Fashion

Cartilage Piercings: A Complete Guide for First-Timers

Do you find yourself browsing through Instagram and Pinterest for piercing ideas? If yes, you will realize that cartilage piercings are uber cool. Cartilage piercings are done on the hard, non-bendy tissue above your earlobe.

They help provide a massive boost to your personality and style statement. Celebrities and common folks alike are flaunting their cartilage earrings on social media. But before you go ahead and get a cartilage piercing, you should know more about them:

Types of Cartilage Piercings

You can divide cartilage piercings into different categories depending on where you get them. Some popular types of cartilage piercings are as follows:

  1. Helix Piercing

A helix piercing is done in the outer edge of the ear or the upper ear cartilage. Helix piercings are immensely popular because of their stylish and classy appearance. Several people flaunt multiple helix piercings in their ears. Studs and hoops are popular types of helix earrings. 

  1. Forward Helix Piercing

People who love cartilage piercing earrings also get a forward helix done. The beauty of a forward helix lies in lining it up correctly with the ear. These piercings usually appear above the tragus or in the cartilage, visible right in front of the ear canal. 

  1. Tragus Piercing

A tragus piercing is done on the flap of cartilage found on the side of your face covering the ear canal. The tragus piercing is highly complex, and you should go to an experienced piercer for that. The difficulty of the tragus piercing comes from getting the correct angle and depth using the needle. 

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But it is one of the most versatile cartilage piercing earrings for fans of bold fashion. Any piercing on the outer edge of the tragus is called anti-tragus. 

  1. Conch Piercing

If you want a piercing that will be the center of attraction, go for conch earrings without any hesitation. A conch piercing is found in the inner part of your ear. It appears right below the helix and is present on the thickest part of your ear cartilage. Conch piercings can be further categorized into inner and outer conches. 

The inner conch piercing is done in the middle, close to the ear canal entrance. Usually, a stud is the best choice for conch piercings. An inner conch piercing takes a long time to heal due to its location. 

The outer conch piercing is more popular than the inner conch. This kind of piercing is done on the outer side of the ear cartilage. You can get this type of cartilage piercing in the upper as well as the lower conch. 

If you get an outer conch piercing, you will be able to experiment with different types of earrings. For instance, you can wear hoops in your outer conch piercing. Moreover, outer conch piercings also heal faster than inner conches. 

Healing Period for Cartilage Piercings

Before you get ear cartilage piercings, you should know how much time they need for healing. Cartilage piercings take a longer period to heal than lobe piercings. 

Usually, it will take around 8 to 12 months for cartilage piercing to heal completely. However, the exact time for a cartilage piercing to heal largely depends on its location. 

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Your ear cartilage does not get a high amount of blood supply. Therefore, your body finds it difficult to keep infections at bay and promote the healing of cartilage piercing. However, you can speed up the healing process with the following tips:

  • Wash the piercing area twice a day using alcohol-free wipes or a saline solution.
  • Always keep your hands while touching the piercing area.
  • Avoid sleeping on the side of your piercing.
  • Always sleep on a cleaning surface to prevent exposing the piercing to germs. 
  • Don’t try to remove the cartilage earring until the piercing has healed completely. 
  • Style, wash, and dry your hair with care so that you don’t end up moving the piercing.
  • If you are visiting a salon to get your hair styled, inform the barber about your cartilage piercing. 

How to Clean Cartilage Piercings

A key step to avoid cartilage piercing infection is keeping the area clean. But are you wondering how to clean cartilage piercings? Here are some valuable tips for you:

  • Wash your hands before beginning the cleaning process.
  • Use a sterile saline solution or any fragrance-free antimicrobial soap to wash the area. You should avoid salt solutions made at home. Instead, look for commercial saline solutions that are specifically manufactured for wound cleaning. Wash the piercing area at least two times each day.
  • Once you wash the area, carefully rinse soap around the cartilage piercing.
  • Use a clean towel to dry the area. Avoid using any cloth to dry the area because it might get caught on the earring. 

How Soon Can You Change Your Cartilage Earring?

If you want your cartilage piercing to heal faster, you should avoid moving it. Therefore, it’s recommended not to change your cartilage earring until the piercing hasn’t healed completely. 

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Usually, you should change your cartilage earring after three to six months of getting the piercing. It provides the piercing with enough time to heal, and the risk of infection gets minimized. 

You might be able to change your earring early if the piercing has healed fast. But it’s always better to visit your piercer to get the cartilage earring changed for the first time. 

Ending Note

If you get cartilage piercings, you will be able to experiment with hoops, studs, and other types of earrings. From elegant diamonds to gorgeous rubies, cartilage earrings come set with a wide variety of gemstones. Moreover, they are available in a wide variety of metals, including gold and silver. Get your cartilage piercing done today and flaunt around chic cartilage earrings to steal the show wherever you go. 

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