How to Get a Cartilage Ear Piercing
Piercing the cartilage, or inner part of the ear surface, can yield beautiful and exotic results. More patience and care must be taken during the healing process, however, than with a convention earlobe piercing. By working with an experienced piercing technician, you can avoid complications like infections and trauma when you get the cartilage of your ears pierced. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Examine your ears for blemishes, acne or cuts that can increase the chance of infection. The area of the piercing should be clean, with healthy skin tissue.
-
2
Get a cartilage ear piercing done by a professional piercing technician, as opposed to trying to do it yourself, which will reduce the chances of infection.
-
-
3
Decide on the type of ear cartilage piercing you want to get. You will have many options in terms of location (the conch, the tragus, the daith, the helix and the rook are all popular choices), and the type of earring that can be installed (such as a barbell or ring).
-
4
Get your ear cartilage pierced. A proper technician will use a sterilized surgical needle to create the piercing, and will work quickly and cleanly to reduce anxiety and stress. Many clients find ear cartilage piercings less painful that lobe piercings, due to the relative lack of blood vessels and nerves in the area.
-
5
Listen carefully to the aftercare instructions given by your piercing technician, since a majority of first-time clients fail to follow these instructions carefully.
-
6
Clean your cartilage piercing twice a day for the first 3 days. Use an anti-bacterial soap that will not dry out the area of the piercing, causing it to become red and irritated. Use a piece of tissue paper to dry the area of the piercing.
-
7
Reduce the cleaning of your piercing to just once a day when you have passed the 3-day mark.
-
8
Keep up your aftercare regimen long after the piercing has healed externally. Most cartilage piercings can take months to settle and heal completely. See a doctor immediately if there any signs of infection, which may occur up to 1 year after the piercing.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Never pierce the cartilage of your ears with an ear piercing gun. The needles used with ear piercing guns have tips that are more blunt than surgical needles, and may cause excessive trauma or damage to the cartilage.
Avoid using antibiotic creams, moisturizers, antiseptics or natural oils to accelerate the healing process. These may cause the piercing to close up, or become infected if the earring is still in place.
