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• DO NOT touch your piercing with your hands and leave your jewelry in at all times.
• WASH your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason.
• WASH  your piercing with anti-bacterial soap, gently lather around the piercing and rinse as needed. Avoid using harsh soaps, or soaps with dyes, fragrances, or triclosan.
• SALINE rinse as needed during healing. For certain placements it may be easier to apply using clean gauze saturated with saline solution. A brief rinse afterward will remove any residue.
• RINSE thoroughly to remove all traces of the soap from the piercing. It is not necessary to rotate the jewelry through the piercing.
• DRY by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products, because cloth towels can harbor bacteria and snag on jewelry, causing injury. 
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If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact your piercer directly.

• Packaged sterile saline (with no additives, read the label) is a gentle choice for piercing aftercare. If sterile saline is not available in your region a sea salt solution mixture can be a viable alternative. Dissolve 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon (.75 to 1.42 grams) of non-iodized (iodine-free) sea salt into one cup (8 oz / 250 ml) of warm distilled or bottled water. A stronger mixture is not better; a saline solution that is too strong can irritate the piercing. 

• Initially: some bleeding, localized swelling, tenderness, or bruising.
• During healing: some discoloration, itching, secretion of a whitish-yellow fluid (not pus) that will form some crust on the jewelry. The tissue may tighten around the jewelry as it heals.
• Once healed: the jewelry may not move freely in the piercing; do not force it. If you fail to include cleaning your piercing as part of your daily hygiene routine, normal but smelly bodily secretions may accumulate.
• A piercing may seem healed before the healing process is complete. This is because tissue heals from the outside in, and although it feels fine, the interior remains fragile. Be patient, and keep cleaning throughout the entire healing period.
• Even healed piercings can shrink or close in minutes after having been there for years! This varies from person to person; if you like your piercing, keep jewelry in—do not leave it empty.

• Avoid moving jewelry in an unhealed piercing, or picking away dried discharge with your fingers.
• Avoid cleaning with Betadine®, Hibiciens®, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Dial® or other soaps containing triclosan, as these can damage cells.
• Avoid ointments as they prevent necessary air circulation.
• Avoid Bactine®, pierced ear care solutions and other products containing Benzalkonium Chloride (BZK). These can be irritating and are not intended for long term wound care.
• Avoid over-cleaning. This can delay your healing and irritate your piercing.
• Avoid undue trauma such as friction from clothing, excessive motion of the area, playing with the jewelry, and vigorous cleaning. These activities can cause the formation of unsightly and uncomfortable scar tissue, migration, prolonged healing, and other complications.
• Avoid all oral contact, rough play, and contact with others' bodily fluids on or near your piercing during healing.
• Avoid stress and recreational drug use, including excessive caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.
• Avoid submerging the piercing in unhygenic bodies of water such as lakes, pools, hot tubs, etc. Or, protect your piercing using a waterproof wound-sealant bandage. These are available at most drugstores.
• Avoid all beauty and personal care products on or around the piercing including cosmetics, lotions, and sprays, etc.
• Don't hang charms or any object from your jewelry until the piercing is fully healed.

Cartilage is a connective tissue that is harder than skin but softer than the bones. An ear cartilage piercing goes straight through the “harder” tissue (cartilage) in the ear and out the back. Cartilage piercings are very popular because of how versatile they are. The ear has different spots that can be pierced. For example, some of these piercings are: the snug, upper helix, anti-helix, conch, orbital, daith, and tragus. The most common and basic cartilage piercing is the helix piercing, this is a piercing at the tip of the upper ear. When you go in for your piercing appointment your piercer will help find jewelry to fit your ear and sterilize your chosen jewelry. After setting up their piercing station your piercer will clean your ear and mark the spot that will be pierced. When you agree on the exact placement of the piercing the piercer will use a hollow needle to pierce the cartilage and they will insert the jewelry immediately after. The process takes a few minutes to complete from start to finish.

Cartilage piercings are prone to swelling, especially towards the back so they are started with larger and longer jewelry. For the first two to three months of healing they are started with a captive bead ring or a barbell. The most common size of the captive ring and the barbell are an 18 gauge, 16 gauge and 14 gauge (if you are looking for a larger size). The length of the jewelry will accommodate for any swelling, it is important that the starter jewelry is not done with anything smaller then 5/16". A basic barbell and captive ring as used to start with because of how easy they are to clean. More intricate cartilage rings with many different cabochons can have a lot of nooks and cranny’s that will harbor bacteria. After the first two or three months your piercer can change out the jewelry to something smaller, that fits snug to the ear.

After the piercing is done healing there are thousands of more ornate jewelry options. Barbells have the most unique jewelry options because the front of the barbell can be many different shapes and hold multiple cabochons with different colors or stones. They can give the illusion that there is more than one piercing on the helix by using cluster jewelry. This is a barbell that has a front with multiple cabochons attached together, making a bigger design.

The other unique part about cartilage piercings is that you can have multiple piercings in a small area. These piercings can be done for a custom project and will create an overall design. For example, some people will do three or four piercings to create the shape of a cascading flower. The different designs and “ball” for the front of the piercing make the cartilage a great way to create different designs and looks that are unique to you.

As mentioned, the cartilage is where your ear feels "harder" or "tougher" than normal skin, which is everything above the ear lobe! Each cartilage piercing has a different name based on the area of cartilage that is being pierced. Read below to find out where each piercing is located and which kinds of jewelry you can wear in each.

Conch piercings go through the middle of the shell of the ear, which is also the largest and thickest piece of cartilage in the ear. It’s called a conch because this part of the ear looks like a conch seashell. The outer conch is in the lower part of the middle of the ear. The inner conch piercing goes through the upper middle shell (conch) of the ear, which would be above the outer conch piercing and slightly closer to the ear canal.

Jewelry with a straight post like a barbell, flatback barbell (also called labret jewelry), or threadless or pushpin posts are worn in conch piercings. Circular barbells and captive rings are often uncomfortable to sleep on in conch piercings and aren’t usually recommended for long-term wear.

The initial piercing can be done from an 18G to a 14G, depending on the look you want. (Note: Cartilage piercings don’t stretch like ear lobe piercings do, so if you want a large-gauge conch piercing, you will have to pierce it at that size.)

A tragus piercing goes through the center of the small flap of cartilage directly in front of the ear canal, which is called the tragus. This piercing isn’t recommend for a first cartilage piercing since the piercing process can be a little more difficult to do if your tragus is small or thick, and the proximity to your ear canal means you can hear a pop when the needle goes through, which can be unsettling.

The initial piercing is usually done at 16G with a straight barbell, flatback barbell, or threadless post, so there is room for swelling during healing. After healing, you can change the jewelry to a captive ring, hoop, circular barbell, or curved barbell.

Antitragus piercings go through the flap or ridge of cartilage that is between your tragus and your ear lobe. The antitragus has to be very prominent for this piercing to work. The antitragus is typically pierced at a 16G with a curved or flat barbell to allow for swelling. Once the piercing is healed, you can change to a captive ring or circular barbell.

The helix piercing is the official name for the upper ear piercing that we know and love from the 80s! One of the more common cartilage piercings, helix piercings are usually pierced with a captive ring, circular barbell, or straight barbell at a small gauge, anywhere from 18G to 14G, depending on your ear and the jewelry you want to wear.

The forward helix piercing is on the same ridge of cartilage on the upper ear as the helix piercing, but it is placed so that the piercing is facing forward, above the tragus. Many people opt to 2 or 3 piercings aligned vertically up the ear, and this called a double or triple forward helix.

Straight barbells, flatback barbells, and threadless/pushpin posts are used for healing forward helix piercings. There are a lot of options for endpieces for that accentuate the ear, but you should wait until the piercing is healed to swap to a captive ring, circular barbell, or seamless ring. Forward helix piercings are much trickier than standard helix piercings because they need to be lined up to your anatomy to sit well.

The industrial piercing is technically two piercings, an outer helix piercing and a forward helix piercing, that are connected with a long straight barbell. The industrial piercing was created first pierced in the 90s as an edgier cartilage piercing, because it is not as delicate as the other cartilage piercings can look. It’s usually pierced at a 14G for this reason too. It’s usually not possible to take an existing cartilage piercing and turn it into an industrial because both piercings need to align correctly. Industrials used to just be limited to the stainless steel barbell, but there are now customized barbells made specifically for industrials that have decorative accents or bends to the bar and more decorative ends.

The orbital piercing is another piercing that is technically two piercings in one, with a captive ring or seamless ring connecting both piercings. This gives the look that the jewelry is orbiting the ear, so it is called the orbital piercing. A few of the cartilage piercings can be turned into an orbital: the helix, the inner conch, and the rook. Orbitals are pierced at a 16G or 14G with a captive ring.

The rook piercing is a vertical piercing through the cartilage fold above the tragus that rests in the conch, also called the anti-helix, and are initially pierced at a 16G with a curved barbell for healing. After healing, the barbell can be change to a captive ring, but this placement is great for curved barbells because it rests with both ends visible from the front of the ear.

The snug piercing is a horizontal piercing through the cartilage fold above the antitragus that lines the conch towards the edge of the ear. Snug piercings are usually pierced with a curved barbell at 16G. The curved barbell is an ideal shape for this piercing as the ends of the barbell sit neatly against the ear.

The daith piercing goes through the smallest fold of cartilage in the ear, right above the ear canal. The piercing sits behind and above the tragus, sort of floating in front of the conch. It’s pierced at a 16G with a captive ring, seamless ring or clicker ring. The daith piercing is one of the only cartilage piercings that a captive ring or other ring jewelry is encouraged for healing. There are also rings that are shaped like hearts, stars, crescent moons, etc. and these kinds of jewelry also work in a daith piercing. 

Fun fact: Have you ever heard about treating migraines with piercings? The daith piercing aligns with an acupuncture pressure point that is typically used to treat migraines, so some migraine sufferers have found relief through getting it pierced.

If you notice a bump forming on or around a new piercing, you have good reason to be concerned. As dainty as the piercing may be, it is possible that your body views the piercing as an injury. Piercing growths (big or small) are never "normal," although they do occur fairly often. Most people assume right away that their growth is a keloid, but the majority actually aren't. 

Keloids are overgrowths of scar tissue caused by trauma to your skin. They’re common after ear piercings and can form on both the lobe and cartilage of your ear. Keloids can range in color from light pink to dark brown. Getting your ears pierced might not feel like a serious injury, but that’s sometimes how your body sees it. As wounds heal, fibrous scar tissue starts to replace old skin tissue. Sometimes your body makes too much scar tissue, leading to keloids. This extra tissue starts to spread out from the original wound, causing a bump or small mass that’s larger than the original piercing. On the ear, keloids typically begin as small round bumps around the piercing site. Sometimes they develop quickly, but usually they appear several months after you pierce your ear. Your keloid may continue growing slowly for the next few months.

While anyone can develop keloids, some people do seem to have a higher risk based on certain factors, such as:

• Skin color. People with darker skin are 15 to 20 times more likely to have keloids.
• Genetics. You’re more likely to have keloids if someone in your immediate family does as well.
• Age. Keloids are more common in people under the age of 30.

If you are looking to prevent keloids from developing in the first place, it's  suggested you look into your family history or personal history of keloids, to prevent skin trauma or injury. If you are prone to keloids, piercings and tattoos are strongly discouraged. There's no real limit as to where keloids can form, as they can also grow on the tongue and other mucus membranes. If you decide to risk a tattoo or piercing, be aware that you may end up with excessive scarring and/or keloids.

Irritants like oil, sweat, dirt, perfume, hairspray, and other things can aggravate a piercing and cause an infection. Unfortunately, it also won't respond very well to normal cleaning, (although it's important to keep it clean so it doesn't get worse).

Sea Salt Soak - In general, to prevent any and all issues. Sea salt soaks, which any responsible piercer will tell you to do, are meant to draw out any pus and blood, which will release the pressure and aid healing. They also tend to be soothing. It is recommended to cleanse the area twice a day with a piercer-recommended saline solution or sea salt soak. Sticking to that simple process will increase your chances of healing the infection without causing further irritation.

At the first sign of thickening, firm bumps, redness, tender or raised areas within a scar—see a PCP, dermatologist or your surgeon. Do not delay treatment.