Getting my cartelidge pierced please help?

Question

ok well I wanna get my cartelidged pierced and my mom says I have to wait a month until I am completely healed because I just had a major surgery and she doesn't want me to get an ear infection. Do you think she's right that and ear infection would be bad because of my major surgery last month. Also what are the pro's and con's of getting you cartelidge pierced? Does it hurt? Do you get infected easily?

Answer 1

not that painful but it really takes a long time to heal and VERY prone to infection, i've had mine done numerous times and every time had to take it out cuz it got too infected...you might want to wait!

Answer 2

She's right. After having a major surgery, your body is too busy fighting off infections at the site of the surgery, and doesn't need the added stresses of redirecting antibodies to a brand new open wound. I would wait at least a month after you are fully healed before considering a new piercing. If I recall correctly, the piercer will even ask if you've recently had a surgery, and may deny you if you're not completely healed yet. The piercer's first and foremost concerns are your health and their health, and in your condition, you might pose a risk to both yourself and them.

To answer your second question, it does hurt, but only very briefly. If you've ever had your ear lobe pierced, it feels much the same way, except instead of "pressure and a little pinch that lasts a millisecond" (the pressure is the needle pressing against your skin, and the pinch is when it actually breaks the outer layer of skin. You do not feel it passing through), it's "a little pinch that lasts maybe three milliseconds" (there is no pressure since the cartiliage is firm, and there's nothing squishy to condense. The pinch will last a little longer since it must break through the skin and the cartiliage, but once that's done, you won't feel it pass through either). The pain itself will last no more than an entire second. The pain is minimal (I have a very low tolerance for pain, and am almost brought to tears by merely stubbing my toe, however, to show you how painless it is, I've had a total of 8 piercings, ranging from the time I was 4, to two months ago [I'm almost 30]).

A cartiliage piercing needs more care than a standard piercing. First, ensure you get it done by a professional piercer. Do not allow a piercing gun to be used on your cartiliage (they are designed for earlobes only, and cannot be properly sterilized. A one-use prepackaged disposable needle, or a needle that's been sterilized in an autoclave is the safest way to go. A gun will compress the cartiliage in your ear, will make it hurt a LOT worse, increase the chances of giving you keloids [think of a pearl in an oyster, with the surrounding ear being the oyster and the now-shattered cartiliage as mother-of-pearls], give you cauliflower ear in the area, and run the risk of catching a nasty disease). Second, keeping the area clean with kosher or sea salt solutions and antimicrobial/antibacterial soap is extremely important during the healing stage, as the area can be prone to becoming inflammed. Third, cartiliage piercings take the longest to heal, at minimum, three months, and any little bump or aggrivation can be quite annoying. Fourth, learn to sleep with your hand under your head (on the ear, but allowing room by spreading the fingers around the ear so the piercing can comfortably rest, is how I've learned to sleep), or on your other side, because it'll hurt sleeping on that side for quite a while. Fifth, brushing/combing your hair will prove to be quite a challenge the first month as brushes and combs seems to be attracted to the captured ball ring ^_~. Sixth, if you want a large gauged earring, ensure that's what you pick when you get the piercing done, as stretching does not work with cartiliage, and if you want a larger gauge after the fact, you'll need it repierced. And finally, seventh, to ensure your body does not reject the jewelry, choose a "surgical steel" captured ball ring. Anything less runs the risk of infection, rejection, or allergic reaction.

The pro's? It looks absolutely cool, and is well worth the hassles of the long healing period.

Answer 3

Regardless, waiting a month won't hurt you so have patience...generally after surgery you are put on antibiotics to fight infection, but there's no point in doing anything that would increase the risk of one...and any time you put a hole in your body, there is a risk of infection...

Does it hurt? It's uncomfortable yes, but not debilitating...it hurts a bit worse than having the lobe done and will probably be tender for a while...

No, I don't get infected easily...keep the area clean (watch out for getting hairspray or other after-bath hair products on the ear)...turn it as suggested (with clean hands!) and don't remove it before you are told you can...my cartlidge piercing never really healed completely, but it doesn't bother me or ooze or anything...I put a captive ball hoop in it and I leave it alone (I don't really ever change it anymore, cheap earrings do irritate it where they don't the holes in my lobes)...

Hope you enjoy it!

Answer 4

I had 4 done and it didnt hurt getting it pierced, its the afterwards that kills. After a years worth of torcher i gave up and removed them. Some people have no problem, i did and many others i know did to. Find a pillow with a hole(a donut pillow) in it so you dont put pressure on the piercing, that was the worse part for me.
I would wait a while more before you have your done, you body needs time to recoup from surgery. And it has to be a year, or something has to be in the hole a year, no days off it will close. Mine did after two days. Get real gold so it will lessen your chance of having a reaction to the cheap stuff.

Answer 5

Well it's probably a good idea to listen to your mom. After you have had a major surgery your body is working really hard to try and heal from it, and your immune system may be slightly depleted. Having your cartilage pierced, I assume you mean your ear, takes a really long time to heal and because of that can easily become infected. I had my cartilage in my ear pierced and I wore the jewelry for a year and it never did fully heal. Good luck.

Answer 6

You will be more likely to get an infection. I would wait a little while. It takes more time to heal cartlidge. Also make sure that when you do get it pierced that the shop uses a hollow tip needle, not one of those ear guns. Those ear guns are the worst, and you are more likely to have infections.

Answer 7

Yeah they do get infected really easily. I pierced both of mine 5 years ago and every once in a while they still swell up.

Answer 8

I would wait, I got mine done and it got infected and you don't want those germs infecting your major surgery.

Your mom is right.

Answer 9

It takes a while to heal and every once and awhile it starts to hert again. but good luck whith that!