🕰 The 6-Week Healing Myth

The “six-week” timeline often gets thrown around in reference to earlobe piercings done with a piercing gun (which, for the record, we don’t recommend—more on that another time!). Even then, six weeks is barely enough time for the skin to begin sealing around the jewelry, not for full healing.

In reality, healing times vary depending on the type of piercing. For example:

Yep, you read that right—some piercings can take up to a year or more to fully heal.

So what’s happening during all that time? Let’s look at the three main phases of wound healing.

🧬 The Real Healing Process: 3 Phases You Should Know

1. Inflammatory Phase (Days 1–7)

Right after you’re pierced, your body treats it like a fresh wound—which it is. You may see swelling, tenderness, minor bleeding, or bruising. This is your body’s way of protecting the area and starting the repair process. Totally normal.

🔍 What to do: Be gentle, don’t touch it with dirty hands, and start your saline aftercare routine.

2. Proliferative Phase (Week 2–6+)

This is when the body starts building new tissue and forming a protective tunnel (a.k.a. the fistula) around the jewelry. It may look better on the outside—less red, no more swelling—but the inside is still healing.

⚠️ This is where people often stop caring for their piercing because “it looks fine.”But underneath, things are still fragile and prone to irritation or injury.

3. Maturation (or Remodeling) Phase (Months 3–12+)

This is the longest phase. Your body continues strengthening the tissue around the jewelry and refining the fistula. During this time, the piercing is more stable, but it can still get irritated, bumped, or even reopen if you’re not careful.

💡 Think of it like building a house—it’s livable halfway through, but it still needs work before it’s solid.

🧼 What This Means for You

If your piercing looks healed after 6 weeks—that’s great!But don’t be fooled. Here’s what to keep in mind: