So, this is a bit of an unusual post, but I thought I'd tell you all about my new cartilage piercing. It is a life update I guess, and something I'd like to talk more about, as a lot of information on the internet I read beforehand was not particularly accurate. I know this is quite a common piercing to get and a lot of people are quite nervous about the pain and experience, etc, so hopefully this'll help :)
Preparation: Okay, so if you want any sort of piercing, you should give it a
lot of thought beforehand. This is
not the piecing to go and get spontaneously with your friends one day whilst you're out - you need to really decide if you are committed to it. I'd recommend buying a fake nose/ear ring - websites such as Asos do these for around £5, allowing you to decide whether it's something you'd like permanently.
The procedure itself: I had decided previously I was going to get it done on a day whilst shopping with my friend, so that I wouldn't think about the pain for the rest of the afternoon and also had some moral support, without being pressurised into doing it. I went straight into the piercers and requested my cartilage to be done, indicating where exactly on my ear by marking it with a pen. Just a heads up:
you will need some form of official ID - this varies in different places, but I find a passport is a good one to bring.
I was incredibly nervous; my pain tolerance is super low, but I'd wanted this piercing for a good couple of years on and off (I kept wimping out because of the idea of the pain), and the guy that pierced me was lovely, putting me at ease and talking to me throughout the process.
He cleaned the ear, marked it up again to check and then started to push the needle in. I would say the majority of the procedure was not bad painwise; more a burning, unpleasant sensation than sheer pain. The last part, however, was
so bad; I don't know whether this is my bad pain tolerance, I was expecting it to be bad or just as it is a sensitive part of the ear. Regardless, it was over really quickly, literally about 5 minutes max start to finish,
Beforehand, I had read that the pain was between a 2-4 on a pain scale of 10 (with 10 being excruciating pain) - this was completely wrong in my experience, but I think it is different for everyone. Don't let the pain put you off though.
Immediately After: understandably, my ear was not too keen about having a random metal object shoved through it with a needle and was protesting
a lot; the whole of my ear burnt up for about 2 hours afterwards, and the pain was awful. However, by the time I'd got the train home and squirted the saline solution on, it had massively settled down to a gentle throb.
Aftercare Advice: the main reasons piercings get rejected is due to bumping them, sleeping on them and infections. These are all really unlikely to happen (do not let the internet pages terrify you stiff, as they did with me), as long as you are
incredibly careful.
The saline solution I am using I bought from the piercers straight after the piercing was done, so I could go home and I knew I could just spray it directly on in the evening. You can make your own salt solution, but I think personally, this solution is
incredible. My piercing was done on Monday (5 days ago), and so far, I've barely had much trouble with it. I couldn't rave about the solution enough!
Good precautions to take: it seems a bit drastic, but I've changed a lot since I've had this piercing done, and so far, it is healing well (although general healing time is at least 3-6 months).
- Sleep with your hair up, on the opposite side of the piercing.
- If you wear glasses and have horrific eyesight (such as myself), put your glasses on very slowly in front of a mirror - I find lifting them up, along then down a good technique. Be careful nudging them up your nose as well if they slip down - you could knock the piercing.
- Sleep on the other - do not sleep on it. You shouldn't feel a need to sleep on, due to the intermittent pain and throbbing ear, but it's not the best idea! I toss and turn a lot, and have found a good trick to be putting a pillow or small cushion underneath my ribs on the other side, so you are not only propped up, but not as tempted to roll over.
- Douse your ear in saline solution/wash it twice a day - many people become super lazy with the cleaning routine early on and consequentially get issues with their ear. Not only does it deal with the pain well, but obviously helps your ear heal.
- When you wash your hear, rest it on the opposite side of your piercing and massage gently, so as little shampoo goes onto the piercing as possible. If it does, just wash it off and put saline on it afterwards.
- Do NOT touch it - sounds obvious, but it can be easy to subconsciously go to scratch your ear when it's itchy and healing. You'll regret it and possibly get germs in the ear itself - not good.
- Be careful putting on tops - avoid any hoodies, rollnecks or anything tight around your neck for a while.
At the moment, it is early days - I've only had my piercing for less than a week, so I can't say much about the healing process. All I do know is that it is common for it to be red, sore, itchy and swell. Just bare in mind it'll all be worth it in the end and I adore my piercing so much!! Between 9-7 at the moment, mine does not hurt at all and then just throbs and goes a bit red in the evening:)
Lots of people were shocked it cost £30 - personally, I'd rather go somewhere expensive, hygienic and friendly than a little shop without the right jewrelly and equipment, etc - this is such a good place to go.
Saline Solution I use -
Amazon.
Katy x
