Cartilage piercings? Easy 10! ?

Question

So I am pretty sure I am getting my cartilage pierced tomorrow. I am doing it with a needle so everyone's happy (: But I want to know a couple things first.

1. Pain while needle is going in.

2. Pain after and for how long

3. Does it bleed at all?

4. What size needle should I ask them to use I want the smallest possible

5. Are they going to use a stud, or a barbell as the earring?

Any additional info would be great (:

Answer 1

1. the initial pain, while only lasting less than a second, is pretty intense. It goes by so quickly however that it's very bearable (in my experience)

2. Mine will throb a bit and feel hot afterwards, but that goes away for the most part by the end of the day. Just make sure not to knock it around because this hurts like h**l. Be careful putting on/taking off your shirt and if you're a huggy person, or your friends are, make sure to be careful about hugs. A well-meaning friend hugged me and knocked the c**p out of my ear. Immediate tears.

3. They'll likely bleed a little, but hardly ever that bad. For the first few days you'll probably wake up with a little dried blood around the piercing. Just follow the aftercare and clean it off.

4. if you don't specify size, most piercers will do cartilage piercings at 16g. You can ask for smaller (20g or 18g) but they may not have that small a needle, especially the 20g.

5. If you ask for a barbell they can use that. piercers are 50/50 on using a barbell as the initial jewelry or a CBR (captured ball ring). Mine were done with the CBR and if i ever get them done again i'll go for the barbell. CBRs get knocked around a lot which can cause a looong healing time and scarring.

Hope I helped and good for you for getting it done with a needle!

Answer 2

1. It's not really pain, there's just a lot of pressure. It's not bad at all though, and only last a second.

2. It's sore for a few weeks after.

3. Mine bled, but not much. Some people do, some don't.

4. Most people get theirs done with an 18 gauge needle, but you can get it pierced with a 20 which is just a tad bit smaller.

5. It's up to you. When i got mine done they put in a ring, but it was putting too much pressure on my ear, so i went back and they changed it to a barbell which they said is easier to clean and such. So you can get it done with just about any jewelry.