How LONG DOES IT TAKE AN EAR PIERCING TO HEAL?

By: Brooke Helton

Published: August 21, 2025 

You're dreaming of the perfect ear stack and dying to show off your favorite earrings.  But there’s just one thing standing in the way: your brand new, not-yet-healed piercing.

 

So, how long does it really take an ear piercing to heal?

 

Here's what we'll cover:

 

What to expect at each stage of the healing process

Typical healing timelines for different types of ear piercings

Tips to help your ears heal faster—so you can get back to the fun part: building your perfect ear stack.

After all, your new favorite flat backs are waiting—and we can't wait to help you find them.

 

Let’s dive in!

HOW LONG DOES A PIERCING ACTUALLY HEAL?

A new piercing is cute, but it’s also technically a wound—and your body treats it like one. Healing happens in phases. Here’s what’s going on behind the scenes:


A new piercing looks cute, but it’s also technically a wound—and your body treats it like one. Healing happens in phases. Here’s what’s going on behind the scenes:

Heads-up: Healing isn’t always linear.
You might bounce between phases 2 and 3 for a bit, and that’s totally normal. Stay patient. You’re well on your way to healed-piercing bliss.

HOW LONG DOES AN EAR PIERCING TAKE TO HEAL?

Healing times depend on where your piercing is located. Earlobes heal faster thanks to more blood flow and fewer nerve endings. Cartilege piercings (with more nerve endings and less blood flow) are slower and more sensitive.

Every body is different, though, so check in with your piercer for individual advice. 

HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO WAIT TO CHANGE MY EARRINGS AFTER I GET A NEW PIERCINGS?

We know—it’s tempting to try a new earring style the minute your piercing feels better. But trust us: keep your starter earrings in for the entire healing period. 

 

Taking them out too soon can introduce bacteria to your piercing and can even cause the hole to shrink or close entirely (no thanks!).

 

So, hang tight and give it time. The styling fun is just around the corner—and your happy piercings will be so worth the wait.

HOW DO YOU MAKE AN EAR PIERCING HEAL FASTER?

You can’t rush your body’s natural healing process – but you can give it a boost with some of the following tips. 

CLEAN YOUR PIERCING DAILY

An easy, once-a-day clean keeps bacteria out and healing on track.

USE GENTLE CLEANING PRODUCTS

Skip the harsh stuff. Cleaners with fragrances, rubbing alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide are way  too intense for a healing piercing.

Stick with a mild, unscented soap– or, better yet, a sterilized saline solution. Gentle cleaning is the move to help your piercing heal. 

LOOK, DON’T TOUCH

We get it– it’s shiny, it’s new, it’s tempting.  But touching your piercing can actually slow healing. Plus, the more you touch your piercing, the more likely you are to introduce it to bacteria. Not ideal.

Let any dried build-up wait until cleaning time, and skip rotating your earring (that’s a total myth). And when it is time to touch your piercing, wash your hands first.

The less you mess with it, the faster your piercing will heal. 

TREAT YOUR BODY LIKE A VIP

Your body’s doing all the hard work, so give it what it needs. Hydrate, eat and sleep well, and go easy on things that fuel inflammation (like alcohol or high stress). Take care of your body, and it will handle the rest. 

AVOID THE HEAT

Hot temps and healing piercings don’t mix. Heat can irritate your skin, slow down healing, and even overheat your jewelry (looking at you, tanning beds).

And where there’s heat, there’s usually sweat—which means more friction and trapped bacteria. Stick to the shade and keep things chill while you heal.

SKIP THE SWIM (FOR NOW)

Lakes, oceans, pools, and even bathtubs can expose your fresh piercing to bacteria—and chlorine doesn’t help either. Until you’re fully healed, keep your ears above water and stick to showers only.

Once you’re healed? Bring on the beach days. Just make sure your earrings are up for it. Cords Club’s high-quality, tested styles are made to swim with you– no tarnishing, no turning your skin green, so you can dive in without the drama. 

STICK TO ONE PIERCING AT A TIME

Stack goals are real—but so is the healing process. When you get multiple piercings at once, your body has to divide its energy between all of them. That divided energy can slow things down and lead to more irritation.

So, if speedy healing is your goal, stick to one piercing at a time. 

HEALED AND READY TO SHINE? TIME TO MEET YOUR NEW FAVORITE EARRINGS

Healing takes time– follow the tips, stay patient (the hardest part, honestly), and give your piercing the care it needs to heal right. 

All that patience and care? Totally worth it. Because on the other side, you get to style your ears exactly how you want—starting with earrings that feel as good as they look.

 

At Cords Club, our flat back studs are designed for comfort, style, and all-day wear. No poking, no irritation, no tarnishing metals or green skin—just effortless shine, no matter where your day takes you.

We can't wait to help you find your perfect pair. So when your piercing is healed, we’re ready for you.
 

(And hey—who says you can’t start picking your favorite flat backs while you wait? We won’t tell…)

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4.9

rated by thousands of customers

FLAT BACK STUDS

Cute, comfortable, and safe for sensitive ears.

All-DayComfort

Safe for Sensitive Skin

365-Day Warranty

SHOP HERE

Frequently Asked Questions

I have really sensitive ears. What are your pieces made of?

My team and I have sensitive ears, too! Our goal is to provide high quality, affordable, hypoallergenic options for our sensitive-eared girlies. All materials are listed in each product's item description. We use stainless steel, surgical steel, and implant grade titanium in our earrings. These materials are rust and tarnish proof and won't turn your skin green. 

 

If your ears are extra extra sensitive, I recommend giving our flat back earrings a try! They're made of surgical grade materials. Less than 1% of the population is allergic to true implant grade titanium, which makes it the best metal for sensitive skin. 

To learn more about why implant grade titanium is awesome, read this peer-reviewed article: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6412/12/2/214
 

Note that our gold titanium flat back studs do have an 18K Gold PVD plating. If you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. 
 

Is your jewelry waterproof?

Oh yeah! 99% of our earrings are waterproof. Unless otherwise stated (we have a few hand painted statement earrings), you're getting jewelry that you can get wet.

Do you offer discounts?

We are priced very fairly when you look at other brands with our same caliber of quality! We do have a monthly discount and an extra special yearly birthday discount for members of our Cords Club (it's free!). 

Do you have a loyalty rewards program?

We do! Earn rewards for such tasks as referring friends to Cords Club, making a purchase, following us on social media, and more! Find out more about our rewards program here.
 

Did you have rewards points with the old Indiecords site? Fear not! Reach out to hello@cordsclub.com with the details.

References

Aftercare. (n.d.). Association of Professional Piercers.https://safepiercing.org/aftercare/

 

Body Piercing. (n.d.). Name. https://ceufast.com/course/body-piercing

 

Caring for new piercings. (n.d.). https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-basics/tattoos/caring-for-pierced-ears

 

Google Books. (n.d.-a). https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Piercing_Bible_Revised_and_Expanded/PpQsEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=What+are+the+stages+of+piercing+healing%3F&pg=PA224&printsec=frontcover

 

Google Books. (n.d.-b). https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Piercing_Bible/83sjmTPnz48C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=ear+piercing+heal+faster&pg=PA29&printsec=frontcoverhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Piercing_Bible/83sjmTPnz48C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=ear+piercing+heal+faster&pg=PA29&printsec=frontcover

 

Infected Ear Piercing. (2024, May 1). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21503-infected-ear-piercing

 

Philadelphia, C. H. O. (n.d.). Ear Deformities. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/ear-deformities#:~:text=The%20ear%20is%20made%20primarily,made%20of%20skin%20and%20fat.

Author

Brooke Helton is a freelance writer who loves covering the intersection between health and style. You can find her work in places like Forbes Health, Business Insider, mindbodygreen, Everyday Health, Market Watch, HelpGuide, and more. When she's not writing about herself in the third person, you can find Brooke catching up on her Kindle backlog or getting lost in the Appalachian countryside.

 

You can find her online here:

 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/freelancehealthandwellnesswriter/

https://www.forbes.com/health/author/brooke-helton/

https://www.businessinsider.com/author/brooke-helton

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