Piercing Retainers and Hiders: Everything You Need to Know

Studies show that piercings are exceptionally common in American adults, with about 72% of women having piercings and 12% of men matching them. With so many people rocking piercings, knowing how to care for them is critical.

Unfortunately, not everyone looks at piercings with approval. As such, it's not uncommon for people to need to hide a piercing. When the need arises, piercing retainers are ideal both for hiding a piercing and protecting the skin.

If you're curious about piercing retainers, we're here to offer guidance. Read on to learn about how a retainer piece can help you hide and care for your piercings. We'll also look at some of the risks to be aware of so you know how to pick the best retainer piece.

What Is a Piercing Retainer?

To start, what is a piercing retainer? If you've gotten a piercing, there's a chance your piercer may have told you about them. But if this is your first time engaging with the concept, they're a crucial piece for your piercing's health.

At times, you may need to remove a piercing. You may need to clean the piece or you might be changing them out.

However, if your piercing is gone for too long, the hole can quickly close up. If your piercing is fresh enough, it could close up in only a few hours.

Even if it doesn't close up entirely, it can begin the healing process enough to make it uncomfortable to put your piercing back in. In some cases, people need to have their piercings re-pierced. Not only is this uncomfortable, but it's also another fee you won't want to pay.

A retainer is placed in the piercing to keep your skin from healing. With a retainer, you can rest assured you can keep the piercing out for as long as necessary without jeopardizing your skin.

Uses For a Piercing Retainer

When would you realistically need a retainer? Many people feel that they can keep a piercing out without needing to bother with a retainer.

As a result, many people end up needing to get their piercings re-done.

Here are some of the most common uses for a piercing retainer.

Hiding a Piercing

There are many situations where you may need to hide your piercings. Depending on where they are, these situations may be more common than not.

For example, few people will scoff at an ear piercing. Some studies show that as much as 83% of Americans have pierced their ears.

But if your piercings are less "acceptable" by professional standards, you may need to hide them in the workplace.

Using retainers for a nose or eyebrow piercing in an office environment is one common use. Oral piercings are also often seen as unprofessional.

It's also frequent for people to hide their piercings during a job interview. While the job may not ban piercings, the interviewer may find someone with facial piercings unprofessional.

Some studies show that as much as 39% of employers believe piercings are unprofessional.

However, if you have a fresh piercing, a job interview is all it could take for your piercing to close up. Using a retainer can prevent such issues so you can interview in peace.

Medical Procedures

There are plenty of reasons to take a piercing out other than professional appearances. One frequent reason is for medical procedures.

Most piercings are metal, but that can't always work. If you need to take an MRI scan, you can't have any metal on you.

As these machines work with massive magnets, any metal is quickly drawn to the machine. The result is your favorite nose piercing being torn out of your face at high speeds. Needless to say, this has to be avoided at all costs, but won't your piercing close?

While most MRI visits aren't long enough for a piercing to close, fresh piercings are sometimes an exception. Thankfully, most retainers are MRI-safe.

The majority of retainers are not made of metal, meaning you can wear them in an MRI machine without fear. Doing so will stop your piercing from closing up while also making sure your healed piercing isn't ripped out.

Spacing or Cleaning

Finally, there are countless reasons you may need to take your piercing out for a moment. If you have a healed piercing, you can usually remove the piercing without much issue. But if you're cleaning a fresh piercing, removing it can cause healing issues.

As such, using a retainer piece will let you clean the piercing without issue. Cleaning your piercing is crucial to make sure it heals well and avoids infection.

Studies show that about 20% of earlobe piercings become infected, while 30% of cartilage piercings also become infected. Infection occurs when bacteria enter the wound, most often from handling the piercing with unclean hands.

Keep your hands and piercings clean and use a retainer while you clean if necessary.

Types of Piercing Retainers

Now that we better understand when to use a retainer, we can look at what options are available.

There's no shortage of types of piercing retainers that you can use. One type we aren't discussing below is wooden retainers.

Wooden retainers are less common and are better as piercings. To have a wooden retainer hide a piercing, it would need to match your skin tone precisely.

Wood is also porous, making it so that manufacturers need to treat the wood extensively to seal it. As such, they're more expensive than the options stated below. While wood is an excellent material for plugs and gauges, it's not ideal for retaining.

Here are the four most common, as well as their pros and cons.

Metal

Metal is a common material to make retainer piercings out of. Typically inexpensive, many piercings come with metal spacers and retainers in the box.

Metal is ideal if you're taking a piercing out to clean it. Some metal retainers are also useful if you need to hide a piercing.

However, metal retainers are sometimes large enough that they can fail to hide the piercing. As such, metal piercings are more common for cleaning or if you need to go a while without your piercing in for non-professional reasons.

Metal retainers are also often inexpensive. That said, it's critical that you know you're getting a high-quality material.

It's also critical to remember that metal retainers are not MRI-safe. If you're taking your piercing out for an MRI, do not use a metal retainer under any conditions.

Low-quality metals can sometimes leech into your skin. If you're putting a retainer in and the metal is inferior, it can lead to infection or other health risks.

Always make sure you're sourcing your retainers from a reputable source. We don't recommend buying spacers from sites that don't disclaim their materials.

Instead, talk to your piercer about what brands they would recommend. They may also have some metal retainers you can use.

Glass

Arguably the most common material, glass comes with a load of perks.

For starters, glass retainers are virtually invisible. As such, they're the best choice for when you need to hide a piercing.

Glass is both inert and transparent, which means it will leave no trace in an MRI. Since glass is also not magnetic, it's the ideal MRI-safe piercing retainer.

Additionally, glass is non-porous, which can help fight against infection. It's also easy to clean and won't have any negative effects when placed in water.

Glass retainers also won't tarnish over time as some low-quality metal retainers will. The smooth surface helps with removing friction so you can easily insert and remove your retainer.

If you're using a glass retainer to hide a piercing, make sure you aren't using a shiny glass. These glasses can catch the light, defeating the purpose of hiding a piercing. That said, shining piercings are an excellent fashion statement, so consider such glass when putting your piercing back in.

One drawback of glass retainers is that they tend to cost more than other options. However, the higher cost comes as a result of being far-and-away better than other things you may want to pick.

Many piercing professionals will prefer glass for spacing, gauging, and retaining.

Plastic

A third common option is plastic retainers and piercings.

Plastic is popular as a result of being exceptionally cheap in price. You can almost always find plastic retainers and piercings for significantly less than other options.

Plastic is also easy for piercers to stock. It's rare to find a piercer that won't have any plastic piercings or retainers.

However, plastic comes with many risks. One is that plastic is porous, meaning that it can carry bacteria if not properly cleaned. The porous nature also increases friction, making them more difficult to remove or insert.

Additionally, plastic comes in many forms, and not all of these are safe. You should take extra caution to make sure you're buying body-safe plastic.

Body-safe plastic is often called medical-grade or implant-grade. Such plastic is commonly used for someone's first piercing, particularly among teens and children. Plastic is easier to work with and easier to replace due to the low cost.

If you use plastic that isn't body-safe, you can leech harmful chemicals into the body. Inferior plastic also can flex or bend, which can lead to a misshapen piercing.

Make sure that you're using plastic retainers that are of the proper grade. As cheap as they are, there's no reason not to keep a few plastic piercings and retainers around in case of emergencies.

Silicone

Finally, silicone is a common option. That said, it's significantly less common than the other options on this list. But why?

One problem is that silicone is pliable, which can cause a seal against your skin. Due to the seal, it can become much more difficult to remove. Seals also can cause a buildup of seepage, causing inflammation and infection.

Furthermore, silicone can "auto-stretch," which other materials aren't capable of. Auto-stretching can cause a tear in your piercing or over-stretch the piercing before the skin is ready.

Like plastic, silicone also needs to be body-safe for use. Using silicone that's not body-safe can leech harmful chemicals and toxic additives into your skin. If an outlet doesn't disclose what sort of silicone they use, do not use their retainer.

So why would you want silicone?

Simply put, silicone is exceptionally cheap and easy to use. If you're only going to have it in for a short period, you won't need to worry about sealing or stretching.

Due to this, silicone is ideal if you don't intend to need retainers often. If you're having a one-time MRI, silicone is perfect. If you're hiding your piercing for a job, you should find a different option.

Risks of Piercing Retainers

Now that we have a thorough understanding of retainers and their uses, what risks should you be aware of? Here are a few of the minimal risks of using piercing retainers.

Long-Term Use

The first risk is using a piercing retainer long-term. Doing so can cause the retainer to develop a seal, which may make it more difficult to remove.

Since retainers are temporary by their nature, this is rarely an issue. If you'd like a long-term retainer, consider plugs or studs instead.

Porous

Some materials are porous in nature, as discussed above.

If your retainer is porous, you don't need to avoid it. However, you should take extra care to ensure that you're properly cleaning the retainer.

Never handle your piercing with dirty hands. If you don't like porous material, stick to glass retainers.

Hidden Defects

Finally, you should be wary of hidden defects. These are possible in any retainer regardless of the material used.

Always purchase your retainers and piercings from a reputable site. If a vendor or website doesn't disclose what material they use, we don't recommend using their products.

Staying Safe With Piercing Retainers

Piercing retainers are ideal for hiding your piercing or keeping the piercing open during a medical procedure. Try out the many available options and see what best suits your needs.

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