You can pierce the cartilage on just about any part of your ear, but take care not to put your new piercing too close to any jewelry that's already in place.

Is piercing your own helix safe?

Performing your own piercings can be risky. Infection, rejection, and poor placement may result. For the safest and best piercing, see a professional body piercer. Look up any accreditation or training required of professional piercers in your area.

Can you get paralyzed from piercing your helix?

Not so for one British teen who went in for a piercing and wound up ... paralyzed. Could it happen to you? Grace Etherington, a 15-year-old British dancer, got her ears pierced and shortly after lay paralyzed in a hospital bed, unable to move or communicate except by blinking her eyes, reports ABC.

What are the risks of getting a helix piercing?

Any type of piercing poses a risk of complications, including:

• Allergic reactions. Some piercing jewelry — particularly pieces made of nickel — can cause allergic reactions.
• Oral complications. ...
• Skin infections. ...
• Other skin problems. ...
• Bloodborne diseases. ...
• Tearing or trauma.

Can I pierce my own forward helix?

If possible, don't pierce your forward helix yourself or by yourself. Have a friend help you with the piercing. The forward helix, in particular, is difficult to get to, especially if you are looking in the mirror. This whole process is much easier to do when you have someone there to help you.

How I Pierced my Cartilage at Home Safely! | Alyssa Nicole

Can I pierce my own cartilage with a safety pin?

A safety pin has a similar thickness to most earrings, so using one to pierce your ears can be a cheap alternative. After making sure everything is sterile and numbing the area, push the pin through your ear to pierce it. As your ears heal, be sure to take care of the piercing to avoid getting any infections.

Can I pierce my own cartilage with a gun?

'Cartilage should always be pierced with a needle. A piercing gun isn't designed for cartilage, only soft tissue and even then I wouldn't recommend it. Piercing cartilage with a gun can create hardcore hypertrophic scarring and even blow it up.

What should I not eat after ear piercing?

Don't eat spicy, salty or acidy foods or liquids while you are healing. Avoid hot drinks such as hot chocolate, coffee, and tea. Eat cold foods and drinks as they lessen swelling.

How painful is a helix piercing?

Because the cartilage is thinner on the upper ear, helix piercings tend to be the least painful cartilage piercing. They measure around a 4-5/10 on the pain scale and take around 3-6 months to fully heal.

What do I need to know before getting a helix piercing?

“The initial healing time for a helix piercing is two to four months. For the piercing to be fully healed, it takes six to nine months. Healing timelines will vary based on your specific piercing and your body, but you'll know your ear is healed once any discharge, swelling, redness, flaking, or soreness stops.”

What happens if you hit a vein when piercing your ear?

If needle insertion results in swelling and bruising, you've got a blown vein. It may sting and can be uncomfortable, but it's harmless. The healthcare provider typically applies a little pressure to the injection site to minimize blood loss and swelling. After a few minutes, they clean the area to prevent infection.

Is it okay to pierce your own ear?

Should You Pierce Your Ears at Home? In a word: no. Although you can purchase sterile needles, starter earrings and ear piercing kits, having a professional perform your ear piercing decreases the rate of complications such as infection and improper placement.

Are there nerves in your cartilage?

Cartilage does not contain nerves; it is aneural. [6] If any pain is associated with a pathology involving cartilage, it is most commonly due to irritation of surrounding structures, such as inflammation of the joint and bone in osteoarthritis.

What happens if you shatter your ear cartilage?

If the damage is severe, a piece of cartilage can break off and become loose. If this happens, the loose piece of cartilage may affect the movement of your joint. This can cause a feeling of the joint 'locking' or catching. Sometimes, the joint may also give way.

Are there nerves in your ear lobes?

The earlobe (lobulus auriculae) is the soft, fleshy part of the outer ear. Without cartilage, the earlobe contains a large blood supply with many nerve endings.

What are the top 10 most painful piercings?

Most Painful Piercings

• Daith. A daith piercing is a puncture to the lump of cartilage in your inner ear, above the ear canal. ...
• Helix. The helix piercing is placed in the cartilage groove of the upper ear. ...
• Rook. ...
• Conch. ...
• Industrial. ...
• Dermal Anchor. ...
• Septum. ...
• Nipple.

What is the most painful piercing?

Here is how much each type of piercing may hurt in order of most painful to least painful.

• Genital piercing. Your genitals are among the most nerve-dense areas on your body. ...
• Nipple piercing pain level. The nipple is another commonly pierced area that's pretty sensitive. ...
• Nose piercing pain level. ...
• Dermal piercing pain.

Do helix piercings bleed?

A well-done cartilage piercing will be slightly sore to the touch. It will likely itch and ooze clear or white-yellow fluid that crusts on your jewelry. You may also notice minor bleeding and bruising or redness around the piercing. These are normal and will go away as the cartilage piercing heals.

Can sperm infect a piercing?

In your case, the risk of being infected with an STI (sexually transmitted infections) is low. However, there might be a very small risk of transmission due to the contact of semen and your piercing.

Can I shower after ear piercing?

Showering: Shower like you normally do; the last thing you will do while in the shower is clean your piercing. Lather up some mild, fragrance free, non-antibacterial soap in your hands and gently wash your piercing. You want enough friction to clean the piercing, but not so much that you cause trauma to it.

What is the fastest healing piercing?

Although it may sound like a scarier piercing to get, tongue piercings actually have some of the fastest healing times. Healthline gives an estimate of about six to eight weeks for the piercing to heal completely, but depending on your body, tongues can heal as quickly as four weeks with proper care.

Can you pierce a helix with a hoop?

Hoop/Ring: A hoop, also called a ring, is a popular choice for a helix piercing. It's a piece of metal in a ring shape, but it's flexible enough to easily bend. Remove a hoop by simply pulling apart the two ends.

What size needle is used for helix piercing?

A 16G needle is used for most cartilage piercings, including the tragus, helix, rook, conch and daith.

Is cartilage and helix the same?

Technically, they're one and the same. A cartilage piercing is a pretty general term, and can be used to describe any piercing that goes through cartilage, from your nostril to your daith. A helix piercing is any piercing along that outside rim of your ear, and it's also a cartilage piercing.