In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about ear piercing aftercare: from the dos and don’ts of the healing process to how to clean an ear piercing the right way. We’ll also cover what to do if problems pop up, how long it takes for ear piercings to heal, and when it’s safe to swap out your starter studs (plus which styles work best for each ear piercing type).

Types of Ear Piercings

When it comes to ear piercings, you’ve got options—a lot of them. In fact, there are at least thirteen different kinds (and counting). Some can even be doubled, tripled, or stacked, which makes your ears one of the most customizable parts of your body.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the main types:

Earlobe Piercings

Classic earlobe piercings include the standard lobe, transverse, and orbital styles. All three can be placed pretty much anywhere around the rim of the lobe.

·       Standard lobe: The piercing most people start with. It’s simple, versatile, and heals faster than most cartilage options.

·       Transverse: A surface piercing that goes through the earlobe at an angle and comes out the same side, instead of front to back. Cool-looking, but a little high-maintenance since surface piercings are prone to migration or rejection.

·       Orbital: Safer and easier to heal than transverse. Basically, two regular lobe piercings placed close together, with one ring looping through so it looks like it’s “orbiting” your earlobe.

Cartilage Piercings

Cartilage piercings heal more slowly than lobes but offer tons of styling options.

·       Tragus and Anti-Tragus: Found on the little flap of cartilage in front of your ear canal (tragus) or its opposite twin (anti-tragus).

·       Helix: Along the upper ear rim. You can go with a single helix or multiples, including forward helix piercings for extra flair.

·       Daith: The inner fold of cartilage right above the ear canal. Famous for its rumored help with migraines.

·       Industrial: Two piercings connected with one barbell across the upper ear.

·       Conch: Pierced through the inner cartilage, perfect for bold studs or hoops that hug the ear.

·       Rook: The ridge of cartilage above the daith, great for curved barbells.

·       Snug: A horizontal piercing along the inner ridge of cartilage.

If you'd like to learn more about any of the different types of ear piercings listed above, check out our Ear Piercing FAQs.

Getting an Ear Piercing 

First things first: piercing guns are not your friend. Here’s why:

Piercing guns use brute force to shove a blunt stud through your ear. That can cause microscopic tears in lobe tissue and even shatter cartilage (💀). On top of that, piercings done with guns tend to have higher rates of infection, irritation bumps, and other ear piercing problems.

Going to a professional piercer using a sterile piercing needle is your best option. Piercing needles create a clean channel for the jewelry, which means faster healing, less trauma, and a much happier ear overall.

Choosing Starter Ear Piercing Jewelry

Picking your first piece of jewelry is almost as exciting as the piercing itself, but it’s not just about looks. The right starter jewelry helps your piercing heal smoothly and keeps discomfort to a minimum.

Most piercers recommend certain styles depending on the type of piercing:

Captive Rings

A tried-and-true choice for standard lobes and orbital piercings, captive rings don’t squeeze your fistula (a fancy word for “piercing hole”) even if your ear swells. They’re also solid starter options for cartilage piercings like helix, rook, daith, snug, tragus, anti-tragus, and even industrials.

Circular Barbells

Also known as Horseshoes, circular barbells are another versatile favorite. They work well for cartilage piercings and give you a little more wiggle room during the healing phase.

Industrial Barbells

Fair warning: while you can with an industrial barbell, some people find it uncomfortable while the cartilage is extra tender. Plus, if you’ve got long hair, be prepared for the occasional “ouch” when it gets caught. Rings or circular barbells are often better placeholders while you heal.

Labret Studs and Bent Barbells

Some piercers suggest labret studs or bent barbells as alternatives for tragus or conch piercings. If you’re going big with a larger gauge conch, you can even kick things off with a conch pin.

Ear Piercing Care

No matter which ear piercing you’ve chosen, good aftercare is the secret to a smooth healing process. Here’s what you need to know:

·       Earlobe piercings usually heal in about 4–8 weeks.

·       Cartilage piercings often take 3–12 months to heal, depending on the exact spot and how your body handles healing.

And, cleaning regularly with a piercing aftercare spray or a sterile saline solution for ear piercing is non-negotiable. Stick to these guidelines, and you’ll greatly reduce the risk of ear piercing problems and give your piercing its best chance to heal happily.

Ear Piercing Healing Dos and Don’ts

Let’s start with the good stuff—what you should be doing to keep your new piercing happy:

✅Keep Your Ear Piercing Clean: Consistency is everything. Aim for a twice-daily sea salt solution soak for about five minutes each (more details below) and spritz your piercing 3–6 times a day with a quality saline spray, like Recovery Sterile Saline Spray. If you’re wondering how to clean an ear piercing, this combo is the gold standard.

·       Skip harsh antiseptic sprays unless you’re dealing with an actual ear piercing problem.

·       Don’t scrub it with soap. Just let sudsy shower water run over it naturally and rinse well.

✅Stay Healthy Overall: Your immune system is your piercing’s secret weapon. Help it out by:

·       Eating real food: More fruits, veggies, and proteins. Less junk food and sweets.

·       Getting plenty of sleep and water: Hydrated ears = happy ears.

·       Washing your hands like your piercing depends on it—because it does.

·       Steering clear of communal water: Like pools, hot tubs, lakes.

·       Keeping fingers, mouths, and germs far away from your healing piercing.

✅Avoid Smoking and Drinking: Both nicotine and alcohol can slow down your body’s natural healing process, making it harder for your piercing to recover. If quitting nicotine completely isn’t realistic right now, even cutting back with patches, gum, lozenges, or a lower-nicotine vape can help reduce the impact on your healing piercing.

Now, here’s what you should not do during healing.

❌Don't Thin Your Blood: Avoid aspirin, alcohol, and too much caffeine around the time you get pierced and for the first week or two after. Fresh piercings tend to bleed a little and blood thinners only make it worse. If you need something for swelling or pain, go for acetaminophen (Tylenol). Skip ibuprofen and aspirin since they can cause bruising (and aspirin doubles as a blood thinner).

❌Don't Traumatize Your Ear Piercing: Your hairbrush, headphones, and even your own hands are sneaky enemies here. Be careful when styling your hair or pulling clothes over your head. Never twist or turn your jewelry—those “crusties” (dried lymph) aren’t hurting anyone. Instead, soften them with piercing aftercare spray and gently wipe them away with a clean tissue. And remember: no touching unless your hands are freshly washed.

❌Avoid Bacteria: Bacteria are everywhere, but you can keep most of them away from your piercing. That means:

 No communal water (pools, hot tubs, lakes).

No “hey, feel my new piercing!” moments.

·       No partner kisses near your healing ear.

Basically, treat your piercing like it’s in a no-contact bubble until it heals.

❌Don't Soap or Clog up Your Ear Piercing: Skip soap, hair products, oils, balms, and ointments directly on the piercing. They can dry it out or trap bacteria inside the fistula. When spraying or styling your hair, shield your ear so it doesn’t catch the fallout. If the skin gets too dry, you can add a drop of tea tree oil to your sea salt solution soak for a little extra moisture and antiseptic help.

💡Pro Tip: Kill two birds with one stone with Recovery’s Sea Salt and Tea Tree Oil Combo Aftercare System!

❌Don't Change Earrings Too Soon: For earlobe piercings, wait at least 8 weeks before switching jewelry. For cartilage piercings, hold out 6–12 months (yes, really). Your fistula is still tender even at the end of the healing window, so frequent swaps can cause irritation. Change them once, let your ear calm down, then enjoy your new look. If you struggle with jewelry changes (especially with cartilage), let your piercer handle it. It’s a small fee for a big stress reliever.

How to Do Sea Salt Solution Soaks

A sea salt soak might seem complicated, but it’s easier than it sounds. You can do them in two ways:

Cotton Ball and Spray[GU1] 

Grab a piercing aftercare spray and a stack of clean cotton balls. Here’s how it works:

1.    Spritz your cotton ball until it’s soaked with solution.

2.    Hold it gently against one side of your piercing for about 30 seconds, then toss it.

3.    Repeat step 2 on the other side of your piercing with a fresh cotton ball.

4.    Keep switching sides with new cotton balls for about 5 minutes.

Do this twice a day (at least for the first few weeks) and anytime you run into an ear piercing problem. If your skin starts feeling dry, add a single drop of tea tree oil to each cotton ball for some natural moisture.

Make Your Own

Here’s what you’ll need:

·       Sterile water (boil tap water for 5 minutes or buy sterile water).

·       Non-iodized sea salt: skip table salt, it’s got additives.

·       Tea tree oil (optional).

Mix 1 cup of sterile water with 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt. Add 2–3 drops of tea tree oil if you want a little extra soothing power.

·       Earlobe piercings: Fill a shot glass or small container with the solution, press it gently against your ear, and let your whole lobe take a salty bath for 5 minutes.

·       Cartilage piercings: Soak cotton balls in the solution and hold them against your piercing for 5 minutes.

Ear Piercing Problems

Even with the best ear piercing aftercare, healing isn’t always perfectly smooth. A few common bumps in the road can pop up, so it helps to know what they look like and what to do about them.

Excessive Swelling

Some swelling is totally normal (that’s why your piercer starts you off with a longer barbell or a larger captive ring). But if the swelling looks unusual, feels painful, or pushes your jewelry into your ear, it’s time to take action:

·       Take an anti-inflammatory like acetaminophen (Tylenol) to reduce swelling. If bruising isn’t a concern, ibuprofen can also work. Skip the aspirin—it thins your blood and can make things worse.

·       Apply a cold compress: wrap a gel pack in a clean paper towel or towel, then hold it against your ear for about 10 minutes. A washcloth soaked in cold water works too, just don’t reuse it without washing first.

If the swelling doesn’t calm down or your jewelry starts pressing into your ear, head back to your piercer right away. They may need to switch your jewelry to something longer to prevent pressure damage (and more serious issues like infection).

Hypergranulation

Hypergranulation happens when there’s too much pressure or trapped moisture around your piercing. It usually shows up as a reddish bump that looks fluid-filled, or a ring of swollen red tissue around the fistula. Hypergranulations are often mistaken for keloids because of their color and raised surface, but they’re not the same thing. Keloids are hereditary, affect a very small percentage of people, and usually only show up if you or close family members are prone to them. Hypergranulation, on the other hand, can happen to anyone.

Here’s how to deal with it:

·       Relieve pressure. Go see your piercer so they can swap your jewelry for something longer or looser. This often fixes the root cause.

·       Step up aftercare. Do 2–3 full sea salt solution soaks a day (you can add a drop of tea tree oil for extra soothing). Continue misting with aftercare spray between soaks.

·       Be patient. With adjusted jewelry and extra care, hypergranulation usually clears up within a week or two.

If the hypergranulation lingers, add a piercing-safe antiseptic rinse once a day between your regular soaks.

Ear Piercing Infection

An infection is more than normal healing discharge. Watch for thick yellow pus, red streaks, skin that feels hot, unusual swelling, or fever. These are signs of infection, not just irritation.

If you think your piercing is infected, take these steps:

·       Increase aftercare frequency: Do 3 full sea salt solution soaks a day (with a drop of tea tree oil if you like) and mist with aftercare spray several times daily.

·       Add antiseptic carefully: You can include one antiseptic piercing spray cleaning per day, but don’t rinse it away immediately with saline.

·       See your doctor if it persists: They may prescribe antibiotics. If so, finish the full course to prevent resistance.

·       Leave jewelry in: Keeping it in allows the piercing to drain and reduces the risk of an abscess. Continue your aftercare throughout treatment.

Ear Piercing Scars

Most ear piercing scars fall into two categories:

·       Hypertrophic (raised) scars: Small bumps that stay close to the piercing site. Hypertrophic scars appear weeks or months after a piercing, usually on one side. Sometimes, they develop on older piercings, if your body makes too much collagen.

·       Atrophic (indented) scars: Shallow divots that form when a retired piercing heals inward. Atrophic scars only happen after jewelry is removed, if the body under-produces collagen while filling the hole.

Treat hypertrophic or atrophic scars by massaging silicone scar gel or jojoba oil into the skin. Do this twice a day until the area flattens and blends with your surrounding skin. Learn more about piercing scars here.

Changing Earrings

When it’s time to switch out your starter jewelry, there are a couple of ways to make the process smoother:

·       Push-through method: Use your new jewelry to gently push the old jewelry out.

·       Piercing taper: Insert a taper to guide new jewelry into place.

It’s best if you stick with the same jewelry gauge you started with to avoid resistance. If you’re struggling, apply a small drop of water-based lubricant to help the jewelry glide through. If it's still a pain in the you-know-what, let your piercer handle it. Thankfully, the longer you’ve had your piercing, the stronger the fistula will be, making future jewelry changes easier.

Stretching Ear Piercings

Stretching your earlobe or cartilage piercings takes time and patience, but it can be done. Here’s what to keep in mind when you do:

·       Cartilage piercings are difficult to stretch: If you know you want a large-gauge cartilage piercing, it’s best to get pierced at a larger size from the start or consider cartilage punching. Keep in mind that punching removes tissue permanently, so the hole may never close completely.

·       Earlobe piercings are much easier to stretch: Wait 1.5x your healing time (about 8–16 weeks) before moving up a full gauge. To reduce trauma, use stretching tape instead of jumping sizes. Simply wrap your jewelry in a single layer of tape, reinsert it, and repeat weekly until you’re ready to size up.

💡Pro Tip: Don’t forget your aftercare routine. Continue soaking and misting with sterile piercing aftercare spray. Also, massage emu oil into your lobes daily for a week before stretching to boost elasticity.

Learn More About Ear Piercings & Jewelry

Want to dive deeper? Our Blog and Information Center are packed with guides on piercing types, jewelry styles, healing tips, and more.