If you have got ear piercings (whether or not one or a bunch), you’re most likely aware of these teeny, clear, silicone earring backs that include a brand new set of earrings. They’re tremendous clutch for me if you lose one in every of your common steel flatbacks and must safe your studs. Nonetheless, based on a current TikTok PSA that’s 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 Effectively+Good, Guttilla says “it was a very 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 let you know,” Guttilla mentioned in her video, “these are usually not meant to be worn long-term.”
Guttilla says she initially thought that the problem eradicating the silicone backs was a consumer 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 Seaside, 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 ♬ unique 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 filth, oil, sweat, and make-up, which then creates a “glue-like” substance that just about “fuses” with the again of your earring, making them tough—or not possible—to take out. Guttilla’s piercer additionally informed her that the final one who got here in with silicone backs wore them for a yr and wanted to go to the hospital to get them eliminated.
Fortunately, the method didn’t require a visit to the hospital for Guttilla, however she tells Effectively+Good that it did require some brute power on behalf of the piercer. “He took me into a personal house, received gloved up, sterilized my ears with alcohol, and used two clamp instruments to carry on either side of the earring, then used his power to tug them aside,” she tells us. “It took about six or seven minutes whole, and it was a bit 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 shouldn’t be worn often.”
Was this only a fluke?
In accordance with 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, stress, and time, “and the adhesive impact can develop into stronger,” she says.
“We see this lots with earrings general, the place a buildup of wax, oils, or something can sit within the house of the earring again and harden,” says Marisa Garshick, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York Metropolis. “This doesn’t imply that it’s essentially congealing with the silicone, however buildup can get caught within the plug of the earring again, making it tougher to return out.”
The aftermath
Guttilla’s studying second has since sparked discourse on TikTok (her video at the moment has over 1.5 million views), about correct earring care to keep away from related 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 you must or shouldn’t be eradicating earrings day by day, Dr. Garshick says typically, it’s behavior to take away them often. Nonetheless, it isn’t all the time potential for some piercings (like a brand new cartilage piercing that wants to remain in for therapeutic, for instance), which is why you must keep away from silicone backs altogether if you happen to’re somebody who forgets to—or can’t—take away your earrings day by day.
“I personally take my earrings out each night time, however that doesn’t need to be the case for everybody,” says Dr. Garshick. “Eradicating them often, if not day by day, can assist you to clear across the piercing space totally and likewise assist relieve stress from the ear if you happen to put on drop earrings or hoops.”
When you aren’t taking your earrings out day by day, Dr. Garshick says you may often take away buildup with a clear cotton swab soaked in water (or saline piercing resolution) to scrub the world gently. “When you really feel like buildup is caught at the back of your earrings, it’s also possible to use a petrolatum-based product like Vaseline or Aquaphor and therapeutic massage it within the space to loosen issues up,” she says.
Ultimate ideas
In the end, taking your earrings out day by day (or not) is a private selection and behavior, but when buildup and avoiding irritation is your aim, attempt to clear your earrings as regularly as potential. “Numerous the time, earrings develop into a part of your day by day look, so it’s straightforward to overlook about issues again there—it doesn’t imply that you simply’re soiled or fallacious; buildup is totally regular,” Dr. Garshick says. And to be secure, why not skip the silicone altogether and go for titanium or gold flatbacks?
