Curated ear piercing?

[Begonia]

So, I’m completely new to this concept. Mind you, I’m a middle age gal who isn’t a fashionista so it wasn’t on my radar. Well I can say I really like some of the designs I’m seeing! So much so that I went to a salon today and checked them out, and have an apt for Monday to get my first 3 cartilage piercings. I have 3 typical lobe piercing currently in one ear and 2 in the other. I’m not going to go crazy and am planning perhaps 4 to 6 additional piercings per ear. Wish this had been around 30 years ago! Any curated designs out there?

 

[icy_jade]

It’s quite painful compared to lobe piercing. I had two and let them close up years ago.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I've had many, rook, tragus (double in each side), upper and middle cartilage. In my experience I always got SUPER swollen and they took a LONG time to heal (all done with a needle in a proper piercing shop) BUT once they've healed they've never "closed".

 

[Begonia]

Good to know! Little concerned now...I’m 53 but in good general health. Hmmm...
How long to heal??

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I had to look this up because I had no idea what it was. Interesting idea, my ears aren't pierced at all but I can see the appeal of this.

 

[Arcadian]

I had my ear done when I was quite young. Its never closed, I might wear something in there once a year now? I have a total of 5 holes, 2 which are now semi closed. If I had to do it over I probably wouldn't have done the additional 3. My first holes were done very at 12 on the front porch....

 

[foxinsox]

@Begonia which piercings are you getting? I’ve got a conch in each ear, tragus in one, and used to have a rook in each ear but lost them after taking them out for surgery and I couldn’t get them back in before the skin closed up.
The tragus healed quickly, the rooks and conches took a long time and basically healed to about 60% and still quite flipping tender until I got fed up with them being sore all the time and got a bit brutal with them which seemed to make my body remember they were there and continue healing them properly.
I hope you’re getting them pierced with a needle not a gun. Cartilage is more painful than a lobe piercing and a needle makes it less painful and a cleaner piercing.

 

[Elizabeth35]

I had the cartilage (helix) done on one ear and as others have said, it is quite painful.
I seem to remember it being very tender for at least 2 months (perhaps longer).
As in, it woke me up if I bumped it or laid on it wrong. And getting my hair washed at hairdresser was very painful if she bumped it.
The piercing itself was not really painful. But I would not recommend doing both sides at once as you need to not sleep on the newly pierced cartilage for at least a month.

 

[lyra]

Yes, I have one, which I call my party ear. I did give up on the flat piercing, but I still have my tragus and daith and lobe piercings. I forget about it until someone needs to see my ear (doctor, hair stylist) and they make an exclamation. Oh yeah, that. My hair covers my ears. It's just for me.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Good to know! Little concerned now...I’m 53 but in good general health. Hmmm...
How long to heal??

Fastest one was 2 months (the rook I think because it didn't really get bumped or bothered) others took 3 months to a year!

 

[Begonia]

I can't seem to find the name of the exact spot? Maybe called the rook although more toward the outer ear but definitely not the outer ear. 3 piercings there.
After that, when this heals (as long as it does effectively?), in the hollow above the lower lobe?

 

[lyra]

The one I instantly regretted was the rook piercing. Both my daughter and I got it, and it was a real PITA. I was quite disappointed also, that you couldn't see it on yourself at all. I got rid of mine quickly because of the pain and the aesthetic on me. My daughter lasted a bit longer with hers but had the same issues. She'd like a conch piercing. I'm done with it all at this point. We do have really nice gold/diamond pieces from Neometal, Ananometal and BVLA.

 

[Begonia]

After that, both tragus. If all goes well?

 

[MarionC]

I only have one cartilage piercing, but it was not bad. It took a really long time to heal, but I’m glad I did it.

 

[Nikki1415]

I had my cartilage piercing done professionally at a tattoo shop 5 years ago. It wasn't painful for me to get done (only when he put in the captive bead ring) and it stopped hurting after a few days. You need to make sure that it's done professionally with a needle and to use a captive bead ring (or hoop) because the piercing swells and a stud doesn't provide enough room.
This is also speaking from experience because a decade ago, I did everything you shouldn't have done. I had my second lobe piercings done in a jewelry store with a gun and using the gun studs. I suffered almost a year because they wouldn't heal due to the studs & the holes themselves weren't straight from the gun so healing was going at a snails pace.
I plan on getting another cartilage piercing (or a few) done soon. Just make sure to go to a professional and do your research and you will be fine.

 

[Dandi]

I have 3 holes in each lobe, one in the top of the outer cartilage in my left ear, and a rook on the right. The top cartilage piercing was way more painful and took heaps longer to heal than my rook. When I was pregnant with my second I had to remove the rook ring because it got really painful for some reason, swelling perhaps? 2.5 years later I really missed it and decided to get it re-pierced. The lady I went to told me it was still open, to my surprise, so she just popped a new earring in, but a bar this time, which I much prefer to the round ring.

 

[Begonia]

Love the feedback!!!
Yes, going to a professional shop who uses needles and has a rigorous sterilization program. They will only do to 3 piercings at one sitting and only on one side, then I have to wait for several months before they'll piece anything again. I'm impatient about that, but it makes a lot of cautionary sense. The part I'm getting triple pierced is the flat.
Where the 3 dots are above.

 

[Begonia]

The dot inside the ear is possibly down the road.
I just threw in a few studs so you can see my existing piercings.

 

[Begonia]

You all have inspiring piercings btw!

 

[Begonia]

Got it done. Hurt like the Dickens!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

FX for easy healing! It looks BOMB!

 

[Begonia]

Thanks girl!

 

[Dandi]

I love it! Looks amazing! I'd love to get something like you have but I have too much cartilage fold on the top of my ear. Can't wait to see what you get next!

 

[Begonia]

I'm glad you think it looks good

Jeez louise did it hurt. The 1st one was a 7, and each piercing was more painful. I guess this is common and I have a low threshold for pain.
Last night to take my mind off the tolerable throb, I checked out the BVLA website. Sigh. So many beautiful earrings.

First night went ok, but its swelling now and looks like a bruise is underway. All normal I'm told. I'm syringing with saline and then soaking with distilled water. I'm going to get some sea salt and do 3 minute soaks once a day at mid day and then the syringe twice. I'm very motivated to avoid infection and heal these babies.

The piercer won't do any more piercings until these are healed (or very close to it), so probably from 3 to 6 months, if all goes very well? Likely longer I'm telling myself.

Btwn the piercings, backings and earrings, it was rather expensive, but I felt their work was very professional, and i was well taken care of.

So far, so good?

 

[Begonia]

I love it! Looks amazing! I'd love to get something like you have but I have too much cartilage fold on the top of my ear. Can't wait to see what you get next!

Dandi, that's the beauty of a good piercer. I went in with something completely different in mind and she suggested this. Her fresh eyes and experience pulled out what was best about my ear and the existing piercings (the 3 lobe holes). I also talked about what I don't like about my ear and how to not emphasize that. I'll bet you have some perfect piercing sites that would make for an elegant placement!

 

[MarionC]

Looks terrific!!

Had to do a double take as we are ear twins...down to the shape of the helix. Now I know what my ears would look like if I were braver. : )

 

[Nikki1415]

Got it done. Hurt like the Dickens!

I love it! This tempts me, I might do something like this on my left ear.

 

[Begonia]

So tempting right??
I can hardly wait to work on the other ear and this one too (tragus piercings next).
Ear twins? How neat
Might have to see those gals!

If it's any consolation, it's day 3 and the pain is nonexistent unless I bump them.

 

[jaysonsmom]

I had my cartilage piercing done professionally at a tattoo shop 5 years ago. It wasn't painful for me to get done (only when he put in the captive bead ring) and it stopped hurting after a few days. You need to make sure that it's done professionally with a needle and to use a captive bead ring (or hoop) because the piercing swells and a stud doesn't provide enough room.
This is also speaking from experience because a decade ago, I did everything you shouldn't have done. I had my second lobe piercings done in a jewelry store with a gun and using the gun studs. I suffered almost a year because they wouldn't heal due to the studs & the holes themselves weren't straight from the gun so healing was going at a snails pace.
I plan on getting another cartilage piercing (or a few) done soon. Just make sure to go to a professional and do your research and you will be fine.

This whole thread has revived my love of multiple piercings. So much so that I took my daughter (15) to get her helix pierced this past weekend! I have enough holes in my ear at this time, thinking of getting my nose pierced, at 47!

@Nikki1415 , I really love the 2-tone spiral helix ring you have on in this picture, can you tell me where you got this (hopefully online)!

 

[Nikki1415]

This whole thread has revived my love of multiple piercings. So much so that I took my daughter (15) to get her helix pierced this past weekend! I have enough holes in my ear at this time, thinking of getting my nose pierced, at 47!

@Nikki1415 , I really love the 2-tone spiral helix ring you have on in this picture, can you tell me where you got this (hopefully online)!

The one I have on now is stainless steel that I ordered from Amazon, I wanted to try a cheap one before I bought a gold one. It looks great but I couldn't get it in by myself and I dropped the balls multiple times, so I'm not sure if I will get it again. I was going to order from Freshtrends, you can probably have it customized to be two-toned or order two with different color metals. https://www.freshtrends.com/collections/spiral-barbells