If you’ve had success with at-home piercings before, or if you have other cartilage piercings and already know how to care for them properly, then you may have less risk of ending up with serious complications.
Unfortunately, piercing your cartilage is a little trickier than piercing your earlobe. If you don’t do it right, you could injure yourself or end up with a serious infection. [4] X Expert Source Jef SaundersProfessional Piercing Expert Expert Interview. 24 October 2019. Healthcare professionals recommend going to a professional piercer for any kind of piercing, but it’s even more important for risky ones, like cartilage piercings. [5] X Trustworthy Source FamilyDoctor. org Family-focused medical advice site run by the American Academy of Family Doctors Go to source
Even if you plan to get it done by a pro, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor before getting a cartilage piercing if you have any serious health concerns.
Keep in mind that the lower the gauge number, the larger the needle will be. So, a 16-gauge needle is thicker and will create a larger hole than a 17-gauge one. Don’t try to pierce your cartilage with a push pin or sewing needle! Doing so could lead to an infection or do more damage to your ear. Piercing needles are sharper, and are specially designed to create a clean hole through your skin and cartilage that’s just the right size for your ear jewelry. [7] X Research source Buy piercing needles that are made for single use. Using a needle more than once can increase your risk of infection. [8] X Research source Some piercing needles are designed so you can slide or screw the post of your jewelry into the end of the needle. This allows you to guide the post directly into the new piercing hole as you pierce your ear, which is a little less traumatic than pushing the jewelry through the fresh piercing after the fact.
Go for an earring that’s designed to work in an initial cartilage piercing. These earrings should be internally threaded (meaning that the backing should screw into the post of the earring instead of the other way around) or threadless (meaning that the backing clicks into place instead of having to be screwed in). [10] X Research source Make sure the earring is made of a material that’s hypoallergenic and won’t cause irritation. Some good options include titanium, surgical steel, niobium, platinum, and gold that’s 14k or higher. Check that your jewelry is nickel and cadmium-free. Purchase jewelry that’s already sterilized. You can get pre-sterilized, pre-packaged jewelry online or at a body jewelry store. Unfortunately, there’s no good way to properly sterilize jewelry at home unless you own an autoclave.
You’ll use antiseptic wipes (such as alcohol wipes) to clean and disinfect your ears before piercing them. Gauze pads are helpful for stopping any bleeding after you complete the piercing.
If you don’t have any spray, wipe the surface down thoroughly with disinfecting wipes, such as Lysol or Clorox wipes. If you use disinfectant wipes according to the package directions, they should be just as effective as a spray product. [14] X Trustworthy Source Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services Go to source
Pick up the first glove by the cuff with your non-dominant hand. For example, if you’re right-handed, use your left hand to pick up the glove. Hold the glove so it’s hanging with the fingers pointing down, then slide your dominant hand into it with your fingers spread and your palm facing out. Repeat this process with the opposite glove. Adjust the gloves so that they fit properly.
You can get body markers or surgical skin markers online or from a body jewelry supply store. If possible, get someone else to look at your ear and make sure there aren’t any visible blood vessels in the spot you’d like to pierce. [22] X Research source Make sure the area you plan to pierce is actually over the cartilage of your ear. If you pierce through just the skin and not the cartilage itself, your piercing won’t be as stable. 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. You don’t want the earrings to touch or overlap.
If you’re using a needle that’s designed to hold the jewelry while you do the piercing, load the earring into the needle now. [24] X Research source
You might feel or hear a pop as the needle goes in. It’s also normal for the piercing to pinch or burn. If there’s an earring loaded into your needle, keep sliding the needle all the way through until the post is in place and the stud is resting against your ear. The end of the needle will go through your ear and into the cork behind it. Don’t pull the needle out of the cork and back through your ear! Instead, pull the needle all the way through your ear and out the other side. [27] X Research source
Some initial piercing earrings are designed with extra-long posts so that there’s room for your ear to swell a bit in the first few days after the piercing. [28] X Research source
You can do this once or twice a day to help soothe and disinfect the piercing. [32] X Expert Source Jef SaundersProfessional Piercing Expert Expert Interview. 24 October 2019. If a bump develops around the piercing area, soaking it in warm water or saline can help reduce the swelling. [33] X Trustworthy Source National Health Service (UK) Public healthcare system of the UK Go to source Depending on how serious the swelling is, your doctor might recommend soaking the area for up to 20 minutes, 3-4 times per day. [34] X Research source
Avoid using harsh soaps or antiseptics, such as alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. These can damage your ear tissue and slow down the healing process. The Association of Professional Piercers doesn’t recommend using any kind of antibacterial cleansing solution—even ones that are labeled for use on pierced ears. [36] X Research source Rinse your ear thoroughly after cleaning it so there’s no irritating soap residue left behind. Pat the area dry with a clean, dry paper towel when you’re done. Don’t use a cloth towel, since even freshly washed towels can be breeding grounds for bacteria. Plus, the cloth might snag on your new jewelry.
Don’t take your initial earrings out or swap them for different earrings until the piercing is healed![41] X Trustworthy Source Cleveland Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source If you’re not sure whether it’s fully healed yet, see a doctor or a professional piercer for advice. Typically, a piercing that is fully healed won’t appear red and will not produce any new discharge or crusting. The area should also feel normal (not itchy or painful). [42] X Research source However, a piercing can sometimes appear completely healed before it actually is. For this reason, it’s important to keep taking care of your piercing for at least a full 4 months, even if it seems healed sooner than that. [43] X Research source
Piercing pros especially recommend avoiding guns for piercing cartilage, since there’s a higher risk of shattering or severely injuring your cartilage with a gun.
Whatever style you choose, make sure it’s the right gauge to fit through your piercing! Don’t try to force an earring through the piercing if it’s too big to comfortably fit. [47] X Research source Earrings that are too small for your piercing might also be more likely to snag on things, get pulled out, or move around a lot, which can cause irritation.
With cartilage piercings, there’s a risk of developing a deep infection called perichondritis. This infection causes severe swelling and can be very painful. To treat it, you’ll need to take an oral antibiotic. Your doctor may also need to make a small cut to drain pus and other fluids from the infected part of your ear. [49] X Research source
Cartilage piercings are also especially prone to developing a type of overgrown scar tissue called hypertrophic scarring. [53] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source These scars are hard, raised, and usually red or pink in color. Unfortunately, scars can grow even if you do everything possible to care for your piercing. If you see a scar forming, see your doctor right away to discuss treatment options (such as pressure earrings or steroid injections). [54] X Trustworthy Source American Academy of Family Physicians Organization devoted to improving the health of patients, families, and communities Go to source
Guillan-Barre syndrome is very rare, and it’s usually triggered by respiratory viruses. The chances of getting it from an infected ear piercing are extremely low.
