1. The ear consists of two types of connective tissues: cartilage and fat.
2. The earlobe is composed of fatty tissue (not cartilage). This part of the ear is easy to pierce with a piercing gun.
3. When piercing the earlobe, it is important that both jewellery and piercing gun are sterile. The initial jewellery should be worn for a period of 4 to 6 weeks without removing. Make sure the earring is never too tight, there should always be a bit of room between your ear and the jewellery in order for you to move it easily and take it out. Additionally, it is important you always wash your hands when cleaning your earlobe. Cleaning the earlobe is best done with a salt solution. This will promote the pierced skin to heal faster.
4. A Tragus piercing is pierced in a part of the ear that consists of cartilage. This piercing won’t cause much discomfort while sleeping and often heals faster than any other cartilage piercing.
5. With a Tragus piercing you will have to wear a longer stud during the first 6 weeks in case any swelling occurs. Please make sure you replace it by a shorter stud after the initial 6 weeks for hygienic reasons. This will also make it easier to listen to music through headphones.
6. It is strongly recommended to regularly clean your earbuds during the healing proces of a Tragus piercing.
7. Some people decide to have two Tragus piercings done at the same time. This can look really nice but it is always a good idea to ask your piercer if this is possible depending on the shape of your ear.
8. Another very populair piercing is the Anti helix. You can choose to have 1, 2 or 3 piercings done. It’s a fun piercing and the healing process tends to go very smoothly since the piercing isn’t very obstructing. Please note that you will have to wear a longer stud (but not too long) during healing. If you have it done by a professional piercer he will make sure to give you the right size. After all, every ear is different and although this is a very attractive piercing, it is important to know that it is not possible for everyone to have 3 of these done. In that case, you will have to settle for 1 or 2 because not everyone will have enough room in his/her ear for a third one.
9. OPTIONAL Triple piercing
10. The helix piercing is another populair piercing. This piericng used to be done with a piercing gun in the past but by now, this is unacceptable as it created a lot of complications. Why? You might ask. The answers can be found at numbers 11, 12 and 13.
11. When a piercing is pierced through cartilage by using a piercing gun, you are basically forcing a blunt needle through the cartilage, thereby ripping the tissue which creates a hole. The procedure using a piercing gun goes too fast and tears open your cartilage. Previously used earrings were often too thick and as a result, this would lead to pain and infections and because the tissue had been damaged, the healing process would take much longer than necessary.
12. Another important reason is that not enough attention has been paid to hygiene in the past. Piercing guns were forgotten to be cleaned. This is unacceptable. When you get your ears pierced now, the needle is thinner than the ones used by the piercing gun and will go through the ear much slower. This way you will experience less pain and the healing process will be much shorter.
13. There are many different types of jewellery for Helix piercings. The only downside is that you’ll have to wait to wear them until your piercing is completely healed. When you change your jewellery for the first time, we advice you to have this done at a professional studio. It is difficult to see if the piercing is completely healed and an experienced piercer will be the best judge.
14. When you change jewellery for the first time don’t choose jewellery that is too heavy but opt for a lighter stud or ring (this applies to any kind of piercing). It is recommended to wear a piece of jewellery of the same weight for a while after healing. A beautiful Helix piercing with multiple stones or a pendant can best be worn after 8 to 9 months.
15. Caution is required whilst sleeping with a Helix piercing. If possible, it is best not to have the ear pierced on which you sleep. During the first week it will help to put a plaster on the piercing and be careful with clothing as items may get stuck to the piercing. if you do get stuck, make sure you clean your piercing with a salt solution a couple of times per day.
16. The industrial piercing has seen a rise in popularity. The disadvantage of this piercing is that it will take some time to heal and may sometimes be a difficult process. It is recommended to have this done wearing a bioplast stud at first. Bioplast is flexible and moves along with the skin, allowing the piercing to heal much faster than when, for example, you would wear a metal stud. Moreover, bioplast jewellery also comes in silver, which looks like real metal. However, it is still important that you pay attention and make sure that it does not get caught on your clothes and that you wait at least six months before changing your jewellery.
17. An Outer Conch piercing is a piercing that doesn't heal very easily even though the jewellery isn’t placed as far outside the ear as, for example, an Industrial piercing, resulting in the piercing being a little less obstructing. This part of the ear will be very hard in a lot of cases and can cause this piercing to be a bit more painful. Some people experience a lot of difficulty removing this piercing so we advise you to have this done at a studio by a professional.
18. The same thing applies to the Daith; This part of the ear can be very hard and painful to have pierced. This piercing, however, is placed far inside the ear, making it less likely for you to get stuck and you will experience less problems during sleep. It is virtually impossible to change the piercing by yourself but if you do decide to try, make sure the little ball does not get lost or disappear into your ear.
19. The Rook piercing is placed in almost the same spot as the Daith only slightly higher. We recommend you follow the same advice as given for the Daith piercing.
20. An Orbital piercing is a ring placed vertically through your ear (see picture). It looks super nice and unique. Our advice is to wear two separate studs first. When both piercings are properly healed they can be replaced by a ring. This way, you will allow the piercings to heal faster and you will experience less pain when you have your ear pierced.
21. The Snug piercing goes through the hardened part of the outside of your ear. Therefore, it is an easy piercing job for your piercer but may be a bit painful. Be careful with sleeping; it is absolutely recommended to cover the piercing with a plaster during the first few nights.
22. The Inner Conch is placed in the middle of the ear. This will not be possible when this part of the ear is too thick and if there is not enough space at the back of the ear, which can be the case with some people. A professional piercer will be able to tell you whether it is possible or not. The great thing about this piercing is that the piercing is located on the inside of the ear and will heal faster as it won’t be very likely you get stuck on any clothing items or experience any problems sleeping.
23. An Anti tragus piercing is not frequently done because this part of the ear is often too thick to be pierced. That said, it is still a very nice piercing. If possible, go to a studio to change the jewellery. If you do it yourself there is a change the little ball will disappear into your ear.
24. Recently, a new way of piercing the upper outer edge of the ear is being practiced. This piercing does not go through the cartilage but goes in the skin.The healing process is considerably shorter and it is easy to have 4 or even 6 done. There is, however, a small chance that the piercing will grow out but if you have it done by a professional the chances of this happening are very low.
25. The average healing time for ear piercings is 4 to 9 months but in all cases it is recommended to be patient!
If you want to get a new piercing, it is now possible to schedule your appointment with us! Get pierced when it suits you! You can pay right away, so you don't have to think about it during your appointment.
Aphraheals - Piercing Aftercare
