4 Reasons to Start Using Flat Back Earrings

Flat back earrings have been gaining popularity, with many people switching from butterfly backs to flat backs. Butterfly back earrings are like the kind sold at non-professional piercing and mall stores, like Claire’s. They have a sharp post that goes through your piercing and a backing with two curved circles, resembling butterfly wings.

Flat back earrings, however, are just as their name implies. They are earrings with flat discs on the back that sit flush to the ear. Professional piercers commonly use them for lobe and cartilage piercings. This article will explore four reasons you should start using flat back earrings if you’re not already.

Reason #1: Comfort

While butterfly back earrings may be great for how easy they are to put in and take out, they can also cause slight discomfort. Because the butterfly back to the earring needs to be pushed in to keep it secure, it has nothing preventing the extra length of the post from poking you in the neck. This is especially true if you wear over-the-ear headphones or sleep on your side.

Rather than deal with the slight discomfort, you can switch to flat back earrings. Nothing sticks out the back because of the flat backing, making them much more comfortable to wear. Flat back jewelry is typically made from much safer material for your ears. With hypoallergenic options, like titanium or steel, you won’t have to deal with irritation from cheaper materials like sterling silver.

Lastly, and most importantly, there’s no more snagging with flat back earrings. Unless you buy a post that’s too long, it’s much less common for your hair or clothing to snag on your earring than when wearing a butterfly back earring.

Reason #2: Secure Fit

There’s nothing worse than realizing you’ve lost an earring because the backing fell off. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence with butterfly back earrings. The only way to prevent this is to push the butterfly backing as close to your ear as possible. However, this pressure can be uncomfortable, especially for a new piercing.

Instead, flat back jewelry is much more challenging to lose. Two types of flat back studs ensure a secure fit:

Threadless, or pushpin: With this type of jewelry, the flat back earring is inserted into the ear from behind and a top is pushed into the post and bent slightly to secure it. Threaded: With this type of jewelry, the flat back earring is inserted into the ear from beind and an end is screwed on to keep it in place.

Flat back jewelry is meant to be worn for a long time. You don’t have to take it out at night to sleep either.

Reason #3: Easier to Clean

Even if your piercing has fully healed, washing the piercing and jewelry is still essential to keep unwanted bacteria and debris out. Your skin sheds, and dead skin cells accumulate on your jewelry. With a butterfly back earring, there are more nooks and crannies for the dead skin cells to build up, making cleaning the piercing more difficult. On the other hand, with flatback jewelry, dead skin cells will simply accumulate along the post and are easy to wipe away with salt spray and dry with a paper towel or Q-tip.

Reason #4: Versatility

Butterfly back earrings are often sold in pairs. However, flat back earrings aren’t sold in pairs. This allows for more versatility in your look. Since you can purchase single earrings for each piercing you have, you can mix and match ends to create a unique look that’s all your own. There are different shapes, designs, colors, and gemstones to choose from when it comes to ends. Overall, flat back jewelry is better for your ears, more comfortable, and easier to clean. Due to the versatile options, you can create highly custom looks for your ears with flat back jewelry.