How Long Does It Take for an Ear Piercing to Close?

If you’ve ever had an ear piercing, or you’re thinking about taking one out, you might be curious about how quickly your body will heal and close the hole. The time it takes for a piercing to close depends on several factors, like how long you've had it, the type of piercing, and your body's natural healing process. 

Whether you're just tired of wearing earrings or you need to remove them temporarily for work or an event, it's important to know what might happen when you take them out. From new earlobe piercings to older cartilage piercings, we'll guide you through the different timelines and provide some practical tips to keep your piercing open if that's what you decide to do.

Why Do Ear Piercings Close Up?

When you first get your ears pierced, your body treats it like a small wound and tries to heal it. If you don’t wear earrings regularly while the piercing is still healing, the skin can grow back and close the hole. Even after the piercing has healed, if you leave it without earrings for a long time, the hole can start to close because the body naturally wants to heal any open areas.

Another reason piercings close up is due to infection or irritation. If the piercing gets infected, your body might try to close the hole to protect the area. Sometimes, if the jewelry causes an allergic reaction or if the piercing gets bumped or hurt, the body can react by closing the hole. This is why it’s important to take care of your piercings and keep wearing earrings, especially when the piercing is new.

Factors That Influence How Quickly an Ear Piercing Closes

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to how long it takes for a piercing to close. Several factors can speed up or slow down the process, and understanding these will help you predict what might happen in your case. Let’s take a closer look at the main influences:

1. How Long You’ve Had the Piercing

The age of your piercing is one of the most significant factors. Here's a general breakdown of how piercing age affects the closing process:

• New Piercings (Within 6 Months): If your piercing is relatively new, it can close within a matter of hours to days. The hole hasn’t fully healed yet, so the body works quickly to repair the skin. If you remove the earring after just a few weeks, expect the hole to close rapidly, sometimes in as little as 24 hours.
• Healed Piercings (6 Months to a Year): For piercings that are several months old but less than a year, the hole may not close immediately, but it could shrink significantly in just a few days. While it might not completely heal over, it could get small enough that re-inserting an earring becomes difficult.
• Mature Piercings (Over a Year): If you’ve had your piercing for over a year, the hole will likely take longer to close—if it closes at all. Many people with mature piercings can leave earrings out for weeks, months, or even years without the hole fully closing.

2. Your Body’s Natural Healing Ability

Everyone’s body is different, and your personal healing speed plays a role in how fast your piercing closes. Some people naturally heal quickly, while others take longer. Factors that can affect your healing include:

• Age: Younger people tend to heal faster than older individuals.
• General Health: If you're in good health, your body is more efficient at healing wounds, including piercing holes.
• Lifestyle Habits: Smoking, poor diet, and a lack of sleep can slow down healing, while a healthy lifestyle with good nutrition can promote faster closure.

3. Location of the Piercing

Where your piercing is located on your ear can also affect how long it takes to close. Earlobe piercings tend to heal faster than piercings in the cartilage, which is the harder part of the ear higher up.

• Earlobe Piercings: These are typically the fastest to close, especially if they’re new.
• Cartilage Piercings: Cartilage has less blood flow than the soft tissue of the earlobe, so these piercings can take longer to heal and also longer to close. Even if you’ve had a cartilage piercing for a long time, the hole might never fully close once it's been established.

4. Piercing Size and Stretching

The size of the piercing matters, too. If you’ve been wearing regular-sized earrings, the hole is usually small enough to close relatively quickly. However, if you’ve stretched your ear to wear larger jewelry (like gauges), the hole might not close on its own without medical intervention.

If you’re dealing with a stretched piercing, the skin has adapted to accommodate the larger size, and it’s unlikely to shrink back to its original size completely. In these cases, surgical options may be necessary if you want to close the hole permanently.

How to Prevent Your Piercing from Closing

If you want to keep your piercing open, here are some practical tips:

What to Expect When You Remove an Earring

If you're considering letting your ear piercing close, it can be helpful to know what to expect:

• In the First Few Hours: For new piercings, you may notice that the hole starts to shrink almost immediately. The body will quickly begin trying to close the wound since it still sees the hole as a “injury” that needs to heal.
• After a Few Days: If your piercing is new, you may find that the hole closes entirely after just a few days. If it's a cartilage piercing, the closure might be even faster.
• Over Time: For older piercings, it might take several weeks or even months for the piercing to close up enough that you can no longer easily insert an earring. The skin might look healed on the outside, but the tunnel inside could still remain open for quite some time.

Can You Reopen a Closed Piercing?

If you let a piercing close and later decide you want it back, you may be able to reopen it. Here’s what you need to know:

• Partially Closed Piercings: If your piercing is only partially closed, you might be able to reopen it by gently inserting an earring. It’s best to use a stud with a sharp end and do this after a warm shower when your skin is more pliable. However, this can be uncomfortable, and there’s always a risk of infection.
• Fully Closed Piercings: If the piercing has closed completely, you will need to have it re-pierced by a professional. Never attempt to force an earring through a closed hole, as this can cause pain, bleeding, and infection.

What If You Want the Piercing to Close?

If you’ve decided that you’re done with your piercing and want it to close as quickly as possible, here’s what you can do:

• Leave the Earrings Out: This may seem obvious, but sometimes people wear earrings out of habit. Take them out and leave them out if you’re serious about closure.
• Keep the Area Clean: Clean the area with saline solution or mild soap and water to prevent infection, which can slow down the healing process.
• Avoid Irritation: Avoid playing with the piercing hole or irritating the area to promote faster healing.

How Long Does It Take for Different Piercings to Close?

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Conclusion

Whether you want your piercing to close or keep it open, it’s important to be patient with your body’s natural healing process. Everyone’s experience is different, and factors like the age of your piercing, location, and personal healing speed all play a role.

If you’re unsure about what to expect, consult a professional piercer or medical expert to help guide you through the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How Long Does It Take for a New Lobe Piercing to Close?

A new lobe piercing can start to close within a few hours if the earring is removed. It’s important to keep earrings in for at least 6-8 weeks to ensure the hole is fully healed before considering removing them.

2. Will My Piercing Close Overnight?

If your piercing is new (a few weeks old), it’s possible that it could start to close overnight. For older, well-healed piercings, it's unlikely that it will close that quickly, but you may notice some tightening if you leave it out for an extended period.

3. Can I Stop My Piercing from Closing?

The best way to prevent your piercing from closing is to keep jewelry in it. If you don’t want to wear noticeable earrings, you can use a small, clear retainer to keep the hole open without drawing attention to it.