Cartilage piercings are so hot right now - fact. Ever since Blondie brought ear piercings and punk back on the scene in the 80s, we've been misguidedly jabbing at our ears with safety-pins and apple cores and obsessing over the perfect ear constellation.
But, now that we're older, wiser and obviously way more sensible, we've got some questions about the right way to get a cartilage piercing that we'd like answered. So, we went directly to A-list ear piercer Brian Keith Thompson from Body Electric Tattoo to get expert advice, straight from the guy who pierced Beyoncé.
'Next, look at their portfolio or ask for their Instagram. Check their stuff out and see if you like it. If they don't have pictures of their work, they're probably not showing it for a reason.
Your Guide To Cartilage Ear Piercings: 10 Types To Know
'And do your research. People spend more time searching for the best place to get a taco than they do finding a decent studio to get a piercing. You're spending money on this, so make it good. Chances are, if it's really cheap, the place is no good and you'll just have to spend money on getting it done again.'
'Cartilage should always be pierced with a needle. A piercing gun isn't designed for cartilage, only soft tissue and even then I wouldn't recommend it. Piercing cartilage with a gun can create hardcore hypertrophic scarring and even blow it up.
'People have this stigma about needles but they're actually way less painful because they're designed to pierce skin, whereas a gun just delivers blunt force to push an earring through.'
Ear Piercing Types
'That's totally up to you, but at the moment I'm really into daith piercings. The rook is also a favourite and it's not too difficult to heal.
'If you're going for a conch piercing, start with a stud (hoops can put pressure on the hole when it's new and be super irritating) and make sure the post on the earring isn't too long at the back. Some piercers leave studs so long they're like an antenna which catch on everything. The ideal is to ask for a 1/4 inch long stud.
'I'm all about multiple piercings as well. If you've got the time and commitment, two piercings in the upper lobe look great with a mix of studs and hoops.'
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'I only carry gold in different colours, platinum and titanium. Titanium and gold are hypoallergenic so perfect for piercing with. Gold's actually so antibacterial that if you put it in a petri dish with bacteria, the bacteria migrates away from it. So if you've got sensitive skin, gold is ideal.
'Most of the time if an ear piercing is flaring up, 9 out of 10 times it's not an infection (they're actually really rare) it's an allergic reaction to the nickel in the jewry.'
'My advice is not to focus on the pain because it's so short-lived (piercings don't take long at all) and it's mostly mental. It's your brain trying to take care of your body but everyone can manage it.
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'Even I get butterflies before having a new piercing but it's normal to be nervous, just try and enjoy the adrenaline rush. It's a break outside of the norm which is exciting!'
'Everyone reacts to piercings differently so don't be surprised if your friend's new piercing looks less red than yours, or their's swells and yours doesn't. It's a hole in your ear so it will be irritating, you just have to be good to it.
'Clean it with soap and water twice a day. Absolutely NO alcohol or peroxide-based products. You've just put a hole in your ear, adding harsh chemicals to something your body is trying to heal is only going to make it worse!
Everything You Need To Know About Cartilage Piercings
'Even if it looks good, it's still healing. Cartilage heals from the outside in, making a tunnel all the way through your ear which takes time.
'Don't take your earring out until the piercing has healed and even then swap in another earring or it's like to heal up again pretty quickly.
'Longevity is everything. The longer you have a piercing, the longer you can leave it without wearing an earring. So a five-month-old piercing I wouldn't leave longer than a few hours, whereas a five-year-old one can be left for five weeks if you wanted.'
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10 Homemade Face Mask Recipes To Try ASAP Just A Super Useful Guide To Treating Sunburn Just A Super Useful Guide To Tweakments Just A Super Useful Guide To Polyglutamic AcidCartilage piercings are a versatile piercing, and are most people’s first forays into piercing! Besides lobes, cartilage piercings of various types are our most common appointment, and we can see why.
A lot of people will walk into Rogue and ask for a cartilage piercing. This is not super helpful because the whole ear is made of cartilage! There are many placements that are available to be pierced, and we will be discussing them today.
Cartilage piercings come in all different places. From the traditional helix piercing, to conches, to faux rooks and flat piercings, there is a lot you can do with cartilage!
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Here are a few options of simple cartilage locations. Most cartilage piercings (even the ones with silly names like snonch!) will boil down to these shown above.
After booking your appointment, the first thing to do is fill in your consent form on the morning of your appointment. This frees up time in your slot for extra time choosing jewellery! We stock a huge range of jewellery for cartilage piercings. Choosing your jewellery can be a bit of a long process as we stock over 500 different options. We think it’s totally worth it though as everyone’s personal style and taste is catered for!
For cartilage piercings, we strongly advise you to start with a flat-back labret as opposed to a ring. Labrets are comfortable, do not move about during the day and are generally less irritating for your piercing. Initial rings have to be large in order to avoid issues with swelling, and the large diameter introduces its own issues in regards to movement, snagging and the rotation of bacteria into your piercing. Labrets are a much better choice! You can swap to a ring after roughly 6-8 months.
How Long Does It Take For Piercings To Close?
Once you have picked your jewellery and received your aftercare speech, it’s time to head to the piercing room! As with all our piercings, we first sit you down and discuss placement. Your anatomy and personal preferences will dictate the piercing’s final location, but there is a lot of wiggle room with this so we like to ask what you want from the piercing! Then, we draw some precise marks on the ear where you would like the piercing to go. Once we double and triple-check the position with you, we are happy to pierce! From there, you lie down for the piercing. We find that a comfortable reclined position helps to stop you from moving about, and prevents that funny lightheadedness that can sometimes occur after you get pierced. Win-win!
The piercing itself takes literally seconds from beginning to end. We pierce with a super-sharp, high-quality tri bevel needle that makes the process a smooth and pain-minimised experience. Then it’s another quick moment and the jewellery is installed for you. The piercing itself is not overly uncomfortable. It feels like a quick pinch, then you may feel some spreading warmth as your ear has already begun the healing process! You can read all about the stages of healing in my blog post here. Then ta-dah, you have a new piercing!
There are lots of articles on the internet that say that healing cartilage piercings is so hard, so difficult, and really quite fraught with danger. The simple fact is that when you follow the basic rules of aftercare, it is a straightforward process! Healing a cartilage piercing takes anywhere from 6-12 months, depending on the location and how well your body deals with a new piercing. The general rules of healing are to keep it clean, dry and secure. The less you do, the better really!
How Long Does It Take To Wait Between Cartilage Piercings?
Cartilage piercings are a little more sensitive than lobe piercings when it comes to snags, knocks and pressure. Cartilage has little direct blood-flow, so any irritation naturally takes longer to dissipate. The main issue with cartilage piercings and irritation is that people want to feel like they are ‘doing something’ to help themselves heal. This has led to quite a lot of internet cure-alls being touted as ‘magic cures!’ In fact, the best thing you can do is be gentle and let your body do what it
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