Cartilege Piercings...?

Question

Im planning on getting one (think its so cute)..what are the pros & cons? I heard that they can get infected etc more easily than ear lobe piercings..


Also, i had a second ear lobe piercing done in October, how long does it take for an infection to take place cause JUST recently i have noticed a tiny bump on my left ear-when i touch the piercing its rather firm (kinda) but the piercing in my right ear is soft and just fine, i thought both would've been healed already/at the same time- what's going on?! Im concerned?

Answer 1

Cartilage piercings are awesome. I recently got my cartilage re-pierced. The first time i did it i got it done with a piercing gun and it got a huge bump on the back and it would always hurt at night, so i took it. On Friday, i went to piercing/tattoo place and got it redone with a needle and so far i have no problems except its really sore to touch and it might be a little swollen but its looking pretty good. So, if you really like cartilage piercings, go for it they look really awesome. About them getting infected, as long as you clean them as told by the piercer (usually with dial soap twice a day) they wont get infected, and u might not want to sleep on it for awhile, and don't touch it except when cleaning. But other than that it should be fine. Also, it doesn't really hurt that bad to get it pierced, well it hurts but its fast and manageable.

About your second ear lobe piercings, as long as you continue to clean them everyday, any signs of infection should clear up, because that happened when i got my third holes. Also, avoid touching them cause that can cause bacteria to get into the piercing. Lastly, whatever you do, do not take the piercings out if they do get infected, because you can normally clear up any infections with the piercing in. Hope i helped and good luck with your piercings.

Answer 2

For starters, its important that you do NOT get piercings done with the piercing gun. The gun itself and the jewelry is not proper gauge or length and can make healing worse.
http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Piercing_gun

Any piercing can get infected if you don't take care of it and have it done by a reputable and safe piercer. And ear lobes are very resilient so they are easy to heal and least likely to cause problems. Cartilage cannot be compared to ear lobes; its like apples to oranges. Cartilage piercing is prone to problems such as pain, swelling, discomfort and hypertrophic scarring. Just be sure you take care of your piercing and you shouldn't have too many problems.

As far as your second lobe piercings go, a lump would not necessarily mean that there is an infection. Also, ears may not heal at the same time. One side may heal slower than the other and one side could get infected while the other may not. Depending on the color, pain and location of the lump (whether its on the surface or inside) can help figure out the cause of it. The bump could be anything from a small cyst to an abscess. The best thing for you to do is to see a professional piercer and show them the area. They will best be able to tell you what the issue is since seeing it is a lot better than going off a shotty description.

Answer 3

GiggleFairy's answer could very well have been written by myself, I have had 2 cartilege piercings for 10 years, so long ago that I hardly remember when they were first done. If I had known then what i know now, I would have gone to a piercer and had it done with a needle, but as it is, I had them both done with a gun. It took at least a year for them to heal, and they were always sore until they finally did. I also still dread when I go to get a haircut because the stylist always catches them with the comb. But, there is definitely something to be said for the piercing, because I have never considered taking them out.
As for your second ear lobe piercings, they won't heal at the same rate, because one of them is going to be handled more, no matter what, sleeping on it, etc...the hardness is usually just a ball of pus, nothing to worry about, just clean it a little more and it should be fine.

Answer 4

Hi, I myself have a cartilage piercing and it was quite sore when I have it done. It can be bad or good depends on you and how you have it done, have it done WITH A NEEDLE!!!! I can't stress it enough. When you have it done with a gun it can shatter your cartilage and you can never have a pacing there again. Make sure you clean your ear with plain sea salt in boiling water. Make sure you don't move the bar that they put in your ear or it can cause bacteria to get into the wound.

If you do get your cartilage pest I recommend going to body works in Bloxwich if you live near there.

Also if you ever get an infection in your ear make sure to use a little bit of pure tea tree oil Once or twice Between three days and it will help the infection go away really quickly.

Just keep in mind that if your body needs time to adjust to piercings then it may take up to 2 years for your piercing to properly heal.

Answer 5

I got my cartilege pierced exactly 4 months ago. When i went i was so nervous cause i hate needles. Be sure to go to someone at a tattoo/piercing place where they do it by hand... not with a gun. It doesnt hurt at all. Your ear will just get hot after they pierce it. And when they pierce it, you will hear a loud crunch.. but its only so loud cause its on your ear. It was sore afterwards and for about a month. If you dont touch it other than when you clean it... cause the more you touch it, the more sore its going to get. Another thing... when you go and get it pierced... ask if you can get the straight needle, not the curved. if you have a loop ring when you first get it pierced, its going to be a lot harder to clean. See if they have SEA SALT SPRAY. So when you clean it... all you have to do is spray it on your ear and twist the bar around while pushing it back in forth. Buy December, i could put a loop earring in and it was a tad bit sore... but overall... it wasnt bad at all.

Answer 6

I think as long as its what you want go for it! I currently have 4 cartilage piercings (2 in each ear), however I got mine done all at the same time and it was a nightmare sleeping; so I advise not getting both ears done at the same time. Always get cartilage piercings with a needle!! I decided to get bars put in mine as i thought 4 rings wouldn't look very nice ( the piercing place had very large rings). They can catch on hair and they are likely to get infected but wash them daily with salty water then they heal brilliantly - you may get keloids form on them but it is totally normal as technically a piercing is an injury. I got a keloid on one of mine and all i did was keep up the salt water washes and didn't play with it and it dried up.

I know its very tempting to play with them and change them early but you really should touch them little as possible until they are healed - only turn them to make sure they don't get stuck :)

They take any thing from 3 - 9ish months to heal properly
Good luck
x

Answer 7

Pros
There so cute and look funky as
there simple so not to much
dont look trashy

Cons
Sometimes can get caught on things
longer healing process then lobes
when infected they can get really bad and gross

If you spray the piercing with piercing spray (you normally can get it from piercing places) then apply that 2-3 times a day this helps reduce the possibility of infection

with your second lobe piercing problem i would try and turn the piercing in a 360 degree motion... once again just keep spraying the lotion on and it should be healed in no time:)

Answer 8

I got my cartilage pierced well over a decade ago. I would definitely recommend piercing your ear with a piercing needle instead of the "gun" mechanism used in malls, etc. The piercing needle will remove a piece of cartilage from your ear whereas a gun will simply "displace" the cartilage. (Imagine a cookie cutter cutting away dough - very clean - versus poking a stick through fabric - it "pulls" creating an "ant hill" affect.)

Even though I've had my cartilage pierced for so long, it does indeed still get painful. ESPECIALLY if I sleep on it wrong. Fortunately I've never had an infection!

You also have to be a little more careful when you brush your hair or see a stylist if you wear hoops. I've had my hoop yanked out on several occasions!

Good luck!

Answer 9

I have 3 in my cartilege and I absolutely had no problems with them at all, but it still depends all on how well you care for it. Just make sure you keep it clean and wait the allotted time before you change it.

I think the only issue ive had was when you would get your hair done the hairdresser would have to be careful because the comb could snag on the ring.

I def say go for it and good luck.

Answer 10

hmmm... i got my cartilidge pierced when i was 12 and i never even put the stuff on and it didn't get infected. but you should if you do. do not sleep on it either. i learned that the hard way. after 1 and a half months it felt fine. i was 12 and i could take it. don't listen to the others. also my second hole swelled up too but i kept cleaning it and it went away. but if it bleeds go to the doctor. i was even younger when i got that pierced. i was 10.
PS go to the piercing pagoda (maybe at your mall) it is all sterilized. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!!