Daughter's earring piercing not healing

[LemonChiffon]

My daughter got her ears pierced for her 13th birthday, a standard lobe piercing done by a proper piercer using a needle. She's looked after them really well, and kept them in all the time. No swelling or infection or anything.

Around 6 weeks after the piercing we changed them for another pair as the piercer said we could (changed to earrings with a standard gauge post rather than the thicker ones she had in after the piercing). At the end of the day we tried to put the thicker ones back in, but her holes had shrunk around the smaller posts and we really struggled to get them back in. I think now I shouldn't have forced them, but I was worried the hole would close up.

We then left them for a longer time before trying again, which we've now done at around the 4 month mark. But it's still difficult to get the thicker posts back in after, and the inside of the holes seem wet still.

Do we need to just leave it even longer? Several of her friends got their ears pierced around the same time and they are changing earrings happily, or even going without earrings with no problem.

Any advice welcome please 🙂

my eldest needed to wear her studs for a long time as her ears kept bleeding (only slightly). We kept cleaning regularly and swapped to sterling silver studs with a butterfly back (similar to what they’re pierced with) from Solace online. Took about a year to settle down to be honest. They are fine now!

Go back to the piercer and have them look at it. A proper piercer will be very happy to give you advice and try to figure out a solution.

it could be any number of issues here. I would clean them really well - and use actual surgical spirits - when the ear rings are out. I'd leave the original ear rings in as much as possible, and only swap them out when necessary. Is she turning them? I know they say that's not necessary these days but I think once the core healing is done you need to keep that movement goign.

I’d not use anything like surgical spirit. Just sterile saline. And don’t turn them, just make sure they get a gentle blast under the shower head, dry off with a hairdryer on low heat afterwards and touch as little as possible. Keep the higher gauge earrings they were pierced with in and try not to change them out for a good while longer unless the posts are too long and getting caught in her hair. Your piercer is the best bet to go to for downsizing while it’s still healing - they can change them out without angering them as much.

Does she swim regularly? I think that can mean a longer healing process too.

I think it just needs more time.

DD1’s ears took a huge amount of time to heal, despite scrupulous hygiene. Piercings done at the top piercer in Manchester, not at Claire’s or anything! The time to heal included a trip to A&E about eight months post-piercing. I won’t go into the gory details.

DD2 ear piercing at the same age I was extremely nervous about after DD1’s experience. DD2 is autistic and anything that can go wrong, does tend to go wrong. However, we’ve had no issues at all. Healed almost fully after a couple of months, I couldn’t believe it. She was less scrupulous about hygiene than DD1.

I’ve concluded that ear piercing healing depends on the child’s make up, rather than anything that parents or child actually do or don’t do!

Stop fiddling and trying to change earrings - the ones the has in now need to stay in for a good couple of months.

I made my dc keep there’s in for 3 months, they hated me for it but were the only ones on their class never to have any problems.

My DD’s took just over a year to be properly closed and stable. She was 14 at the time and had needle/good care. Sometimes, it just takes time. Years later, holes fine. I’d advise you to put some earrings in and just leave it for months.