Lobe Piercing Aftercare

Healing timeline

• Typically 6–8 weeks for the surface; give it 3 months before swapping to lighter earrings.
• Starter posts are slightly long for swelling; a downsize is usually ready around 6–8 weeks.
• Minimum age: 3+ (a parent or legal guardian must be present to sign for minors).

Daily cleaning

• Wash your hands before you touch the piercing, and otherwise leave it alone.
• Soak or spray with sterile saline twice a day, then pat dry with clean disposable paper — never a cloth towel.
• For kids, make cleaning a twice-daily routine tied to brushing teeth so it isn't skipped.

What to avoid

• Don't twist, rotate, or slide the jewelry — movement drags bacteria into the channel and delays healing.
• Skip alcohol, peroxide, Bactine, Neosporin, tea tree oil, and over-cleaning; they irritate the wound.
• Stay out of pools, hot tubs, lakes, and baths until healed; showers are fine.
• Keep hair products, phones, and pillowcases clean and off the piercing; sleep on a fresh pillowcase.
• Don't change the jewelry yourself during healing — book a jewelry change at the studio.

What to expect

• Some bleeding, swelling, tenderness, bruising, and clear or whitish crust are normal in the first weeks.
• A piercing can feel healed on the outside before the inside has closed — keep cleaning for the full window.
• Even a healed lobe can shrink fast without jewelry — keep something in for the first year.

When to get help

• Get medical attention for spreading redness, red streaks, fever, thick yellow or green discharge, or heat and swelling that keeps increasing.
• Come by the studio for embedded jewelry, a stuck ball, or anything that doesn't look right — checks are free.