How long will it take for my piercing to heal?

Piercing Updated March 14, 2023

At Essential Beauty we specialise in professional ear & body piercings, we love to make clients feel beautiful and unique with our styles! A common question we receive at Essential Beauty is how long will it take for my piercing to heal?

Healing time is different depending on the part of your body that you get pierced. Areas that are softer, with no cartilage such as ear lobes will heal faster than other areas. Healing times vary from person to person and depend on how well you follow our recommended aftercare.

Depending on your piercing, healing can take up to 24 months. Healing times and jewellery changeover times are two very different things. You may choose to changeover your jewellery, but jewellery should stay in your piercing for at least 24 months. We recommend waiting for your jewellery changeover period to downsize your jewellery.

It is important to remember to only changeover jewellery in a clean, sterile environment. Our Piercing Experts are specialists in jewellery changeover, and all Essential Beauty purchases come with a free jewellery changeover. Visit them in salon to organise a piercing changeover!

Jewellery Changeover Times

How long until I can change my jewellery?

6-12 weeks*

*Please note: these times are general and healing varies for the individual. If you are unsure, visit our Piercing Experts to consult and advise.

After the times listed above, you may be able to remove your jewellery for a short time for a changeover. However, your piercing may begin to shrink. We cannot give you an exact time for how long you can remove your jewellery before it becomes difficult to reinsert. This varies between people. Just remember – never force jewellery into a piercing that has shrunk.

Healing and changeover differences

Healing and jewellery changeover (initial healing) times are two different things.

You may changeover or downsize your jewellery before your piercing has fully healed.
Depending on your piercing, healing may take up to 24 months.
Within the first 24 months, care must be taken when changing jewellery over (if bleeding occurs, please go back to using Sterilear Step 1).
If bleeding occurs during a changeover, treat it like a new piercing, let the skin stick to the jewellery, use Step 1 for two weeks, and avoid changing the jewellery for at least another 4 weeks.
If jewellery is removed and left out from your piercing within the first 24 months, you may risk it closing over.
Changeover your jewellery in a clean, sterile environment.

Signs Your Piercing May be Fully Healed:

It’s been 12-24 months since you received your piercing*.
There is no more discharge or redness.
The piercing is not tender to touch.
The jewellery is loose and moves somewhat freely.
It does not bleed when you change the jewellery over.

If you are unsure, we recommend visiting our Piercing Experts to confirm! We always recommend keeping jewellery in your piercing at every stage of your piercing journey to ensure your piercing doesn’t close over.

*Please note: these times are general and healing varies for the individual. If you are unsure, visit our Piercing Experts to consult and advise.

Healed Piercing Length of Time Healed Piercing Signs

Aftercare is Important

It is important to follow recommended aftercare information and advice from the Piercing Experts. From weeks 1 & 2, use Sterilear Step 1: Clean. It is important to spray the front and back of the piercing twice a day, spray sparingly and rinse after use. Sterilear Step 1: Clean contains the optimal concentration of salts to promote healing. Our Sterilear solution helps prevent bacteria from forming around the piercing.

From weeks 3 onwards, move onto Sterilear Step 2: Care. Spray the front and back of the piercing twice a day. Step 2: Care’s enhanced formula enriched with aloe vera, lavender and vitamin E to soothe the skin and promote healing. Contains peppermint oil to provide anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.