How long does it take for ears to close up?

[Ribbons]

My parents are worried that my ear holes are going to close if I don't wear earrings, and they know I'd never get them pierced. I got mine pierced when I was a baby, toddler aged I believe (maybe even less than one years old).

 

[Janet_Girl]

I had mine pierced like 25 years ago and then I stopped wearing any earrings.  When I went to put an earring in 20 years later, it was like I had always worn earrings.

I don't think they do after a time.

[xAndrewx]

Janet is right. As long as there were earings in long enough for the holes not to close as soon as they were done they will stay open for a long time.

Occasionally I'll pop an earing through which will just be because a small layer of skin will close over in the back but it doesn't hurt. It should be fine. If you're are worried about it just occasionally put earings in for a second to make sure the holes haven't closed.

[Espenoah]

See, everyone always says that the holes don't close up after a certain amount of time...but I had an earring in for a good decade, and within a week of taking it out, the hole was closed. I mean, you can see there used to be a hole there, but there's no way an earring's going through it without blood and pain.
Apparently I'm a special case though.

[kelly_aus]

See, everyone always says that the holes don't close up after a certain amount of time...but I had an earring in for a good decade, and within a week of taking it out, the hole was closed. I mean, you can see there used to be a hole there, but there's no way an earring's going through it without blood and pain.
Apparently I'm a special case though.

We must be 2 special cases.. I had my left ear pierced when I was a teen and had it in for quite a while.. (8 years) Left it out for a few weeks and when I went to put one in there was no way it was going in. When I had both pierced recently, the woman who did them, lined up the old hole in the left ear and there was way more flesh than hole...

[Christine Snider]

well I'm starting to get prepared to go full time and I've been letting my gauge holes close up. I was at a 0 gauge before hand. After 3 days of not wearing them I can't fit a 6 gauge back in them (yay! ) Its very similar to ear stretching though.... different for everyone. Some people heal up faster than others

[Lee]

I think it depends on the location in the ear too.  I have two lobe piercings in either ear, and they seem to be the same after about a half a year of not wearing earrings.  However, I have a cartilage piercing in one ear, and after about a month of having nothing in it, the hole had pretty much closed up.  (This is about 4 years after having it pierced.)  I'm kind of sad, as that's the one that I would actually wear something in now.  Oh well.

[Maddi]

It really depends on the person. I would just check it every so often to see. Standard lobe piercings (18 gauge) doesn't hurt a bit so if they close, they can easily be pireced. Just please go to a piercing shop and not Wal-mart or the mall. 9/10 they will use those guns. The guns tear the ear rather than pierce it with make them take longer to heal, and the guns can not be sterilized. Ya, they run a alcohol pad over it, but they can't and won't be autoclave'd.

Take if from my experience of over 18 piercings and working in the field. Also it costs abou the same.