A woman recently went viral on TikTok after warning about the potential health risks of wearing silicone earring backs for too long.
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In her clip, which has garnered over 7 million views so far, TikTok creator Amber Guttilla (@amber.guttilla), shared her experience with the earring backs.
What happened to Guttilla?
“This is a PSA to anybody who has earrings,” Guttilla begins. “You might want to know this because I did not know this, and it almost landed me in the hospital.”
The TikToker then stitched a photo of clear silicone earring backs and said, “Let me be the first to tell you these are not meant to be worn long-term.”
Guttilla explained that a few weeks ago, she decided to change her second lobe piercing on both sides for a pair of stainless steel earrings from Amazon.
Since her favorite flat-back earring backs were hard to put in, she opted for silicone backs she found in her jewelry drawer.
At first, everything seemed fine. However, after a month or two, she couldn’t remove the backs. She recalled thinking it was “just a me thing” or “user error.”
But after struggling with them for a while, Guttilla decided to go to a piercing shop for help.
The piercer shares unsettling news
When she arrived, the piercer immediately guessed the issue. “Let me guess, it’s one of those clear silicone backs,” they said.
Guttilla was surprised until they explained that silicone earring backs often trap oil, sweat, makeup, and grease from hair. This buildup creates a glue-like effect that can cause the back to fuse with the earring.
Then the piercer shared a horror story. “The last girl who came in for this, I had to send her to the hospital to get them cut out of her ears,” Guttilla recalled them saying.
Luckily they hadn’t fully fused. Still, the removal wasn’t easy.
“It hadn’t like totally fused, but it was pretty challenging for him and a little bit painful,” she recounts. “But honestly worth every penny.”
Finally, Guttilla shared one last piece of advice for her viewers.
“Those little clear fasteners are really not meant to be used in your earrings for more than like a night or two,” she concluded. “Otherwise, those just may become your new permanent earrings.”
What‘s the deal with silicone earring backs?
Because the issue doesn’t seem to be that common, the Daily Dot couldn’t find any official reports on the risks of wearing silicone earring backings.
Two years ago, a post on the earrings subreddit advised people to use nail clippers to remove plastic backs that won’t come off. One suggested getting help and said they cut chunks off to loosen it.
“It’s difficult, be gentle,” they added.
Silicone is well-documented for its use in medical applications as an adhesive. It’s often used in wound dressings, scar treatments, securing medical devices, and even in post-surgical bandages and tapes due to its biocompatibility and flexibility.
Given its medical uses, it makes a certain kind of sense that silicone forms a bond when exposed to moisture, oils, and prolonged contact with the skin.
Viewers share their thoughts
In the comments, most users were surprised that people wear earrings for months at a time.
“Wait… are we not all taking our earrings out before bed?” wondered one user.
“I can’t imagine wearing earring more than a day,” said another. “It would drive me nuts trying to sleep with them in.”
Others suggest people opt for flatback earrings rather than silicone backs.
“Side note, if your having trouble getting flatbacks in get a piercing taper,” one wrote. ”It’s made my life so much easier.”
@amber.guttilla PSA for earring wearers! I’ve had my ears pierced for 30 years and never knew this 🫠 #earrings #earringtips #earringscare #publicserviceannouncement #PSA #jewelrycleaning ♬ original sound – Amber Rose
The Daily Dot has reached out to Amber Guttilla (@amber.guttilla) via email and Instagram direct message. We’ve reached out to Amazon, too.
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