The initial piece of jewellery you have been pierced with has been sized according to your specific anatomy to safely allow for swelling and draining. Swelling may fluctuate throughout the initial healing stage of your piercing. Therefore, it is important to downsize your jewellery in an appropriate time frame to minimise the amount of movement in your jewellery.
When to downsize or change your jewellery
Body piercings can take anywhere from 3-12 months to completely heal depending on the area. The body/skin will take approximately 8-12 weeks to form a channel, ideally your initial jewellery should stay in place for this time to promote the best healing results.
Standard Piercings
For standard (external piercings) you can change/downsize your jewellery from 8 weeks onward if there are no visible signs of activity (redness etc) and the site is stable.
Oral Piercings
For oral piercings Off Ya Tree recommends downsizing at one month with sterile jewellery only. As it can be difficult to judge what size you may need, we recommend visiting us instore so we can downsize your jewellery to fit your anatomy.
Circular jewellery such as captive rings and circular barbells in lip piercings should only be fitted/worn after 3 months of healing to avoid complications/migration.
What can happen if I do not downsize my jewellery?
Not downsizing your jewellery can result in your piercing getting caught, tearing, migrating and other complications.
When should I downsize my jewellery?
Please see the downsizing times below for your piercing.
Facial & Mouth Piercings
Smiley
Piercing
Downsize Time: 4-6 weeks.
Labret
Piercing
Downsize Time: 4-6 weeks.
Vertical Labret
Piercing
Downsize Time: 4-6 weeks.
Madonna/Monroe
Piercing
Downsize Time: 4-6 weeks.
Jestrum
Piercing
Downsize Time: 4-6 weeks.
Lip
Piercing
Downsize Time: 4-6 weeks.
Septum
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks
Philtrum
Piercing
Downsize Time: 4-6 weeks.
Ashley
Piercing
Downsize Time: 4-6 weeks.
Side Lip
Piercing
Downsize Time: 4-6 weeks.
Ear Piercings
Anti-Tragus
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks.
Tragus
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks.
Helix
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks.
Forward Helix
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks.
Hidden Helix
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks.
Vertical Helix
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks.
Flat
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks.
Snug
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks.
Conch
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks.
Daith
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks.
Lobe
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks.
Rook
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks.
Body Piercings
Navel
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks.
Bridge
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks.
Cheek Dimple
Piercing
Multiple Downsizes Required: First at 4 weeks, Second at 8 weeks and third at 12 weeks
Dahlia
Piercing
Multiple Downsizes Required: First at 4 weeks, Second at 8 weeks and third at 12 weeks
Dermal
Piercing
Downsize Time: Top jewels can be changed at 6+ months.
Industrial
Piercing
Downsize Time: 3-6 months.
Nipple
Piercing
Downsize Time: 6-8 weeks.