Women love to play with their ear piercings. They want to try different styled piercings to get different looks. From your earlobe up, several distinct kinds of piercings exist. And helix piercing is one of them.
It’s a trendy choice and is more typically called cartilage piercing. It’s done on the upper part of one’s ear, customized with various placements or jewelry styles.
Helix piercings are done for no medical reason but only to look stylish and gorgeous. There are also different types of helix piercing. Come! Let’s get some more information about helix piercing.
What Is A Helix Piercing?
It’s a cartilage piercing that is done somewhere on your ear’s outer cartilage. This piercing includes several variations. These variations of cartilage piercing or helix piercing of different types exist depending upon the location of the piercing upon your ears.
4 Helix Piercing Types
1. Forward Helix Piercing
It is done on your ear’s outer (upper) cartilage nearest your face. In this process, the piercing is done through the forward-facing surface and is immediately above the tragus. It’s done in a typical fashion, and after that, the area is cleaned and made sterile.
Your piercer then sets the placement area and puts a steel receiving tube behind your marked cartilage. After that, they push a needle through its other side. The piercing is then finally sealed after inserting a piece of jewelry into it.
2. Double Helix Piercing
It’s a method of ear piercing where your ear’s cartilage will have two piercings. This piercing is mainly done on your ear cartilage’s upper part. However, occasionally it can also be perpetrated a little downward along the helix.
If you are going to do a double forward helix piercing, it will be fixed only across from the location of the double helix, in your cartilage’s forward part almost above the tragus.
Double helix piercing, which is accomplished primarily using an open 16 gauge needle 18 gauge needle, or 14 gauge needle, depends upon your ear’s specifics.
The healing time or period of this piercing is equal to or less than six months. You can obtain a double helix piercing of both parts at a similar time.
3. Triple Helix Piercing
Triple Helix Piercing implies doing 3 piercings in your ear’s upper or outer cartilage. The piercings are situated in a vertical line.
This kind of piercing gives you more pain than single and double-helix piercings can provide. However, the healing time for this piercing is the same as that of single and double-helix piercings.
4. Snug Piercing Or Anti-Helix Piercing
It’s a horizontal ear piercing that passes through your ear’s anti-helix from its medial to sideward surfaces. Some people call it the most painful cartilage piercing.
Snug piercing’s location is over your ear’s anti-tragus, and it’s not one-size-fits-all. So, your ear shape may not support the snug piercing of your ear.
Besides all these complications, it’s a unique and interesting type of ear piercing for people whose desire is to get a piercing that is outside the norm.
Is Helix Piercing Painful?
Yes, helix piercings are somewhat painful, but it’s not hard to tolerate. This piercing is the least painful if compared to the pain of other cartilage piercings.
This is because the cartilage where this piercing is done is thinner than on the upper ear of our body. The pain scale measurement of this piercing is 5 out of 10.
After three to six months, you will no longer feel the pain because your piercing has healed.
How Much Does A Helix Piercing Cost?
The price of a helix piercing varies greatly from studio to studio, depending on the studio’s location, the piercer’s experience, and the studio’s reputation. However, the average price is always between 30 US dollars and 75 US dollars.
It is always recommended that piercers be searched based on their ability or experience and not on their charge for the piercing.
Aftercare Routine For Helix Piercing
Helix Piercing’s aftercare is very simple. You must wash the area twice a day using an antimicrobial soap or saline solution. But what’s more important is to ensure that the pierced area of your ears doesn’t get irritated at any cost.
Try to limit friction. One way to do this is to avoid accessories that can snag on the pierced area, such as beanies and headphones.
Also, when sleeping, you must lie down on the opposite ear and not on the ear that has been pierced. Besides, you should not touch and upset your piercing to avoid infections.
And, if by chance, due to any case, you have to touch your ears, don’t forget to wash your hands well before touching them.
What Kinds Of Helix Earrings Are Inserted Into The Helix Piercings To Look Glorious?
Earrings made of 14K gold or titanium of implant-grade are the highest-quality metals ideal for inserting inside your helix piercings. Genuine gold earrings are also easier to clean thoroughly.
They are less inclined to cause infection. Regarding the type of Helix earrings, hoop or stud earrings are apt for Helix piercing insertion.
How Long Does It Take For Ear Piercings To Heal If It’s A Cartilage Piercing?
A cartilage or helix piercing takes four to twelve months to heal completely. It starts recovering from the outside and then gradually heals towards the inside of your ear.
Bumps are common after cartilage piercings or after the piercing has healed completely. Piercing bumps can result from allergies, poor aftercare, bad luck, or genetics.
However, it must be noted that these bumps disappear completely with the help of proper treatment.
Helix Piercing Side Effects
The two biggest side effects of helix piercings are infection and scarring. They occur only if you have not properly cared for your piercing. During infection, the piercing area becomes over-irritated, tender, and red.
Also, the area swells out with yellow/green pus discharge. This type of symptom needs immediate medical attention. In the case of scarring, the irritation of the pierced area results in the formation of a scar.
It happens during the aftercare and leaves a few unsightly marks surrounding the pierced area.
Besides, after a helix piercing, you may also notice the formation of some keloids. Some raised scars are formed after the skin’s healing surrounding the wound.
It causes some excess scar tissue to evolve.
These scar tissues grow for being an over-defence against your piercing’s physical trauma. These keloids may vary in size. However, they are generally not painful. They comprise nothing except scar tissue.
Infected Cartilage Piercing
While getting helix piercings, occasionally, some part of the ear’s skin gets infected. The infection results in a swelling or bump. Your infected cartilage piercing will cause redness, bleeding, bruising, and mild pain.
Once the cartilage piercing starts healing, you will normally experience discoloration, oozing of a whitish-yellow fluid, crusting on or around your jewelry, and itching.
Here are some of the tips that you must follow to prevent or cure infected cartilage piercing:
- Change your jewellery
- Clean your pierced area
- Cleanse the affected area with the help of a sea salt soak or saline
- Make use of a chamomile compress.
How To Change The Jewelry After Helix Piercing?
You can easily change or switch out the jewelry of your helix piercings whenever you want. But, you can only do it after 3- 6 months after the piercing. It’s always good to do the first jewelry change with the assistance of a piercer.
This is because it is important to be careful so that nothing goes wrong. Moreover, your piercer can also lead you through the phases of changing the jewelry to make you feel confident in doing it yourself.
Wrapping Up:
So, if you love style, you can go for the smart and fashionable helix piercing. And, believe us, you will look stunning! Just have it done by an experienced piercer and follow the aftercare routine seriously. You will never face any issues.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: It all depends on a person’s pain tolerance and varies from person to person. However, one common thing is that this piercing hurts a person’s helix part more than her lobes. The ear’s helix part is less fleshy than the part of the lobe.
Since the cartilage tissues of your ears are denser, it requires more force to lance through them, resulting in a handful more pain. Nevertheless, your pain will be temporary, and a beautiful new piercing will cost a small amount.
Answer: Helix piercings, particularly the forward helix piercing, are done on the front part of our ears that is closest to our head. This part of our ear is a special acupressure point that comforts muscle tension.
It is also known to encourage blood circulation and prevent wrinkles.
Answer: Alix piercings heal well, only after 3 to 6 months. Before that period, you have to deal with the pain of the piercing. You may also expect your pierced area to turn sore and red.
Besides, that area of your ear might also bleed and swell initially. So, unlike lobe piercing, helix piercings take some time to heal.
Answer: No, helix piercings don’t hurt forever. The pain of this kind of piercing is temporary and will heal after nearly 3 to 6 months.
