Cartilage Earrings

During the last few years, the world has seen the emergence of a new trend with the introduction of different types of body piercings. Earlier, the earlobe was the only place that was most commonly pierced. However, ear piercing is not restricted to the earlobes, rather, it has become a fashion statement to pierce the cartilage of the ears.

This is the area above the ear which is thicker than the earlobes. As there is no blood supply to this part of the ear, the chances of infection are higher. One of the causes of cartilage piercing infection is the wrong type of earring. Hence, it is important to know about these accessories, if you are keen on getting yourself pierced.

There are a variety of cartilage piercings that one can choose from. Some of the popular cartilage earrings include the tragus, conch, daith, helix, rook, antitragus, snug, shell, and industrial piercing. All these piercings are done with the help of a piercing needle and never with a gunshot. This is because the cartilage is very thick and the gun piercing equipment is made only to pierce the earlobe.

Moreover, as the same equipment is used for everyone, the risk of getting infected is also higher. Once the piercing is done, it is important to take appropriate aftercare so that it heals properly.

It will take almost 8 - 12 months for the piercing to heal completely and during this time, it is extremely crucial to take extra care. For this, one has to follow the aftercare instructions given by the piercing expert carefully.

One of the most important factors which has to be kept in mind for proper healing is the jewelry. Though there are a variety of earrings available in the market, it is important to choose the correct one at the time of piercing. The cartilage earrings that one opts for during the time of piercing must be of gold, surgical stainless steel, or sterling silver.

Captive rings are best worn during the healing period as it gives space for the person to clean the jewelry properly and also leads to better healing. However, if you do not find them comfortable, it is also fine to use studs, but make sure that they are not too tight.

The earring that is worn when the piercing is done should not be removed before it is completely healed. If you have to remove the piercing due to any reason, never do it on your own. Rather, you should go to your piercer to get it removed. Also, once you have removed your earring, make sure that you wear it without much delay as keeping the piercing open for a long time can cause the wound to close quickly.

Nevertheless, when the piercing is completely healed, one can opt for suitable earrings. These are available in different metals including surgical steel, white gold, sterling silver, titanium, etc.

After the healing period is complete, you can opt for cheaper options, but only if you do not have an allergy to such jewelry. Though hoops are the best for earlobe piercing, there are a variety of small cartilage hoop earrings that one can choose from. These are best for rook, daith, and helix piercings.

Cartilage studs are the next best option as different types embedded with precious and non precious stones are available in the market. If you have done an industrial piercing, you still have lots of options in the form of plain barbells, curved or twisted barbells, as well as those which have beads and stones on them. Apart from this, those like circular barbells, cuffs, captive beads look good on all types of cartilage piercings.

I hope this story will help you choose the perfect jewelry for yourself. Once your piercing is healed fully, experiment with different types of earrings and choose those that look best on you.