Body piercing is when a hole is made in the skin or through a part of the body so that you can add a piece of jewelry for decoration. Body piercings have become an art form and are popular among many different cultures and societies today. Some of the most common piercings today are the navel, eyebrows, ears and tongue. The least popular are male and female genital, nipple and septum piercings. These may be less popular than the others, but they are still being made.
Earlobe piercings typically take 6-8 weeks to heal. However, piercings on the side of the ear (cartilage) can take 4 months to 1 year to heal. I had cartilage piercings 1 year and 4 months ago. My sister wanted them for her birthday but she didn’t want to do it alone.
For over a year I suffered with sea salt baths and running them under hot water in the shower. Sea salt baths were performed according to the driller’s instructions. No matter what I did, my ears were constantly sore and infected from these piercings. They were supposed to take up to a year to heal, but I was still dealing with the same issues sixteen months later. For this reason I had the piercings removed, I felt I was giving them a more than fair chance to heal.
Your piercings will know you’re stressed before you do. Having a body piercing other than earlobes is like having a child to take care of. If you don’t do what you’re supposed to do when you’re supposed to, they’re screaming in protest.
If you’re still convinced that getting a body piercing is the right thing for you, do your homework. Take a look at all the risks associated with the type of piercing you’re getting. So if you still want to proceed, check out the drilling studies. They are usually located in tattoo shops. Interview your piercer, make sure they have been trained and have the right experience.
I love the look of the upper ear cartilage piercing, but it’s definitely not worth the work. I strongly recommend against getting body piercings if you don’t have the time or are extremely sensitive to piercings. I have problems with my usual earlobe piercings and should have known I would have problems with the others too.
