Your piercing has healed and you're ready to replace the initial piercing jewellery with some gorgeous piece you've found. What do you do?
First of all, you need to be sure that your piercing has healed COMPLETELY which for many piercings can take 9 months or even more. It must no longer be secreting anything or getting crusty or be at all tender. You've waited this long, don't mess up by going too early!
Your initial jewellery should have been titanium (or at the very least, surgical steel), metals which are likely to more hypoallergenic than your replacement jewellery. So, when you put the new piece in, you really want the skin to be healed so that the scar tissue is well established enough that the impurities in the new jewellery won't irritate. And remember, even gold can be an irritant.
The most important thing therefore is to be patient.
Secondly, be aware of the gauge and size of your current jewellery before buying a replacement piece. Don't make the mistake of assuming that something will fit your piercing because it looks nice! (You may need to ask your piercer for help on this - he/she will easily be able to tell you what you need to be looking for).
Thirdly, don't take the old piece out until you are actually going to put the new one in. It is truly astonishing how quickly a hole will shrink and what should have been a straightforward replacement can turn into a very uncomfortable experience.
Then you need to decide if you can see and access the piercing well enough to do it yourself. Some types of jewellery are really fiddly to put in, some places (like a daith) are tricky and some need special tools. If you don't think it will be straightforward, don't try!
If you’re happy to swap over the jewellery yourself, go for it. If you’re not, get some help! At PiercerJack we provide a jewellery fitting service for £5 (or we'll do it for nothing if you are getting another piercing). Contact us here to make an appointment.