I had my ears pierced as a child, stopped wearing earrings within a few months of getting them done, and I still have the marks.

I'm sure that the holes are closed and I'd have to get them repierced if I wanted to wear earrings, but you can tell they were pierced. Because they have little hole-shaped scars, decades later.

Your experience is not universal. The mark from the piercing can indeed be permanent.