check out our gold chain drop earrings for some night out drama or our bezel gem hypoallergenic hoops for a bit of classic bling.
Solace has you covered wherever you are in your piercing journey.
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