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I know this is a little off topic, but I know that some of you people wear earrings, so I'll ask anyways, I hope that's okay :-)
I pierced my ears the other day, and I'm wondering how long I'm supposed to keep these studs in before I can switch to rings?
cheers big ears,
james
Usually 6 weeks is the recommended time, but many people heal fast enough to do it sooner. Some poeple heal really fast and can do it after one week, but I'd say wait at least two. Anyway, if you're not sure whether you are ready or not, then just be cautious and wait until you are sure. One nice thing about switching from a stud to a ring (or curved barbell) is that it's actually is much better for the healing and long term health of your piercing since it is easier to keep clean and lets air circulate to the wound. Personally, I'd reccomend either small silver hoops or captive bead rings for starting out - "horseshoe" barbells can look cool, but generally look better at somewhat larger gauges (most peircing gun studs are about an eighteen, buts that's an estimate since those things don't seem to really "have" a guage - I'm assuming you had yours done with a gun at a store or somewhere, since most professional peircers (that I know of) would use a a CBR rather than a stud. BTW, next time you get peirced, get it done with a hollow needle, NOT a gun. Those peircing guns they use in stores are horrible - not only is the wound so much more ragged and so much harder to heal than with a needle, what's even worse is that there no way to sterilize the things). Also, keep in mind that aftercare is very important - keep those peircings clean!
If you've got more questions on earrings or peircings in general, try www.piercinglinks.com . They've got links to just about any information you might need.
"... either small silver hoops or ..."
I should have worded that differently. I meant silver in color, not necessarily real silver - although if you do want actual silver earrings, you can get them pretty cheaply at the wal-mart jewelery counter (about two bucks for a pair of small hoops - you can get them at about one, two, or three centimeter diameters at that price). They're not as good as surgical steel, or titanium, but they are supposed to be nickel-free, and nickel is the metal that seems to be the most common for causing allergic reactions. Most piercing jewerlery, especially the higher quility stuff is made out of surgical steel or titanium. That will cost you a little more, but peircing jewelery doens't seem to be nearly as high-priced as it used to be, and good jewlery will look a lot better and last a whole lot longer too.
hope some of this stuff helped...
thanks a lot for taking the time to reply :-)
I'm probably going to pierce my tongue and lip soon, wouldn't want do that with the "gun" thingy though ;-)
cheers,
james
AT LEAST 6 weeks.
Have fun with them, I have a rather large and growing earring collection, although I stay away from actual rings (by personal preference), but have lots of studs and dangles.
Keep the piercings clean, I dabbed mine with hydrogen pyroxide 3 times a day for 8 weeks.
-Zorba
Zorba, I've found a kinder way to keep mine clean: with St. Ives "Apricot Scrub" facial cleanser. I put a dab behind the earlobe and gently push it through the clean out the hole. Works great without the stinging I get from peroxide. Of course a thorough rinsing comes next.
James, do a web search for the piercing FAQ by "Aardvark" Anne.
Chris
There are crushed fragments of apricot seed in that wash. I imagine it is VERY difficult to ensure that EVERY tiny fragment is rinsed from the hole. I am not even sure if that stuff has any germ killing qualities. The importance is to keep germs and bacteria out of a piercing. The very best way to keep an ear piercing clean is to use isopropyl alcohol 2-3 times per day.