Repiercing old piercings: a piercer's honest guide

Repiercing is one of the things I get asked about most. Someone had a piercing years ago (a lobe, a helix, a tragus) and it grew out, got irritated, or came out for work or sport and closed. Now they want it back. Can you go back to the same spot, how long do you wait, and what does scar tissue change?

There's a lot of confusion around repiercing, mostly because the answers really do vary. Whether the same spot works, what the scar tissue will do and how healing goes all depend on things that can only be judged by looking. But there are principles I can walk you through.

Will the piercing have closed?

This is always the first question, and the honest answer is that it depends on three things.

How long you had it. A lobe piercing worn for 15 years may never fully close. The channel has been there so long it can stay open, or nearly open, for good. You may still be able to get a post through years after taking the jewellery out. A cartilage piercing taken out in the first few months can seal over within days to weeks.

How healed it was when it came out. Fully healed piercings (at least 12 months for cartilage, 6 to 8 months for lobes) close much more slowly than ones still healing. A daith taken out at six weeks closes fast. A helix worn for two years takes much longer and may leave a visible channel.

You. Some people close quickly, some slowly. There's no reliable way to predict it without looking at what is actually there.

The practical advice: if it closed recently, come in soon. If it has been closed a year or more, a look will tell us whether there is still a usable channel or whether we are working with solid scar tissue.

Same hole or new placement?

This is the question with the most nuance. The answer depends on what the scar tissue is like and where it sits.

When the same spot works

If the original placement was good (well centred, the right depth, the right gauge) and the scar tissue is minimal, a clean line rather than a dense lump, going back through the same spot is usually fine. The needle follows the old channel and healing goes as normal.

When a spot just beside it is better

If the original placement was off (too shallow, which is common with guns, too close to the edge, or at a poor angle), repiercing the exact same spot repeats the problem. In those cases I'll suggest a fresh spot 1 to 2mm away from the scar, which gives healthier tissue to work with and a better result.

Thick, raised scar tissue is another reason to move the spot. Pushing a needle through a lot of scar tissue is harder on you and makes a less clean channel. A slightly shifted placement in fresh tissue is almost always better.

When we can't repierce yet

If the original piercing rejected, got badly irritated or had jewellery sink into the skin, the tissue may need more time to settle first. Rejection in particular tends to leave a larger scar. In those cases I'd usually ask for 3 to 6 months from when it came out before we look at it.

Scar tissue: what it means in practice

Scar tissue is not a deal-breaker, but it changes a few things.

It feels different. Scar tissue is firmer and less stretchy than fresh skin, so there is more resistance as the needle goes through. Most people don't find it noticeably worse than their first piercing. A sharp, single-use needle still goes through quickly.

Healing can be slower. Tissue that has been pierced before can take a little longer to settle than fresh tissue, so allow some extra time.

More crust than usual. Clear, straw or white-yellow crust around the jewellery is normal, and a repierced spot often makes more of it. The aftercare is the same as any piercing: warm running water over it in the shower once a day, then leave it alone.

Repiercing after rejection

Rejection needs more thought than simply going back to the same spot.

Rejection is when the body slowly pushes the jewellery towards the surface. The piercing doesn't disappear, it travels. The usual reasons:

• Jewellery that was too thin. Very fine jewellery (18g or 20g) in placements that tend to migrate, like an eyebrow, is more likely to move. A heavier gauge stays put better.
• Poor placement. Too shallow, not enough tissue, or the wrong angle for the anatomy.
• The jewellery itself. Plated, low-grade or unknown metals can cause trouble. We use implant-grade titanium (ASTM F136) or solid gold.

Before repiercing a rejected spot I want to understand which of these caused it, because if nothing changes it will likely reject again. Usually that means a heavier gauge, a better placement and implant-grade titanium or solid gold.

What happens when you come in

We look before anything happens. I check:

• Whether any channel is left or the spot is fully closed
• How much scar tissue there is, and what it is like
• Whether the original placement was good enough to reuse
• Whether the spot still suits your anatomy (ears change a little over the years)

Then I'll tell you honestly what I recommend: the same spot, one just beside it, or waiting longer. If it is better to wait, we say so and nothing is pierced. If we go ahead, the repierce is the same as any piercing: a single-use sterile needle opened in front of you, implant-grade titanium or solid gold, and the spot marked with you in the mirror before the needle.

If the channel is still partly open, I may be able to guide the jewellery through with a taper instead of a needle, which is gentler on the tissue. That is a call made on the day.

After the repierce: what's different

The aftercare is the same as any piercing. Warm, not hot, running water over it for 30 to 60 seconds, once a day, in the shower. Pat dry with a clean paper towel. Nothing else: no saline, sprays, soaps or creams. Wash your hands before touching it, don't turn the jewellery, and keep out of pools, hot tubs, rivers and the sea until it is fully healed. The full routine is on the aftercare page.

The differences to expect:

• Healing may take a little longer than the usual time for that placement
• More crust is normal
• The checkup, where we swap the longer starter post for a shorter one, is at about four weeks as usual. If it is still swollen we leave the longer post in a bit longer.
• It may stay tender a little longer in the early weeks

None of this is a problem. It's just what working with tissue that has been pierced before is like.

Booking a repierce in Auckland

Everything happens at 389 Parnell Road, Parnell, Auckland, one client in the room at a time.

If you're fairly sure it just needs doing, book the piercing. It's a 45-minute appointment, and we look at the old spot first, before anything happens. If you're not sure it can be repierced at all, book a look instead. It's about 20 minutes, no needle. If we pierced it originally, the look is free; if it was pierced elsewhere, it's $30, and that comes off if you then book the piercing.

A repierce costs the same as a fresh piercing: $150 with implant-grade titanium, or from $350 in solid 14k BVLA gold. If we use a taper instead of a needle, the price is the same. Pay at the end, no deposit. Questions first? Call 09 949 0940.

Price

$150 in titanium, from $350 in gold

Appointment

45 minutes, we look first

Not sure yet

A look: free if we pierced it, $30 if not

Healing

Can take a little longer than usual

Wait after rejection

3 to 6 months