Here's How Long You Need To Wait Before Changing Earrings In A New Piercing

There are some moments in our lives when we are itching for a change. We want to do something different, fun, and drastic to make a big statement or to stay on trend with the latest fads. Some of us dye our hair, others get a new tattoo. And, there are those who opt to go out and get a new piercing. Getting a new piercing, no matter where it is, is an exciting time and change for anyone — a person's look and vibe can completely change simply by adding some jewelry.

While piercings are totally fun and awesome, they also require a lot of work and care to ensure that they don't get infected. One of the biggest mistakes that many people make when getting a new piercing is changing out their jewelry far too early. When this happens, it can lead to a number of problems such as infections or even the piercing closing up completely. It's best to avoid any serious issues by waiting the appropriate amount of time to change out jewelry in a brand new piercing, or by avoiding certain piercings altogether (via Piercing Home).

The amount of time that you need to wait to change your new piercing really depends on what kind of piercing you have. According to the experts, you should never change your jewelry out in a new piercing until the piercing has 100% fully healed (via Urban Body Jewelry). 

Here's what you need to know. When it comes to standard ear piercings, it can take anywhere from six to eight weeks to heal, as noted by Healthline. The skin on the bottom earlobe is much more tender and soft, so the healing time is far less than other piercings. Moving on to other parts of the ear, namely the industrial/cartilage piercings, things will take a little bit more time. Any piercing that is in an area with a lot of cartilage, such as an industrial piercing on the upper ear, takes much longer to heal because of how thick the skin is (via Authority Tattoo). Typically, this type of piercing takes anywhere from six months to one year for total healing time. This also includes nose piercings — as such, that's how long you should wait to switch out your jewelry. 

Here's where things move on from the standard ear piercing, and you might be surprised by the info. According to Medical News Today, tongue piercings take the least amount of time to fully heal, with only four weeks of full healing time needed until you can change your ring.

Of course, quick healing doesn't apply to everything. When nipple piercings are considered, it should be noted that with such a sensitive area comes a lot of healing time. Healthline reported that nipple piercings are performed on an extremely receptive area and to be sure that there is no infection in an intimate area, experts say to wait six months to a whole year for full healing. 

Overall, everyone's healing time is different, depending on your body and its natural process! Just watch out for infection, and keep your piercings clean before switching out your jewelry.