When you get a new piercing, the excitement of choosing the perfect piece of jewelry is JUST the beginning of your journey. One crucial step (that often gets overlooked) is downsizing your jewelry. While it's obviously tempting to stick to the jewelry you were pierced with, downsizing is a VITAL part in ensuring the health and longevity of your piercing.
What is Downsizing?
Downsizing refers to changing the jewelry in your piercing to a shorter bar after the initial swelling has subsided. When you're first pierced, your piercer will use a longer bar to accommodate for swelling that occurs as part of the healing process. The initial jewelry is essential to prevent complications, however, it is often not a piece intended to be left permanently.
Generally, most piercing will need to be downsized (with the exception of a few). Navels, nipples, and septum piercings may not need to be downsized, however, nearly all other piercings will need to be downsized at some point!
Benefits of Downsizing:
Prevents Irritation and Discomfort:
The initial longer jewelry used can be annoying and unnecessary once swelling has gone down. Excessive length can cause jewelry to move, leading to irritation, discomfort, as well as damage to the piercing and surrounding flesh. Longer jewelry is also more prone to getting caught on clothing or hair.
Aesthetics:
Well fitted jewelry looks better! Once swelling has subsided, longer jewelry can appear disproportionate and out of place. Don't let your piercing be upstaged by jewelry that is too big!
When to Downsize:
When your piercing is ready to be downsized can vary from 1-2 weeks to months. This can depend on the location of the piercing, the time of year, and how your new piercing is healing. For example, oral piercings typically can be downsized much sooner than a cartilage piercer. If you are unsure if your piercing is ready to be swapped for something smaller, check in with your piercer!
Downsizing jewelry after a piercing is a critical step in the aftercare process that shouldn’t be overlooked. It helps prevent irritation, reduces the risk of injury, promotes faster healing, and enhances the overall appearance of your piercing. By understanding the importance of downsizing and following your piercer’s guidance, you can contribute to a happy and healthy piercings!
About Pierced Owl:
Pierced Owl is a high quality body jewelry retailer selling in the United States, Canada and Australia. Founded in 2016, our team works hard to hand pick the salon quality pieces we carry. We pride ourselves on being the go-to source for unique, safe, and high quality jewelry for our customers.
We pride ourselves on our unique collection of items, from natural stone and wood plugs to 14K gold barbells, we are dedicated to providing consistently new selections of jewelry. We strive to maintain high customer satisfaction and to offer an extensive selection of body jewelry made from safe materials including titanium, stainless steel, 14K gold and sterling silver. We carry every style of body jewelry from earrings, plugs, and tapers to various septum rings, microdermals and barbells.
