Q: Now that the swelling's down my barbell feels way too long and keeps catching on stuff. Do I need a shorter one? — Haylee O.

A: Yes, and honestly this is a good sign, not a problem. What you're describing indicates it's time to downsize. Here's what happened. When you got pierced, they used a longer bar on purpose to leave room for swelling. Now that the swelling's gone down, that extra length has nowhere to go, so it wiggles, catches on your hair and clothes, and generally feels like too much. Totally normal stage.

Why you don't want to just leave it:

• All that catching and movement irritates the piercing, which can lead to bumps or crooked healing

• A shorter, properly fitted post sits snug and still, which is exactly what a settling piercing wants

Here's what you should do now:

• See your piercer for a swap. They'll measure the right length and make sure you're actually healed enough. Timing matters, and they can eyeball it better than you can

• Don't force a swap at home too early, and don't yank the current one around in the meantime

• Keep the quality up. If you're in implant-grade titanium or solid 14K gold, stay there for the shorter piece too

Book a quick downsize visit and you'll feel the difference immediately, no more snagging, and a happier piercing to boot. This is just your piercing telling you it's healing right on schedule.

Q: I took my plugs out for good and my lobes won't shrink back. Am I stuck with the gap forever? — Lana G.

A:  First, don't panic yet, because lobes are slow, like really slow, to shrink. A lot of people pull their plugs, see a gap a week later, and assume it's permanent when it just needs way more time. So this might partly be a patience thing.

Here's the honest breakdown, because it does depend on how far you went:

• Smaller stretches (think the more modest sizes) often shrink back down a lot over weeks and months, especially if you massage them with a little skin safe oil (like jojoba oil) and give them time. They may not close to a pinhole, but the gap can get surprisingly small

• Past a certain point (the "point of no return," which varies person to person) the tissue is thinned out enough that it likely won't close fully on its own. That's just the reality of how far the skin got stretched

• Even then, you're not actually stuck. Surgical lobe repair is a real, routine option, and it's how people fully close larger gaps and even re-pierce afterward if they want

So the move right now is: give it more time than you think, massage and moisturize to help it along, and see where it settles over the next few months. If it plateaus at a gap you're not happy with, a consult with a lobe-repair provider gets you the rest of the way.

Disclaimer: Body Candy is only here to give you fun and helpful advice and information when it comes to getting pierced. Always consult a professional piercer to make sure a new piercing is right for you!