How to Get Ready For A Cartilage Piercing!

Okay, so there are some things that you might want to take care of before getting a new cartilage piercing. Here's a fairly simplified list of everything that should be taken into consideration.

• PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure that you get pierced with a hollow needle if they're available near you. Claire's and Piercing Pagoda use a gun, which shatters your ear cartilage because it pushes the cartilage from your piercing into your ear! Gross, right? Also, being pierced with a hollow needle allows for shorter healing time! :)
• In order to get pierced with a hollow needle, you will need to go to a professional piercing parlor. I went to a store that did tattoos and piercings. It might seem intimidating, but everyone at my parlor was extremely nice!
• Also, make sure to get either surgical steel, titanium, or gold jewelry put into your new piercing. Make sure that it is sterilized properly beforehand as well. Anything other than this will lead to either an allergic reaction or an infection.

• Figure out which side you want your piercing on before you go to get it pierced. It may seem pretty menial and easy to do this, but take into consideration:
• You won't be able to sleep on that side of your head for about 6-8 months
• Your hair on that side CANNOT touch the piercing for a few weeks
• It will be remarkably tender and sore, so you pretty much have to nurse it and be very mindful of touching/bumping it
• You pretty much cannot touch that ear at all for a while because it will be sore.
• Therefore... take some serious thought about this before piercing!!

• Hoop or Stud?! This question seemed like a given to me. I'll get a stud, because...they're practical. Right? Well, there are pros and cons for each.
• Captive Bead Ring (Hoop) PROS - my piercer said that it will heal faster, it allows more room for the ear to swell. CONS - honestly, from experience, it gets caught on my hair a lot and gets bumped around.
• Stud PROS - it's cute and stylish, probably looks better than a captive bead ring. CONS - it costs extra and doesn't allow as much room for the ear to swell, which can lead to problems in the healing process.
• After weighing my decision, I came to the conclusion that I would get the captive bead ring. Mostly because it would help the healing process incredibly. On the plus side, I think it looks kind of cool!! C:

• Are you willing to put up with it for months on end?
• I am not going to lie, it is a BIG commitment to get any piercing on your cartilage. The helix being one of the most tender. It gets bumped and touched way more than you can imagine. It will swell. It will be red and hot. It will crust. It will throb. It will be painful. But most of all, it will be worth it. I promise you, I love this piercing so much and all of those factors are worth it in the end.

And once you have completed these 4 steps, you are ready to go get pierced!!