Post Earring for 6 months??

[Hybrid]

Well I got my ear pierced by a gun, and I'm guessing its around an 18g maybe a little bigger. They told me that I need to wear a post earring for 6 months after i got it pierced. Is this true or can I get a 18g captive ring to wear until my ear heals enough to stretch.

[corazon_de_oro]

Well I wouldn't take the advice of anyone who uses a gun, haha. But if you want to wear CBRs you should be fine after 6-8 weeks. Just make sure you don't start stretching for about six months, especially because guns cause a lot more damage than a needle.

[Starfire]

Listen to your body. If your ears don't feel overly sore, you should be fine to put something new in there. I'd suggest a circular barbell rather than a captive, because the balls can be very hard to put in on captives and you could really hurt yourself, especially if you're trying to get it in a newish piercing. Definitely wait at least a few weeks before you try any of this, but 6 months sounds very excessive to me.

[Hardware]

It's true that Captive Bead Rings can be difficult for a 'first timer' to figure out, but threading on a externally threaded Circular Barbell can tear up the delicate tissue inside the ear and cause damage as well. I personally advise people to become familiar with their body jewelry before attempting to insert it themselves or go to a piercer and ask them to put the jewelry in.

[Starfire]

Good point about the threading, I should have mentioned that.