Choosing The Best Jewelry for Your Nipple Piercings
Nipple piercings are enjoyed by men and women alike and there are many different styles of jewelry available to complement the piercing and add a personalized touch. From the classic barbell to jeweled nipple shields, there is a piece of jewelry that’s perfect for you.
Here are some tips you should know about nipple jewelry that will help you decide on what to select.
Nipple Piercings and Healing
For the initial piercing, piercers now recommend a straight barbell. The initial jewelry will have a small amount of extra length to accommodate for swelling, which is why you will need to switch your nipple jewelry to something shorter after it heals. While the initial nipple jewelry will eventually be changed, you can still choose something attractive that suits your taste.
Using a captive bead ring (CBR) for an initial nipple piercing has been noted to cause a slight, but undesirable curvature to the piercing. So it’s better to wait for the piercing to be healed to wear CBRs.
A note on healing: The nipples are a very sensitive part of the body and they take a lengthy period of up to 3-5 months for the tissue to fully heal. Some people have even needed up to 12 months. Your piercer will discuss with you when you change your jewelry out, but certainly no earlier than 3-5 months.
Jewelry Options for Healed Nipples
After your initial piercing has healed, you can change out the jewelry to eliminate the extra space needed for healing, and to something more decorative or flashy--maybe an anodized captive ring or perhaps something with pink butterflies? If you prefer a simpler look or have an active lifestyle, you will probably find these titanium barbells much more comfortable and appealing.
Nipple Jewelry Metals
Stainless steel is the metal of choice for most new piercings, nipple piercings included. It’s a metal that doesn’t typically cause any negative reactions with the skin. Although, people that are sensitive to nickel or have metal allergies will still find surgical steel troublesome.
Implant grade steel is the highest quality steel available. It has less nickel than stainless steel, so it’s a better option for some people.
Titanium is a higher quality metal than steel that you can wear in healing and healed nipple piercings. People that have metal allergies or sensitivities can usually wear titanium with no problems.
Titanium is:
- Freindlier to the body than steel
- Lighter than steel
- Nickle free
High levels of nickel are found in low-quality body jewelry and it causes adverse reactions to the skin and body with prolonged wear. Surgical stainless steel contains a very small percentage of nickel, but not enough to affect most wearers.
Whatever your choice may be, be sure to stick with the guidelines above for happy, healthy nipple piercings! If you don’t seem to have happy, healthy piercings, please call or visit your piercer with any questions or concerns. They are more than happy to help you troubleshoot.