Top 5 Cartilage Piercing Ideas
A cartilage piercing is like any ear piercing that's not in the soft part of your earlobe. Most people usually get their earlobes pierced because they're soft and easy to pierce. But lately, more and more are getting unique cartilage piercing ideas for different body parts.
Cartilage piercings have the advantage of letting you wear different types of earrings in the same spot. If you already have pierced earlobes, you can stack your earrings there. Even if you choose to have just one cartilage earring, you can mix and match the jewellery you wear in that spot. Combining gold jewellery with cartilage piercings is a super stylish choice. Mixing your sterling silver jewellery with a rose gold design can effortlessly give you a new and trendy look. Here are our top 5 favourite looks for you to style your ear this year.
Helix Piercing
The normal cartilage piercing jewellery style is the upper part of your outer ear. It's basically any piercing in this outer upper area. You can have a double or triple helix, which means getting two or three holes in this spot for a layered look.
Helix piercings tend to hurt more than a lobe piercing but are less painful compared to other non-lobe piercings. It usually takes around three to six months for a helix piercing to fully heal the wound. During this time, avoid changing the earring and try not to sleep on the side with the piercing to prevent irritation or infection.
Forward Helix Piercing
This piercing is on the front of your ear's outer cartilage, right above the tragus. You can get more than one hole done in a single session, which means you can go for a double or triple front helix placement.
Similar to a standard helix piercing, forward helix piercings can be moderately to quite painful, depending on your personal tolerance. They take around three to nine months to get better. These piercings often look great with stud piercings for a cool and practical style.
Flat Piercing
A flat piercing is a seamless placement between a helix and a rook on the inner cartilage. Like the other cartilage piercings we've talked about, flat piercings have a similar healing time and pain level. Your experience may vary based on factors like your piercer's technique, your pain tolerance, and how well you care for the piercing. Flat piercings are becoming more popular and offer an edgy look to your ear.
Daith Piercing
A daith piercing is located above your ear canal on the small cartilage flap inside your ear. Some people believe these piercings can help with migraines, but there's no scientific evidence to support this yet. Acupuncturists have considered the daith area a vital pressure point for centuries, which may be related to these claims. Regardless, daith piercings add a cool, modern look to your ear.
Daith piercings are moderately to highly painful, but the sensation is different from a helix piercing. It's duller rather than sharp. They usually heal in three to nine months.
Conch Piercing
This piercing is in the middle of your cartilage, offering placement options and various styling choices. Your piercer will tell the placement details like whether an inner or outer conch piercing is best for ear shape. It also depends on the folds of your ear. Both types of conch piercings allow different jewellery options.
Pain levels for conch piercings are similar to those of daith or helix placements and take six to nine months to heal.
When deciding which piercings to get, consider your individual pain tolerance along with your style and price preferences. If you're worried about the pain, ask your piercer about using a numbing cream like Zensa Numbing Cream, which contains 5% lidocaine and can reduce pain during the procedure.
Most experts recommend cleaning your new piercing with a saline solution twice a day during the healing process. Always wash your hands before handling the new piercing and follow your piercer's advice carefully to prevent infections or complications during recovery.