Nipple piercings are a fun type of body piercing that has grown increasingly popular in recent years. Many celebrities are sporting nipple accessories, encouraging their fan base to follow suit. If you plan to get a nipple piercing or have one now, you may wonder if it can close up. Read on to find out.

Do Nipple Piercings Close?

Yes, nipple piercings usually close up, and quickly, when you remove the jewelry. Even if you’ve had your nipples pierced for a very long time, they’ll probably close right up when you take the jewelry out and leave it out.

While it’s possible that the piercing holes won’t close, it’s pretty rare. Some individuals have had healed nipple piercings for years to then have them close up in a week or less.

How Long Does It Take for Nipple Piercing to Close?

If you take your nipple jewelry out, the piercing can close up within minutes. It will truly depend on your body, and while you may get a few hours, it happens very quickly. If you take your piercings out at night, the holes will likely be closed by the next morning.

This is especially the case if your nipples haven’t completed their healing process yet.

How Long Does It Take for Nipple Piercing to Heal?

On the faster end, your piercing might be healed in 4 to 6 months. However, it’s not uncommon for a nipple piercing to take 1 year or even longer to completely heal.

Generally speaking, nipple piercings take longer to heal than many other body piercings. And it’s impossible to know exactly how long the healing process will take until you get a piercing.

Pros and Cons of Nipple Piercings

Source: Surfs Chicks.

Why Do Nipple Piercings Close?

Like any piercing, a nipple piercing is considered a wound. As a result, your body treats it like an injury and initiates your immune system to heal the puncture. When there is jewelry in your piercing, it acts as a boundary and allows the body to regenerate the new, healed tissue without closing up the piercing hole.

So when the jewelry comes out, it’s a signal to your body that something needs to be healed.

Nipple Piercings Tend to Close Quicker Than Other Types of Piercings

Nipple piercings tend to close quickly because of the type of tissue. And the newer the piercing, the quicker it will close. That’s because the body hasn’t had time to heal and regenerate the nipple’s tissue, so it still treats it like an open wound that needs immediate attention.

Can You Re-Pierce Closed Nipple Piercings?

As long as you didn’t have any complications, like an infection or excess scar tissue, and an experienced piercer agrees it’s okay, you should be able to re-pierce a closed nipple piercing.

However, don’t try to do it yourself. Using the wrong materials or even going in at the wrong angle can cause your body to reject the piercing, pushing it out of your nipple.

Another thing to keep in mind is that your piercings must be fully healed and closed before you can get them done again.

How to Prevent Nipple Piercings From Closing

To prevent a nipple piercing from closing, you should follow the guidelines:

  • Keep your jewelry in, especially if it’s new.
  • You should also avoid playing with the piercings or exposing them to contaminants such as dirty water or bed sheets that haven’t been cleaned.
  • Clean the piercings daily and use a cotton swap to gently brush away any debris such as fuzz or dead skin.

If you have to have a medical procedure or something else done that requires you to take the jewelry out, use a retainer. There are body-friendly, non-metal materials that will hold the piercing open until you’re ready to replace the jewelry. And if you decide to change your nipple jewelry, you must wait for the piercing to fully heal first.

How to Close a Nipple Piercing Hole Permanently?

There are a few different reasons why you may choose to close your nipple piercing holes permanently. Maybe you want to breastfeed and don’t want the piercings anymore. Or maybe they’re just uncomfortable and too visible under your clothing so you want to get rid of them. Whatever the case, it’s usually pretty simple to close them.

  • First, you should gently take your nipple jewelry out.
  • Then, clean the area daily, using some type of saline solution, which could be as simple as a sea salt and warm water concoction at home.

The goal is to keep harmful bacteria out of the hole as it seals. It could be easy for dead skin cells and other materials to clog the area and complicate healing.

Final Thoughts

Nipple piercings are a great way to customize your body for both men and women. There are so many different jewelry options to choose from and it’s a piercing that’s easy to cover up if you don’t want it visible.

However, it’s a piercing that can close up pretty quickly. Don’t get angry though. By asking yourself why, when, and how long does it take for nipple piercing to close, you can ensure you maintain the piercing for as long as you’d like. Or, you can ensure the piercing closes up when you no longer want it.

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