So I got my nipples pierced ten months ago. They're healing very well so far, only a bit of crust when I clean them at the end of the day. No pain or sensitivity anymore. It's a barbell piercing with an internal thread.

So when do I know it's safe to change it out? I keep reading between 6 mo to a year depending on how it's healing? Do I need to wait until it stops crusting entirely? I'm getting a lot of conflicting answers.

I don't want to undo any healing progress I've made but I also don't want to waste a piercer's time by looking at it to tell me.

I have scars that are pretty identifying so I'm not comfortable posting a picture, but wanted some opinions from people that have had them before.