How will I know my piercing has healed?

[Drrob]

Hi Ya'll

How will I know when my piercing has healed sufficiently to move on to the next gauge size?
I was told by my piercer not to rotate the tunnel at all as this will slow the healing process and damage the new cells that are growing next to the tunnel.

Look forward to your suggestions and answers,
Have a wonderful week ahead.

Kind Regards
Dr Rob.

[StrickyCub]

It's a fresh piercing. So 5-6 months.

[HiMyNameIsMegan]

Yep about 5-6 months.

[Nic]

Is it a fresh piercing?

[Drrob]

Yes it is my first ever piercing - nothing to 6 Gauge with a 4mm needle.

Thanks to the other advice so far

Regards
Dr Rob.
(Aged 38)

[Hardware]

5-6 months is a good average, keep in mind that everyone heals at a different pace. If they are relaxed and there is a bit of what feels like extra space after 5-6 months your ear may be ready. Just remember not to force anything

[corazon_de_oro]

I got pierced at 10G and waited almost 6 months. 5-6 months is good. And yeah, don't rotate the tunnels.

[StrickyCub]

Although one exception is IF you're a fast healer, your ears might only take about 4ish months to be ready to stretch.
I'm usually a fast healer, but not always

[Drrob]

Thank you for your comments, I seem to be a very fast healer as I went to my piercer yesterday and they have already healed perfectly.
All I did was leave them alone and spray them morning and evening with Savlon Wound Wash.

I am really surprised that it was just over 2 weeks !

I will not be going to 4 Gauge until December though just in case something happens.

Regards
Dr Rob.

[corazon_de_oro]

They may look healed on the outside but to be honest I can almost guarantee the fistula isn't fully healed after two weeks. Stretching in December would be too early. The reason I recommend waiting 5-6 months before stretching a piercing is because it's not just enough to wait until they're healed; that's a huge misconception. When they're healed you can change the jewelry and they won't be sore, but there's a huge difference between that and stretching. Stretching a piercing requires that the hole is both strong enough and loosened up enough to accomodate a bigger size, and that just doesn't happen in a couple of months. Also, I'm not sure what Salvon Wound Wash is exactly but I'm assuming it's something like Bactine, which isn't recommended for puncture wounds. Have you tried sea salt soaks?

Keep in mind that piercers aren't always experts on stretching, so I wouldn't be checking in with your piercer about it. There are a few out there who know a lot about it, but to be honest the vast majority give pretty bad advice. Doesn't mean they're bad piercers, just that they haven't researched stretching enough.