TIL home piercing earring backs can trap so much gunk it's basically science experiment

I was cleaning my helix piercings the other day and took off the butterfly backs for the first time in like 3 months. The gross buildup was insane, I could scrape it off with my fingernail. Looked it up and apparently those backs collect dead skin, oil, and bacteria way worse than flat backs. Ended up switching all my jewelry to labret studs last week. Has anyone else found a hidden gross surprise from their old piercings?

3 comments

3 Comments

dylan_brown301mo ago

Stop being dramatic, butterfly backs work fine if you just wash your ears occasionally.

the_sam1mo ago

Wait, have you ever actually pulled off a crusty butterfly back after a few months?

mianelson1mo ago

Got one from a buddy at the skatepark who left his board in his truck for like 3 months during winter. The butterfly back was so crusty it looked like a fossil, but he just hit it with a wire brush and some wd-40 and it came right back to life. Thing is, if the bushing is completely shot from being dry rotted, no amount of cleaning will save it. I always check the pivot cup first, thats where the real damage hides.