If you’ve ear piercings (whether or not one or a bunch), you are in all probability aware of these teeny, clear, silicone earring backs that include a brand new set of earrings. They’re tremendous clutch for me whenever you lose considered one of your common steel flatbacks and have to safe your studs. Nevertheless, in response to a current TikTok PSA that is beginning to go viral, these clear rubbery backings can truly be tremendous dangerous to put on for an prolonged period of time.
On Thursday, Oct 10, TikTok creator Amber Guttilla shared her current expertise of just about being despatched to the hospital over her clear earring backs getting caught like glue to her earrings. Talking solely with Properly+Good, Guttilla says “it was a extremely surreal second” when she realized she would wish skilled intervention to take away her earrings. In her TikTok, Guttilla explains that she had been carrying silicone earring backs for “a month or two” earlier than she tried to take them off. “Let me be the primary to inform you,” Guttilla mentioned in her video, “these should not meant to be worn long-term.”
Guttilla says she initially thought that the problem eradicating the silicone backs was a person error, however after a number of failed makes an attempt by each her and her fiancé, she tells us she went to New Flower Physique Piercing Studio in Lengthy Seashore, California to get skilled assist.
@amber.guttilla PSA for earring wearers! I’ve had my ears pierced for 30 years and by no means knew this 🫠 #earrings #earringtips #earringscare #publicserviceannouncement #PSA #jewelrycleaning ♬ authentic sound – Amber Rose
Guttilla says that piercer knowledgeable her that silicone earring backs are tremendous porous and have a tendency to soak up plenty of grime, oil, sweat, and make-up, which then creates a “glue-like” substance that nearly “fuses” with the again of your earring, making them troublesome—or not possible—to take out. Guttilla’s piercer additionally instructed her that the final one that got here in with silicone backs wore them for a 12 months and wanted to go to the hospital to get them eliminated.
Fortunately, the method did not require a visit to the hospital for Guttilla, however she tells Properly+Good that it did require some brute power on behalf of the piercer. “He took me into a non-public area, received gloved up, sterilized my ears with alcohol, and used two clamp instruments to carry on each side of the earring, then used his power to tug them aside,” she tells us. “It took about six or seven minutes complete, and it was just a little painful as a result of he needed to twist my lobe to pry the earring and the silicone aside.”
The ache was value it to Guttilla, who may stroll out of the store with silicone-free earrings. “I checked out what was pried out, and the silicone was yellow,” she tells us. “I had no clue that silicone was porous and genuinely felt blindsided as soon as I discovered that they should not be worn usually.”
Was this only a fluke?
In response to Hadley King, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York Metropolis, “silicone can persist with the pores and skin due to the chemical properties of the polymer, creating an adhesive impact.” Mix that response with physique warmth, strain, and time, “and the adhesive impact can turn into stronger,” she says.
“We see this rather a lot with earrings total, the place a buildup of wax, oils, or something can sit within the area of the earring again and harden,” says Marisa Garshick, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York Metropolis. “This does not imply that it is essentially congealing with the silicone, however buildup can get caught within the plug of the earring again, making it more durable to return out.”
The aftermath
Guttilla’s studying second has since sparked discourse on TikTok (her video presently has over 1.5 million views), about correct earring care to keep away from comparable conditions. “Wait…are we not all taking our earrings out earlier than mattress?” one commenter requested on the video, whereas one other added: “Sleeping and showering with jewellery, particularly earrings, is wild.”
Whereas Guttilla’s feedback part is break up between whether or not it’s best to or shouldn’t be eradicating earrings day by day, Dr. Garshick says usually, it is a good behavior to take away them usually. Nonetheless, it is not at all times doable for some piercings (like a brand new cartilage piercing that wants to remain in for therapeutic, for instance), which is why it’s best to keep away from silicone backs altogether in the event you’re somebody who forgets to—or cannot—take away your earrings day by day.
“I personally take my earrings out each night time, however that does not should be the case for everybody,” says Dr. Garshick. “Eradicating them usually, if not day by day, can can help you clear across the piercing space totally and likewise assist relieve pressure from the ear in the event you put on drop earrings or hoops.”
If you happen to aren’t taking your earrings out day by day, Dr. Garshick says you’ll be able to usually take away buildup with a clear cotton swab soaked in water (or saline piercing answer) to wash the world gently. “If you happen to really feel like buildup is caught at the back of your earrings, you can too use a petrolatum-based product like Vaseline or Aquaphor and therapeutic massage it within the space to loosen issues up,” she says.
Closing ideas
In the end, taking your earrings out day by day (or not) is a private alternative and behavior, but when buildup and avoiding irritation is your objective, attempt to clear your earrings as regularly as doable. “Loads of the time, earrings turn into a part of your day by day look, so it is simple to overlook about issues again there—it doesn’t suggest that you simply’re soiled or mistaken; buildup is totally regular,” Dr. Garshick says. And to be secure, why not skip the silicone altogether and go for titanium or gold flatbacks?
