Can You Safely Get More Than One Piercing At Once?

Displaying multiple piercings on one ear, sometimes called an "ear stack," has become a hot trend, as have piercings that are said to have additional health benefits for those who get them. For those looking to get pierced, Metro UK predicts that ear stacks will remain popular into the future, meaning that there's still plenty of time for that all-important aftercare.

Whether looking at more ear piercings or piercings elsewhere on the body, there are some health considerations, as listed by the Mayo Clinic. Beyond ensuring that a licensed professional is doing the job — preferably without the use of a piercing gun, as echoed by Good Housekeeping – there's another big question out there: Can you safely get more than one piercing at once?

As anyone who has gotten both their earlobes pierced at the same time knows, the answer is, technically, yes. But it turns out that it doesn't come without a few caveats.

In response to a video posted he posted to Instagram of a client who received three ear piercings at once, New York-based piercer Adrian Castillo told Allure, "The more [piercings] you get, the longer I feel like it takes to heal. I do tell people to take extra care of them since it is more trauma in a focused area, but it really is just the same as any other piercings as far as aftercare goes."

Another piercer, Matthew Mayfield, disagreed and told Allure, "It's always more difficult to heal three piercings than it is one ... if one gets irritated or inflamed, the other two probably will. That goes with a lot of piercing done closely together, though, so it is not definite."

BodyCandy, a store that sells body jewelry online, writes that most piercers will not perform more than three or four piercings in one sitting, based on the piercings and where they're located.

For piercings to other parts of the body, particularly surface piercings, the body's rejection of the piercing is likely to be a bigger concern. Dermatologist Dr. Jessie Cheung told Byrdie, "Some anatomical sites are more prone to rejection — flat, tight surfaces don't allow for deeper piercings and are subject to greater pressure." Body jewelry site FreshTrends reiterates this risk of rejection, meaning that it's even more important to listen to the advice of a professional who can assess the placements and additional concerns that might be associated with any piercings.

WebMD lists more concerns specific to genital piercings based on the body part being pierced, which are likely to require further discussions with a piercer.

In short, getting a few ear piercings in one sitting, such as in search of the perfect ear stack, is less likely to be a problem. Elsewhere on the body, that decision is more likely to be up to the piercer's discretion.