Cartilage Piercing

Where ever you decide to go for the piercing, make sure that they use a hollow needle. If not, the cartilage is broken/shattered and she will eventually form a cyst beside or on the puncture where the body is trying to gather the debris and get rid of it. I've know several people who had to allow their piercing to close up do to this. If you go to a professional who knows what they are doing, then they should know to use a hollow needle and it should be quick and relatively painless. Have your daughter take some pain reliever a half hour before the procedure, non-asperin. I would recommend going to a body art shop (tattoo parlor) since they usually employ professional piercers. Hope it goes well for you and may God bless you~Chell

Hi, my daughter is 17 and all about piercing. Of course I made her wait also and do her research. She has her nose, tragus, double ears, and cartilage. Out of all of those, she said cartilage hurt the worst. I have always taken her to Randy Adams Studio. Very sanitary. Don't forget to bring her birth certificate to show her proof of age.
Good luck

Obscurities Trilogy Piercing www.obscurities.com
4008 Cedar Springs Road
Dallas, TX 75219-3505
###-###-####

Here is the place I recommend. I wouldn't just go anywhere, and I would not go to a place that uses an ear piercing gun. Those guns are designed for lobe piercings and use a straight post backing which are not adequate for a cartilage piercing. Usually your cartilage is thicker than the post is long so you end up shoving the back into the skin causing infection. If you go to a reputable piercing studio that practices sterile techniques they use piercing needles and the proper jewelry, and will give the proper instructions to take care of it so it will heal without any problems. Trust me its worth going to Dallas for that. I am almost 37 and still have 2 cartilage piercings I got from Obscurities when I was 19yrs old.
PS: it does not hurt near as badly with a double sharp-edge piercing needle as it does with a semi-blunt earring being shoved thru your ear w/a gun!!

I was surprised that it hurt alot more (for me) to get my cartilage pierced than my regular lobes. The thing is, you HAVE to be very very diligent (more so than with the lobes) about cleaning it. Afterwards, you won't be able to sleep on the side you get pierced. And even though I've had it done for 4 yrs now, I can't keep an earing in there and sleep on it. I don't know why. I don't know anywhere around here, though, sorry I couldn't help ya on that. I got mine done in Hollywood on vacation. (when she got her lobes done, did they use the piercing gun? cause with cartilege, it's just a big needle and they just swipe it through...)

I actually had mine done at Walmart several years ago ( I dont know if they even still do piercings) but I have also had others done at Claires. Mine personally did not hurt bad at all, just a little pain right when they did it. And they used a piercing gun not just a needle. I guess all places are different. As far as healing, I was pain free within a month at the most.

When I was in cosmetology school a long time ago, I used to use the gun to pierce the top cartilage of my fellow classmates ears. (never did it myself due to inability to wear ear-rings) They said it hurt like he!!. I remember we used to put towels in their mouths to muffle the screams. (we were only teenagers at the time). I have heard it takes at least a year for it to heal and the sensitivity is even longer. However, I used to work with someone who had their ears pierced from top to bottom, the whole cartilage rim all the way, so it's something that can be done.
Good Luck

Don't take her anywhere with a gun. That is why people get the hard scar tissue and it takes forever to heal and it hurts. Two best places in the area are Randy Adams in Ft worth off Lancaster as the previous person said or Epic in North ftw where most of them came from Randy Adams.

Only go to a good sterilized recommended tatoo/peircing place!!!