People who love to get their ears pierced; auricle piercing is a common thing for them. It helps to collect cartilage. Located between the lobe piercing and helix piercing, this piercing looks real nice on its own or even as a part of the cartilage cluster.
This type of piercing is mainly done through a 14G needle or a 16 G needle. The size depends on your choice. Bear in mind that it’s quite easy to stretch the piercing hole than to shrink it in. So if you are in doubt, it’s better to go with the smaller side.
Now, since the piercing takes place in your cartilage, the healing process requires a little attention. Also, the cartilage can be easily damaged so you better pick an expert piercer.
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How much does it hurt?
Auricle piercing hurts a tad bit more than the lobe piercing. However, you should know that the auricle is a thin part of the cartilage area. So your pain will quickly heal. Also, the auricle falls low on the pain level.
Remember that the experience and expertise of your piercer has a great role to play once it comes to the pain of your piercing. The experienced piercers know precious techniques to reduce your pain. They can also reduce your staying time under the needle and help you feel comfortable all the while.
They also greatly sanitize all the equipment and use high-end products to ensure a safe piercing experience. These products further contribute to enhancing the speed of your recovery process. No matter whether you are opting for the auricle piercing for the first time or 3rd time, it’s always imperative to find the perfect piercer.
Healing Process
Well, there’s no hard and fast timeframe about it. The healing time for cartilage varies from one person to the other. So, you can expect that it may take somewhere between 2 to 10 months to heal. Since there’s a chance of the cartilage getting easily damaged while healing, it’s better to consult a doctor if things don’t come out to be all fair and nice within a few weeks.
However, you can adopt some aftercare practices to speed up the healing time. Below we will mention them.
Aftercare Practices
Auricle piercing may often lead to multiple complications such as cauliflower ear, piercing bumps, and so on. However, don’t be scared with this cute piercing. Check out the following aftercare tips to have a happy piercing experience.
Don’t touch the jewelry
No matter whatever type of piercing you settle for, it’s important that you refrain from touching the jewelry or the organ while cleaning the area. Human hands accumulate a lot of bacteria that can affect your piercing site. When you have to touch the site, often to itch, you must disinfect your hands with antibacterial soap and warm water. If infected, the auricle can form bumps and scars around the area. These scars can only be surgically removed if things get worse. So play it’s better to play safe.
Don’t press it
Let us make it clear. Never put any pressure on the jewelry. Especially, if you got both the ears pierced simultaneously, ensure not to switch sides while sleeping at night. It will be a better idea to get one of your ears pierced. That way, you can at least sleep on one side. Also, ensure to use a clean pillowcase.
Keep the area dry
Piercing bumps may occur if the ear is not dry enough. If you sweat too much, take a shower, soak in the rain, or experience any type of dampness around the area, ensure to pat it dry with a clean towel. Never go swimming to take baths for long right after piercing. Also, you should keep a saline solution handy for proper piercing aftercare. This will keep the area clean and disinfected.
Jewelry Styles for Auricle Piercing
Just like helix piercing, an auricle piercing has a variety of jewelry styles to select from. Also, such a piercing looks stunning amidst multiple cartilage earrings, so you can choose your favorite.
Here are a few styles you may try out. Captive bead earrings are quite popular these days. These constitute of small beads on sleek hoops. These add an extra flair to the item. Also, you can pick either black pearl bead or turquoise colored beads (or any other beads for that matter) or any standard metal beads.
You can also go for hoops for a sleek and chic outlook. We recommend you to go sleek with any seamless ring that easily matches ethnic or western appearance.
Nowadays, cartilage studs are so much in trend. These are more subtle than other designs. You can also buy multiple gemstones or charms as studs. This type of jewelry is the perfect option for a conservative appearance or a quieter style. You may go for a flat disc that offers a clean backing appearance or you may also buy jewelry flair on either side of your ear.
If you are bold enough, you can buy unique pieces of jewelry. For instance, the cartilage shield is an ideal pick for an auricle piercing. A shield wraps around the ear and poses as a bold jewelry piece. Other unique pieces of jewelry include a piece called the twisted barbell. It wraps around the ear just like a cartilage shield. You can also buy a curved barbell or circular barbell for a trendy outlook.
However, those of you who are not yet ready for the needle, you can purchase fake earrings to adorn the auricle piercing. Good quality faux hooks can make anyone feel as if you have got your auricle pierced even though you don’t have to deal with the pain. Keep in mind that when looked closely, it will be revealed though.
How much can it cost?
Video Credit: BreeAnn Marie
Usually, auricle piercing cost $30 to $50. However, the price varies from one studio to another. It depends on multiple factors like the tools used, the experience of the artist, the popularity of the studio, and the time is taken.
We recommend you not to opt for a cheap piercing studio. That way you cannot complain if the professionals use substandard tools or try their inefficient hands. Make sure to opt for an experienced piercer who can limit your pain while conducting the process.
Also, before setting out, it’s better to get the expert opinion to know whether you have a poor pain tolerance. Don’t worry. Even if you have poor pain tolerance, the piercer can use strong anaesthesia before conducting the procedure.
Here’s a word of warning
Don’t choose a piercer who prefers to use a piercing gun. You must follow this rule for any cartilage piercing. On using a piercing gun, various complications like cauliflower ear may arise from a blunt pressure applied to the ear. Also, a piercing gun forcefully inserts the jewelry through your ear which further enhances pain and complications. To avoid all these issues, simply find an experienced piercer who prefers to use a needle instead of a gun.
Variations in Auricle Piercing
The quadruple, triple or double piercing is common in auricle clusters. People love the look of several earrings accumulated in the side cartilage of an ear. Multiple piercing connects the earlobe piercing with the helix piercing, offering you the desired look. Bear in mind that while opting for several piercings, you should get them all at once. It makes the healing process way faster. Also, it’s a good idea to have the cartilage clusters in advance and ensure to get one piercing at one point in time.
Types of Equipment Used in Piercing
Usually, any and every type of piercing uses a hollow needle specific to any purpose. The needle is pushed into the cartilage to build a perforation in which the jewelry can be inserted. As we have already mentioned, don’t allow the piercer to use a gun as it can cause infection. A gun is rarely cleaned and can store bacteria for a long time.
Pay attention that the artist uses professional equipment and follows an industry-standard sterilization process. If you notice that the locality of the studio is unclean, don’t hesitate a moment to find out another studio in a sanitized area. This is even more important in the post-pandemic days as following hygiene and sanitization process is the new normal.
The procedure of piercing
Piercing is making of a perforation that gets into multiple layers of the skin to develop a space where a piece of jewelry can be inserted. That’s why the piercing may cause a certain infection in the open wound if you don’t take care of it properly. However, you must not worry to indulge into this fashionable look. If you choose an experienced and expert piercer, a safe and sanitized piercing studio, and use proper techniques and tools, piercing is a completely safe and easy process.
Other than infection, you must be aware of the allergic reaction. If you have sensitive skin, communicate your piercer about the same. They can recommend the right products and conduct a thorough and slow process that won’t affect your earlobe or the skin around it.
Why do you need a saline solution?
Saline solution can be your best friend once it comes to piercing healing. Take a few drops on a cotton ball and dab around the piercing area to disinfect it. Apart from cleaning the area, it will also prevent any potential infection that may spur from it.
Remember that a piercing takes a few months to completely heal but regularly cleaning the area with a saline solution can make the process quite smoother.
Usual infections
Infections arising from a piercing may range from itchiness, swelling, or redness that lasts for the first few days. Depending on your skin type, it may last for a long time though. However, if you experience weeping and scabbing in the pierced area, consider it as unsettling and unusual. Monitor the area regularly to keep it clean and adopt the right measure at the right hour.
When to consult a doctor
If you face anything unusual or extraordinary during the healing process, don’t take time in consulting your doctor. Also, make sure to consult a dermatologist instead of a general physician as he or she may recommend some specific ointment or medications for the infection.
Things you should consider before going to a piercer
Take a look at a few considerations that you must have before visiting a piercer.
- Experience – Do the piercer have adequate experience in his or her profession. You can even ask for a few work samples to learn if they can match your expectations. With due experience, the piercers can deliver a satisfactory service.
- Cost – Yes, we admit that cost is a crucial concern while selecting an auricle piercing studio. The more posh area you pick the cost to enhance increases too. Pay attention to this. However, we recommend you not to look for a cheap studio as you cannot complain if the professionals compromise work quality. Since auricle piercing involves the risk of multiple complications and even serious issues, you should opt for quality than cost. If required, save more bucks to visit a decent parlour than rushing into any random one.
- Tools – As we have already mentioned, the piercing needle is way better than a piercing gun. Since a piercing gun exerts more pressure at once while inserting jewelry into the cartilage, cauliflower ears or other complications may arise. So ensure that your piercer uses a piercing needle. Also, the needle must be sanitized properly and every client should be treated with a new needle. Ask your piercer to get you a new needle to avoid the risk of AIDS or other problems.
So there you go! We have covered almost everything that you must know about an auricle piercing. For any more queries, feel free to drop your question in the comment box below.
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