Infections caused by bacteria getting into the puncture of the piercing may also happen later, even after the piercing has healed. Piercing guns cannot be sterilized and should NOT be used for body piercing. Another cause of problems from piercings is the wrong kind of jewelry for the area pierced. If the jewelry is too small, it can actually cut off the blood supply to the tissue, causing swelling and pain. Healing time is different depending on where on your body you get pierced.
Some places are more likely to get infected or have problems.
Piercings on your ear lobes usually take about 6-8 weeks to heal. But piercings on the side of your ear , which is cartilage, can take anywhere from 4 months to 1 year to heal. The reason for this is that the type of tissue in each area is different and the amount of pressure on the pierced area while you are sleeping is different. Tongue piercings swell a lot at first but heal fairly quickly if the right type of jewelry is used. However, metal jewelry in the tongue piercing may damage gums and chip the enamel surface on your teeth.