Hey M.!! At the Sweet and Sassy store in Memphis we typically recommend keeping the earrings in for 6-8 weeks, depending completely on how she has responded to them as well as how the earlobe looks. We pierce so many little girls ears that its hard to say how each will react as everyone's temperment as well as chemistry is different. I always tell the parents that IF after 6-8 weeks you find that the earrings are just not comfortable for her or the ear lobe looks to be red and/or swollen and infected then she could potentially be allergic to the earring post itself. There is just no way of knowing which will work with which child, basically its "trial and error". Depending on what type of earring post that you got (and of course if you want, or she wants to keep the earrings in...fyi here...remind her that she may want to tough it out. Personally, my daughter wouldnt help keep her's clean, you know touching with dirty hands and all, etc.. therefore she has had her's done for the THIRD and LAST TIME.) Keloids and / or scar tissue, etc.. is something a lot of folks do not know or think about prior to letting the holes grow up. THE HOLES CAN TAKE A WHILE TO GROW UP, if the piercing has JUST happened (meaning within the hour or so) the hole is typically not visible within a day or two however if she has diligently kept them in for the full 6 weeks you will be able to feel something which may feel like a "keloid" (the little ball of tissue) inside the earlobe for a while. NOTE: PRIOR TO PIERCING the individual who is performing the service will(should) feel around (by mashing lightly) on the earlobes in feeling for any keloids, scar tissue, prior piercings, etc.. YOU CAN NOT pierce on top of a prior piercing (can you technically, yes, but its a no no) NOR can you pierce on scar tissue or keloids. I told my daughter on that third time..."THATS IT you have NO EARLOBE LEFT TO PIERCE after these go in!" That must of stuck with her as she has done her fair share of due diligence to ensure her earlobes are healthy (even STILL using cleanser every night....girl, this was a year and 1/2 ago when she had them done!! LOL!!! She didnt want to spend the rest of her life having to wear clip on ear bobs I guess!! Hahahaaa! M., if your in the Memphis area I will be more than happy to take a look at them for you and talk to your daughter as well as give you a bottle of ear cleansing solution (since your my fellow "mamasource" member!! ;-) Just ask for A. the next time you are in if you'd like for me too, or give me a call (make sure the girls know im expecting your call so they will track me down, lol). Also sometimes being in an environment, such as S&S, girls are excited and want to engage in the full "girly" experience...she may just have a change of heart, esspecially after taking a look at the S&S "tween" exclusive earrings that we offer. I would be more than happy to explain to her why its so important to try to keep these in (obviously is this is what you would like). The only other thing I can think of is that with the piercing earrings (well, i can only speak for the one's we use)they have rounded safety backs (rounded for comfort and the safety so that they will not easily come off...in fact at times they are down right difficult to pull off), possibly the safety back is squeezed to tight to the earlobe itself. Again, everyone has different earlobes as well. One time (this was AN EXTREMELY RARE OCCURANCE) I had a little girl, about 7 years old whom was very overweight due to a medical condition that she had been born with. This little girls earlobes were so thick that I could not get the piercing instrument up to the ear, basically the ear would not fit in it. I graciously explained this discreetly to the mother however she insisted that we "make it fit", we did, but those earrings were tight. Obviously I dont tell you that in anyway suggesting "thick earlobes" however again, everyone's are so very different some kids have attached lobes, some lobes are very thick at the bottom but thinner at the top, etc.. Possibly all that needs to happen is to have the earring backing loosened? Just a thought. :-)
Wow, so, yeah, didnt mean to get off on history of earlobes here....I feel like the scene from Forrest where Bubba Gump talks about shrimp but in this case earlobes....sum lobes r thick, sum thin, sum danglin', sum attached, sum short, sum long.... Sorry, its getting late and Ive had no sleep, think I am delirious now!! LOL! Seriously though I am more than happy to help you in anyway just swing on by or call us at ###-###-#### if your in this area.
Take Care!!
A.