Downsizing- Is It A Hoax?

We have talked about downsizing before on this blog, as part of my Size Matters series, which you can read here. Downsizing is the process of shortening jewelry from an initial piercing to a better fit. We start initial piercings with slightly longer jewelry to accommodate for swelling, which is a natural part of the healing process. As the swelling goes down, these long bars can be easier to catch and snag, causing irritation bumps, issues, and in some piercings, causing them to migrate or even reject. So getting your jewelry downsized is pretty important! My original blog post on this goes in-depth into how it works, what the process is like, and what you can expect from it. It also discusses that some piercings may downsize once, but others may reduce in swelling gradually and need multiple downsizes over time. A concept I discuss in both my cheek piercing blogs and high nostril blogs, both piercings are prone to larger amounts of swelling and needing multiple downsizes.

If I’ve covered so much about downsizing in other blogs, why am I writing about it again today? Well, there’s been an influx of videos on TikTok from folks who are not piercers and do not work in the industry talking about how downsizing is a scam. How piercers simply use jewelry that’s too long or make up the need for shorter jewelry just to get you to spend more money, and you don’t actually need to downsize or need longer initial jewelry at all. And these videos I initially wrote off as folks who truly just don’t understand the industry trying to rage bait, but unfortunately, they are gaining some traction, so let’s talk about it.

I can assure you, piercers are not making up the need to downsize, or running some massive, industry-wide scam to get you to spend a bunch of money on jewelry you don’t need. Downsizing is a very real part of the healing process for many piercings, as you can read about in the posts I linked above. So, where is the confusion coming from? Why do some folks seem to think we are lying?

Well, it seems to stem from the fact that many people have had very different experiences with getting and healing piercings. You see, a lot of these videos are made by folks who state that they never downsized and were fine, or only downsized once and didn’t need to downsize a second or third time, so clearly, piercers expecting you to go through multiple downsize processes are scamming you. And what I find folks often forget is that everybody, and every piercing, is different!

Take, for example, the differences between an earlobe and a lip. A lobe is a fairly inert piece of fatty tissue and skin. It occasionally gets laid on while you sleep, and might get caught in your hair from time to time, but other than that, it’s mostly just doing its own thing. But your lip is made up of more complex tissue, including a mucous membrane for the interior tissue. Your lips are constantly moving- to speak, to eat, to smile. You are dealing with exposure to foods that can include acids, spices, and extreme temperatures. There can be a lot of bacteria in our mouth that aid in digestion- most of it good, but some not so great. You might also deal with exposure to smoke. There are extreme differences between the tissue of the lip and the tissue of the ear, such as a lobe piercing might get a single downsize and be fine, or might even get no downsizing and be fine! But a lip is going to have much more initial swelling due to the tissue type and the movement in the area, meaning we need to start with something extra long. And as the swelling goes down, the jewelry can rub and hit your teeth and gums, making it crucial to have an exact perfect fit in your lip. Whereas an ear can often have a few mm of extra length on jewelry in a lobe, and you wouldn’t even notice. This can help explain why it’s not uncommon for folks to get multiple downsizes in an oral piercing, but not for an earlobe. With your ear, you don’t risk chipping a tooth if the jewelry is long.

And then we have to factor in how different people's bodies are, and how differently people can heal. I’m a great example of this- I have psoriasis, which is an autoimmune-based skin condition. It can often be accompanied by swelling and inflammation, especially of the joints. I tend to swell more than the average client, and also often have psoriasis flare-ups around my piercings. I usually need a little extra room when I’m first pierced, and my swelling goes down very, very slowly. It’s not uncommon for me to still have pretty serious swelling sometimes even months after being pierced. My immune system and my skin simply struggle with the process of healing wounds. This is true for me in general- my joints swell in the cold, my acne stays inflamed longer. My immune system really has a hard time with certain wounds! This can be the case with any skin condition, autoimmune condition, or various hormonal conditions. It can also happen due to the side effects of the medications someone takes. It can even be a lifestyle factor! Whatever the cause, different people are going to heal differently. It’s awesome that some folks have a very straightforward healing process with very minimal swelling, and can get away with only a single downsize. But that isn’t going to be the reality for everyone.

Your perfect fit of jewelry may also depend on what you want to wear. For example, a very large or decorative front piece may sag forward with a bar that’s too long, so to wear these pieces, folks may need a very exact fit. Alternatively, some clients may want to be able to easily swap their jewelry themselves, and a bit of extra length on the bar can make that easier. Some clients may find any extra length to be annoying and frustrating, while other clients may find a perfect fit is too tight sometimes and irritating. Our bodies are all different! Our needs and preferences for jewelry fit will be different, too.

Often, the discrepancies we see in aftercare or healing come from the differences we have as individuals. Our health, our skin, what we do for work, our lifestyles. We are all uniquely different people! That means even if we all get the same exact piercing with the same exact piece of jewelry, we are still going to have uniquely different experiences healing them. When you see discrepancies between the aftercare your piercer gave you and your personal experience, it’s not that we are trying to trick you or scam you. We give this advice and aftercare based on what works for the largest majority of our clients, and understand that we may have to adjust things individually for each client's unique needs. The differences in downsizing are exactly that- accommodating for each client's swelling, healing, and final fit needs. With that in mind, go forth and downsize as many times as you need to, or don’t! As long as your piercings are healthy, happy, and safe, that's what matters most.

Happy Healing <3~