Piercing Retainers

More Info on Piercing Retainers

Piercing retainers are the perfect solution for hiding a piercing,hospital visits (for x-rays) or through-out pregnancy.  They can of course just be worn day to day too if you prefer the look!

Here at Gekko we sell a great range of retainers, whether you’re after ear piercing retainers, nose piercing retainers or flesh tone ear plugs we’ll have something for you.

Types of piercing retainer

There’s a huge range of styles and sizes of piercing retainers available, but the vast majority will be made of PTFE or BioFlex.  This is completely metal free and has varying degrees of flexibility which makes it perfect as a retainer.

We summarised the main types of retainer available along with some key points you should consider when making a purchase.

• Ear piercing retainers - these will often be available in the basic clear barbell style or you can use a labret retainer (the flat back on these is suitable for various types of ear piercing).  They will generally be 1.2mm (16 gauge) with a bar length of 6mm or 8mm. Clear earring retainers and clear cartilage earrings are also great for hiding a piercing at work.

• Nose piercing retainers - a hugely popular type of piercing retainer.  A very common style is the simple stud which generally has a 6mm bar with a flat bottom base and a slightly wider top.  The bars are generally 0.8mm (20 gauge) or 1mm (18 gauge). These are great for temporarily hiding nose piercings.

• Labret retainers - another great piercing, you’ll see a particular favourite is the clear press-fit labret retainers.  The tops which are generally just a little wider than the bar have a small pin on the bottom allowing them to be pressed into the hollow bar.  This makes them really easy to insert and hides a labret or monroe piercing well. Again 6mm and 8mm bar lengths are the most common.

• Belly Bar Retainers - these are a great piercing if you would like to retain you belly button piercing during pregnancy.   The bars will be considerably longer - anything from 25mm - 50mm in comparison to a standard bar which is 8mm - 10mm.  The bar thickness will generally be the same at 1.6mm (14 gauge). The PTFE or BioFlex bars are particularly useful for belly bar retainers as they flex as the stomach grows.

Check out our full range of jewellery at Gekko

In addition to our range of piercing retainers we stock a huge selection of over 15,000 different types of body piercing jewellery.  This includes everything from labret studs and nose piercings through to hinged segment rings and ear stretchers!  For further questions or advice on piercing jewellery, get in touch with us!