Piercing

I'm going home this weekend - and me and my cousin are going to get the cartlidge pierced in our ears - now, I've heard that it hurts like heck for MONTHS with some people, and others say that they had no problems at all.

Does anyone here have the cartlidge pierced? (the top part of your ear )

I already have mine triple pierced on the bottom, but I've wanted this done forever!

Any advice would be awesome!

I had my upper ear pierced when I was 16, I didn't find it hurt that bad at all (not as fleshy I guess )

The key is to make sure you clean it everyday with rubbing alcohol to prevent infection.

I've been very lucky with mine and it has never (knock on wood) been infected.

I've had mine done twice and didn't find it painful at all!

I would personally recommend cleaning it with warm salt water twice a day!

Yup, both ears, did them myself (not not with a needle an actual sterile body piercing kit), I apparently dig pain

Only problems I have ever had with them revolve entirely around studs, bad idea.
As long as there are rings in there, no problems whatsoever.

There was only a slight bit more pain intitially than with my 'normal' ear piercings, but overall, nothing really different.

The only advice I can give you, besides the cleaning thing- get it doen with a hollow needle, NOT WITH A PIERCING GUN. I got mine done with a gun and one got infected and closed and the other still hurts, 3 years later. This is true of everyone I know who had theirs done with a gun. the hollow needle is much better- less painful, less likely to get infected- though it might be more expensive. Think of it as an investment.

Good point Beccory!

Plus, with the gun, it breaks through the cartilage as opposed to steadily piercing it - so can cause cauliflower ear later in life!

I had mine pierced too. It didn't hurt at all when it was done. Afterwards it was horrible. It did take months for me to be able to lay on that side and heaven forbit I accidentally roll over at night.

What happened with mine and my friends is it felt like there was a ball protusion in the back. Because of this my friends never healed quite right and finally had to take the earring out. This is kind of gross but I was messing around with my ear trying to figure this out even though it hurt and I squeezed a little and a ball of hard gunk came out. Yah no more pain after that! So now I have a very healthy piercing and my friend abandoned hers. I've had this earring out as much as 6-8 months at a time and it does not grow back, unlike what I've been told. So its pretty permanant even though its cartiledge..

Edit: I got mine done with a gun, might have caused what I described?

And on that note, I'm betting a normal ear piercing place will only have guns, go to a tattoo shop.
This is considered a body piercing, and the piercing pros at a tat shop are the people you want doing it.

Originally Posted by SolarityBengals

I had mine pierced too. It didn't hurt at all when it was done. Afterwards it was horrible. It did take months for me to be able to lay on that side and heaven forbit I accidentally roll over at night.

What happened with mine and my friends is it felt like there was a ball protusion in the back. Because of this my friends never healed quite right and finally had to take the earring out. This is kind of gross but I was messing around with my ear trying to figure this out even though it hurt and I squeezed a little and a ball of hard gunk came out. Yah no more pain after that! So now I have a very healthy piercing and my friend abandoned hers. I've had this earring out as much as 6-8 months at a time and it does not grow back, unlike what I've been told. So its pretty permanant even though its cartiledge..

Edit: I got mine done with a gun, might have caused what I described?

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The EXACT same thing happened with the one of mine that I kept. It was like a hard pimple right by the piercing. I'm positive it was because they used the piercing gun. See, the difference, for anyone who doesn't know- the gun pierces your ear with the earring itself, a sharpened post, so it tears through the skin and cartilege. The hollow needle removes a neat cylinder of your ear, allowing for better healing and less chance of infection. I had my nose done with a needle and had NO pain at all and no infection or anything.

EDIT: my nose was pierced at a tattoo shop. The guy there was great and helpful and made it a fantastic experience, unlike piercing booth people who in my experience have been a bit snooty and always in a rush to get you to leave.

The piercing didn't hurt, but sleeping on that side of my head was very uncomfortable for a while.

Thank you everyone for your advice and help!

My cousin got hers done with a gun, and she hasn't had any problems - which I thought was weird?

I got mine done 22 years ago when nobody was even thinking about it atleast in my city. It was done with the ear piercing gun and it hurt my friend more than me because I was holding her hand. Never had any problems.

Yes, go to a piercing shop and have it done with a needle...no gun! Piercing guns can actually shatter cartiledge, and aren't even safe for fleshy areas like earlobes!

I wouldn't recommend that you try sleeping on that side of your head...it puts too much stress on the piercing. Make sure you mix 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized salt with very warm water...dip a clean paper towel in it, and compress it for 10 minutes, twice a day. Make sure when you shower that you rinse the piercing out...no soaps, conditioner, shampoo in there. And contrary to popular belief...don't rotate your jewelry!!!! This prolongs healing. Don't touch it with unwashed hands...the less you touch, the faster it heals!

It won't hurt but a second while being done...just a sharp pinch, and it may throb off and on for a few weeks.

Honey, there isn't a part of my body that hasn't been pierced at one time or another...ears, tongue, cartiledge, nose, navel, various facial stuff, unmentionables, you name it!

Good luck, and have fun with it!

I had one it was done with a gun It did'nt hurt at all when it was done- but it never healed it was always sore to the touch. One day I was doing my hair, and noticed a stream of blood flowing down my neck!!!! I was like OMG!!!!!!!!!! I though I was bleeding from inside my ear-but it was from the earring!!!!!!!! I took that sucker out and never ever put it back. It was sooooo wierd! It was'nt even hurting, just bleeding So yeah, def go with a needle if you plan on getting it done!

I had mine done about 8 years ago with a gun. Except for the pain when trying to sleep on that side and the feeling that warmth was radiating out of the left side of my head, I had no problems.

Here's another question: we had a big debate before I went to get mine done on which side it is supposed to be pierced on. In my group, left is right was the prevailing answer. What side are the rest of you pierced on?

I've always heard left (Mine is left). Right implies other thing .

Originally Posted by AnnasMom

I had mine done about 8 years ago with a gun. Except for the pain when trying to sleep on that side and the feeling that warmth was radiating out of the left side of my head, I had no problems.

Here's another question: we had a big debate before I went to get mine done on which side it is supposed to be pierced on. In my group, left is right was the prevailing answer. What side are the rest of you pierced on?

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Back in the 70's and 80's this was a big deal, not so much anymore, especially since straight or gay, guys are now getting both done, sometimes more than once.

The answer though is left is cool, right is wrong.

Mine hurt quite a bit (like a dull ache) and took ages to heal compared to say my bellybuttont hat healed in a week or my nipple that healed in three days!!

I've always been told - left is right, right is wrong