How Long to Leave Earrings in After Piercing

One of our most frequently asked questions is how long to leave earrings in after piercing. The quick answer is 6 weeks for an earlobe piercing, and 12 weeks for a cartilage piercing. However, everyone has a different healing process. We’ve compiled a list of tips for knowing if you’re ready to change into a new pair of earrings!

Piercing Aftercare Maintenance

The healing period heavily depends on how you maintained your new piercings. The golden rule is that new piercings should always be kept clean and dry. The piercing site should be cleaned three times daily with the Inverness Aftercare Solution and piercing earrings should also be completely rotated to prevent the posts from adhering to the ear. The better you care for your newly-pierced ears, the better they’ll heal!

Piercing Tip #1: You don’t want to get any bacteria in your new piercings, so we suggest cleansing your earrings before inserting them in your ears.

Choosing New Earrings

Once you have finished your healing period, it’s important to choose a safe metal for your next earrings. Because your ears won’t yet be ready to support heavy, chunky earrings, we recommend switching to a simple stud or a very light hoop earring for at least 6 months after your piercing has healed. Choose earrings made with hypoallergenic metals such as medical grade steel, 14KT gold plate, or 24KT gold plated medical grade steel.

Piercing Tip #2: Your Inverness piercing earrings are designed for a lifetime of wear. You can make more comfortable to wear by using an emery board to file down the sharp piercing tip.

Safety and Sterility

For six months after you change your earlobe piercing, it’s important to not go longer than 24 hours without wearing an earring. If you go more than that amount of time without an earring, your piercing to begin to close. If you have a new cartilage piercing, you will need to wear an earring 24/7 for at least 6 months after your healing period to keep your piercing from closing. As always, continue using the Inverness Aftercare Solution to keep your ear piercing clean and sanitary!

For more information about ear piercing aftercare click here. You can also find an Inverness piercing location by using our store locator! Happy piercing!