When you get a new piercing, one of the first things you think walking out of the studio to show it off to friends and family is about how long it’ll take to heal. All piercings involve some level of discomfort while they heal so be sure to look after it properly. Some piercings take longer than others to heal and can also involve extra care. Here’s a quick guide to what you can expect with four of our most popular piercings.

Helix Piercing

A helix piercing is in the cartilage of the upper ear. While it’s not a particularly painful procedure, it has one of the longest healing times, taking 6–12 months to completely heal. Although, after 6-8 weeks, helix piercings can usually be changed to slightly shorter sterile jewellery with the help of a piercer. During this period of time, you shouldn’t twist or fiddle with the jewellery, as this can introduce bacteria and slow down the healing process. SHOP helix!

Nose Piercing

This is probably the most popular non-earlobe piercing of all and is most people’s starter option. It has a similar healing time of 6–12 months (with a general 6–8 week jewellery changeover timeframe) but may take longer, especially if you keep catching the jewellery on clothing. It’s important to leave the piercing alone for as long as possible, as the relatively thick tissue of the nose can still be healing long after any pain or redness has gone. Avoid makeup, cleanser and moisturiser in the area and be careful of things such as glasses and caps for the duration of healing. For a nose piercing with a stud and consider a band-aid at night to avoid getting it caught. SHOP nose!

Earlobe Piercing

This piercing is one of the fastest to heal, taking between 3–6 months to completely heal. This doesn’t mean that you can skimp on the cleaning regime, though; you must be as diligent as you would be with other piercings. Be sure to check the backings regularly to ensure it hasn’t clipped on too tightly, causing a build-up of pressure. Make sure you don’t fiddle with the jewellery or swap it out for at least six weeks to allow for optimal healing.

Navel Piercing

A navel piercing has one of the longest healing times – as much as 12 months – because of its position on your body. However, the jewellery can usually be changed to a slightly shorter sterile piece from 6–8 weeks. So if you’re thinking of getting a navel piercing this summer, the best time to do so would be August or September to allow for optimal healing. Clothes and waistbands can rub the piercing making it more prone to infection because of this, so if possible avoid tight clothing for the duration of healing and clean your navel piercing twice a day – it’s also important to keep the navel itself clean, too.

With all piercings, you should avoid soaking in any bodies of water, clean the area twice daily and lookout for signs of infection like extreme pain, redness and swelling. If something still doesn’t seem right with your new piercing we can’t stress enough – come and see us in-store, we’re always happy to help.