It depends mostly on how long she's had them. A piercing less than a year old can tighten within hours of the earring coming out and may close within days or weeks. One she's had for several years usually shrinks rather than closes, and a small stud will often go back in with a little patience. Ear holes close at different speeds on different children, so treat any timeline as a rough guide. Our safety FAQ covers the everyday wear questions we're asked most.
If she's taken them out for a reason, whether that's swimming lessons, a sports rule or a break after her ears got sore, the real question is usually how to get an earring back in comfortably afterwards.
Why a pierced hole closes at all
A healed piercing isn't simply a gap in the skin. Over months, the body lines the channel with a thin layer of skin, called a fistula, and that lining is what keeps the hole open with nothing in it.
Skin always works to close a gap. Without an earring holding it open, the channel narrows as the tissue around it relaxes.
A young lining closes easily. Before the channel has matured, there's little holding it open, so it tightens quickly.
A mature lining resists. After a few years of regular wear, the lining is established. It still narrows, but it tends to leave a small channel behind rather than sealing over.
How long does it take?
These are the rough patterns piercers describe. They aren't promises, and her ears may not follow them.
| How long she's had the piercing | What often happens without an earring |
|---|---|
| Under 6 months | Can tighten within hours and close within days |
| 6 months to a year | Shrinks noticeably within days, may close over weeks |
| 1 to 5 years | Narrows over weeks, often stays open enough for a stud |
| Many years, worn regularly | Usually narrows, rarely closes completely |
Two things tend to speed it up. A piercing that never fully healed, and a lobe that was irritated or swollen when the earring came out.
Will a night without earrings close them?
For a piercing she's had for well over a year, almost certainly not. A night, a weekend or even a week without earrings rarely closes an established hole. It may feel tighter when the stud goes back in, and that's normal.
For a piercing that has only recently healed, be a little more careful. Leaving a stud out overnight is usually fine, but a gap of several days can make getting one back in uncomfortable.
Getting an earring back in after a break
Choose a small, smooth stud. A slim post with a rounded end goes in more easily than anything larger. Save hoops and heavier styles for later.
Try after a warm bath or shower. Warm skin is softer and gives more easily.
Start clean. Wash your hands and the earring first. A little water on the post helps it slide.
Follow the angle of the hole. Piercings rarely run perfectly straight through the lobe. Find the channel from the front and follow it rather than pushing straight through.
Stop if it resists. If the post won't go through with gentle pressure, don't force it. Pushing through a closed or nearly closed channel creates a new wound, and that's a job for a professional piercer. If the lobe becomes hot, swollen, painful or starts discharging at any point, that's one for her pediatrician.
If her ears needed a rest
Parents often take earrings out after a reaction and then wonder whether to put anything back in. A break of a week or two is reasonable, and if she's had the piercing a while, the hole is more likely to shrink than close.
When she goes back to earrings, the metal matters more than the timing. If the last pair made her ears sore, the same kind of pair will usually bring the same result. That's the point to change to a material you can name.
Keeping a healed piercing open without thinking about it
A pair she'll leave in. The easiest way to keep a hole open is an earring she doesn't notice. Small, light studs are the ones children stop fiddling with.
Taking them out at night is fine for a well-established piercing, and some children sleep more comfortably that way.
Short breaks don't need a plan. A week off for a sports rule usually means one slightly snug morning when they go back in.
What we do
Our studs are 4mm or 5mm, sized for a child's ear. A pair weighs about the same as a paperclip. I think that's a large part of what makes an earring the kind she forgets she's wearing, and forgetting she's wearing them is what keeps a piercing open.
Every pair has a butterfly back on a double-notch post, so the back sits on the lobe at a set tension, not too tight and not too loose. It's easy to take off and easy to put back on, which matters when earrings come out for swimming and go back in the same evening.
We use two materials. S316L Surgical Steel, and 24K Pure Gold, which is pure 24 karat gold applied onto a S316L Surgical Steel core with Aunix™ 24K, our engineered gold finish. It's a gold-plating process, and we say so. Both are independently tested by SGS, with nickel release not detected under EN 1811.
If she's going back to earrings after a break, the 4mm Ball Stud Earrings in 24K Pure Gold are small, smooth and easy to get in. The full range is on the 24K Pure Gold collection.
Questions parents ask next
Can ear holes close after years? They can narrow a great deal, and occasionally a very old piercing that hasn't been worn for many years closes completely. More often, a small channel remains.
Why does her ear hole feel smaller than it used to? Holes narrow while earrings are out, and they can also feel tight when the lobe is slightly irritated. If it's sore as well as tight, give it a rest before trying again.
Is there a cream that keeps ear holes open? No. Nothing applied to the skin holds a channel open. An earring does that, and if a stud won't go through gently, a professional piercer should look at it.
Will the holes close if she only wears earrings on weekends? For an established piercing, usually not. They may feel snug on Saturday morning, then loosen with wear.
Can a closed hole be pierced again? Often, yes, once the skin has fully settled. That's a conversation for a professional piercer, who can check the tissue first.
Related reading
- How long can she keep the same earrings in?
- Why do earrings hurt when she sleeps in them?
- What earrings can she wear once her piercing has healed?
- How long do pierced ears take to heal?
About the author. Matt Westmore is the founder of purepixxi. He came to children's jewelry from manufacturing and sourcing rather than marketing, which means he has walked the factory floors and knows what is actually inside a product rather than what a label says about it. purepixxi uses two materials only, names them exactly, and has them independently tested.
