This is only a short post I'm doing in order to help anyone considering getting a helix/cartilage piercing, hopefully I will convince you that it's worth getting! I had mine done on the 18th and I will go through where to get it done, the pain and the after-care.
I decided to get it done after my last exam as a treat to myself for my hard work, so me and my friends went to our local tattoo shop and signed up for the piercings we wanted; I got my left helix and my friend got her belly button pierced. I would say we went to probably the most expensive place in our town (mine cost £20) but I think it was worth it because we knew the hygiene standards and overall way they carry out the piercings would be safe and worth the money. The place was called Ashford Custom Tattoo and I would recommend it to anyone local. It's better to be safe than sorry so go somewhere that has good reviews and that people would recommend, its better to pay a little bit more and avoid infection in my opinion.
We had to fill in some forms and then that was it! I was nervous to get it done but the people there were so great and talked us through everything. First, he sterilised all the equipment he was using then he cleaned my ear. He then felt my ear to find a suitable part of tissue to pierce through. I obviously couldn't clearly see what he was doing unfortunately, but he told me to take a deep breath in and a deep breath out, and on my exhalation he pierced through with the needle. It was more painful than I was expecting but that's only because I've only ever had my lobes pierced which doesn't hurt at all! The most uncomfortable part is when he slides in the jewellery in because it feels so strange.
I wasn't totally sure how to clean my piercing after I got it done so I looked on Google and asked friends with the same piercing. The conclusion was that warm water with a bit of dissolved salt helps soothe and heal the piercing. So now every night I use a cotton wool bud (Q-Tip) and apply salt water around the piercing. As you can see from the photo, the back of the piercing is long so that you can clean it easier, so I push it forward, clean around the jewellery with the bud and then push it back and do behind my ear.
Watch this if you want to see the process in more detail and also how to clean it.
In conclusion I would say to anyone considering it to go for it because it won't be as bad as you think.
