How Long Does It Take For Nipple Piercing To Close?

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HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE A NIPPLE PIERCING TO CLOSE?

Nipple piercings are one of the fastest piercings to close. When they’re new, they can close in minutes. Even after a few years, nipple piercings can close inside of a week without jewelry. For some, the hole can stay open for years on its own, although this is rare.

Although it is a myth that you can’t breastfeed with a nipple piercing, we still recommend you remove the jewelry during breastfeeding sessions. This is because the jewelry itself can present a potential choking hazard. Provided your piercing is fully healed, it will usually stay open during breastfeeding sessions.

Some people choose to remove the nipple piercing until the baby has outgrown breastfeeding, instead of having to remove and replace it before and after each feeding. Over this period of time, most nipple piercings will close.

DO NIPPLE PIERCINGS CLOSE AFTER YEARS?

The nipple is quite a sensitive area. The nipple piercing will indeed close up after years. Even if you’ve had the piercing for a few years, if you don’t wear the ring or the barbell, the hole will close fast, and within a few days. What that means for you is you’ll need to get it re-pierced. However, there are those lucky ones who, even if they go years without putting jewelry, will still have the hole.

The only challenge this category of people might have is that the hole will feel a bit tight. It will indeed be uncomfortable for a bit, but it gets better.

HOW FAST DO NIPPLE PIERCINGS CLOSE AFTER REMOVAL?

That’s the thing about piercings; how it reacts depends on your body. For some, the entire process will be a breeze, and they don’t have to worry about the holes closing. For another, even within a few days, they’ll unfortunately close. There is no stipulated time on how long it takes for the nipple piercing to close.

However, if the piercing has been there for a short time, for example, the six to twelve months have not lapsed, the piercing will start closing after about 24 hours.

WHY NIPPLE PIERCING CLOSE UP?

The reason nipple piercings close up, especially when they are not entirely healed, is because the body treats the piercing as any wound- because it is. Therefore, your body will work to heal the exposed area of flesh as a way to help prevent foreign bodies from getting into the body. Again, for some, the hole will close after a long time or not at all. For others, the process of changing the nipple ring or barbell the first time will cause it to close.

After the piercing is healed, some have minimal scarring; sometimes, it leaves a mark. In some cases, you won’t even notice there was once a piercing. For some, the situation is not simple; they end up getting hypertrophic scarring or keloids.

In the worst-case scenario, your body might reject the piercing, and you end up with a scar that might even require surgery to fix. Aftercare is so important if you want to avoid any of these scenarios, especially if you’re not biologically designed to get them.

NIPPLE PIERCING HEALING PROCESS

A nipple piercing can take up to a year to fully heal. For the first few weeks and months, you can expect to see the following.

Bleeding. Your nipple skin is thin, so bleeding is a common sight for the first few days. Rinse and dry the piercing regularly to wipe away any blood and keep the area clean. See your piercer if bleeding continues after the first few weeks with no apparent cause.
Swelling. Swelling is pretty much a given with almost any piercing. This is why many piercers will recommend long barbells in your nipple — it lets your nipple tissue swell up without any obstruction. See your piercer if swelling is especially noticeable or painful. Uncontrolled swelling can actually cause your tissue to die and increase your chances of infection.
Discomfort during your period. People with vulvas may experience some extra sensitivity around the nipple during menstruation, especially in the first few months after the piercing. The discomfort tends to become less severe the longer you have the piercing. Using a cold compress and taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help reduce your discomfort.
Crusting. This crust is totally normal — it’s a result of lymph fluid that your body makes to help heal wounds. Just rinse and dry it away whenever it builds up.

HOW TO AVOID THE CLOSED BODY PIERCING?

Sometimes a piercing closes unexpectedly. Maybe your friends had a similar piercing that they could leave without jewelry for weeks and be fine, but yours closed in a few days. It happens, after all, everyone’s body chemistry is different. Fortunately, your piercing may be salvageable.

If your piercing closes and you want to reopen it, visit your piercer. Often the skin doesn’t fully close over the hole, so there’s no need to repierce. Instead, the piercer can reopen the piercing using a taper and some vaseline.

If the skin does completely close, your piercing shop can advise you on whether you can pierce the area again or need to leave more time for further healing first.

7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BODY PIERCING HEALING

1. The Location Of Your Piercing Matters

According to Ouellette, the location of your piercing can definitely make a difference. “The act of piercing creates a channel through the skin. During healing your body produces epithelial [skin] cells along with the jewelry from the outside-in,” he tells me. “Once the new cells [have formed] all the way along the length of the piercing they mature into a fistula [which] is basically a tube. Once fully matured, fistulas can stay open for months or years after [the] jewelry [has been] removed and some fistulas mature thicker and heartier than others.” Ouellette explains, for example, that a fistula on a navel or nipple can stay open much longer than a nostril because the interior of the nasal cavity is lined with mucosa. Guess I know why that navel piercing has become permanent.

2. Re-Piercing Isn’t Always Advised

According to Ouellette, if an old piercing was scarred before you took the piercing out and you repierce that same location, it may cause complications. “Particularly if the scar is from rejection if the old fistula has fully closed and been reabsorbed by the body, then [it’s less likely it will affect how quickly the piercing closes]. Scar tissue is much weaker than healthy tissue, so once a piercing rejects it should not be re-pierced in most cases. Piercing through an older, partially closed, fistula is not very problematic. Piercing under an abandoned fistula can cause bacteria and oils to build up in the old site causing drainage problems similar to acne at the site.” Ouellette suggests consulting an experienced professional piercer before re-piercing an old site.

3. The Age Of The Piercing Can Have An Effect

As long as your piercing has completely healed and remained healthy, the length of time since you were in that piercer’s chair will likely affect how quickly it closes. Ouellette cautions that there isn’t a guarantee it will remain open with jewelry installed, but typically, the older the piercing the slower the close.

4. Irritation Will Mess With Closing Time

If a piercing is irritated it may close up much faster once the jewelry is removed. According to Ouellette, that can even happen on the same day because of the inflammation and discharge that problematic piercings usually have. “Both those [factors] keep a healthy fistula from maturing.” Ryan explains. Of course, once your piercing has become irritated, it’s best to consult a piercing professional before you remove your jewelry to be on the safe side.

5. If Cartilage Is Involved, Expect A Quicker Close

If you’ve heard the myth that surface piercings close faster than other locations, you are not alone. Although it’s possible for a well-healed surface piercing to close faster, Ouellette explains that it should typically heal at the same speed as other healthy piercings. Nostril and cartilage piercings, however, may close faster than others not through cartilage. “Cartilage piercings may close due to the lack of blood supply to cartilage. When jewelry is removed, the body may heal the hole with scar tissue, particularly if it was irritated from wearing cheaper jewelry.”

6. Closing A Piercing Doesn’t Always Mean Scarring

IMO, the only thing scary about a piercing is the future scar it leaves when you are ready to close it for good. According to Ouellette, it doesn’t have to be that way. “Removing the piercing when it is healthy is one of the best ways to avoid excess scar tissue. If the piercing is angry from improper aftercare or low-quality jewelry causing an allergic reaction the body will have a higher tendency to produce scar tissue,” he says. Sadly, Ouellette advises there aren’t any products out there that will close up your piercing sans scar — that means the better you take care of your piercing the better closing experience you will have.

7. Not All Piercings Will Close On Their Own

Unfortunately, not every piercing will fully close by itself. For example, some people can go years without wearing earrings without the holes fully closing. Ouellette explains that this “is because the lobe heals a very tough fistula and this isn’t limited to the earlobe — if a piercing forms a mature fistula it will tighten over time, but [it] may not fully ‘close’ for quite some time.” So if you really want to get daring with your piercing, stick to the earlobes.

HEALTH CONCERNS OF NIPPLE PIERCING

Nipple piercing has some health risks. If you have a health condition or take medication that makes you more likely to get an infection or bleed a lot, nipple piercing could be riskier for you.

Longer healing time. Nipple tissue takes longer to heal than most other pierced areas of your body. It may take up to 6 months for yours to heal.
Lactation and breastfeeding. Nipple piercing could cause problems if you want to breastfeed. Scar tissue around the pierce or your nipple ring could block your milk ducts. Piercings that damage the nerves in your nipple may make it hard for milk to come out. Nipple jewelry can make it harder for your baby to latch on. Your baby might even swallow or choke on a loose nipple ring. Don’t get your nipple pierced if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. Wait a few months after you complete breastfeeding.
Abscesses. A pierced nipple is more likely to form an abscess. That’s a painful, pus-filled lump under the nipple or in your breast. You’ll need to see the doctor for treatment.
Infection. Nipples are sensitive tissue and connected to milk ducts. A nipple pierce is more likely to get infected than some other types of piercings. Infections can happen well after you get your nipple or areola, the darker ring around the nipple, pierced. Like any other body piercing, unsterilized equipment can put you at risk for infection with blood-borne diseases like HIV, hepatitis B or C, or tetanus.
Torn skin. If your nipple ring gets caught on your clothes and rips loose, it can tear your skin and require stitches.

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