I had my upper ear cartilage pierced more than a year ago when I was 15 years old and I can tell ya, it's just not worth it. I do not recommend someone getting it done, and if you do get it done, don't get it done at a mall store... they're so prone to infection it's not even funny.
At A Glance Author Lisa Contact princessjedi21@yahoo.com Artist Blonde Store Clerk Girl? Studio After Thoughts Location Maplewood, Minnesota It all started out with my friend Becca. She and her boyfriend had just broken up and she wanted to update her look a little, be more daring. Eventually, we came up with the idea of getting our ears pierced. I already had one set of earrings like most girls, and so did she. We both decided on cartilage piercing on our upper ear. We set a date to hit the Maplewood Mall in Minnesota, and in February, we went.
We looked around at several of the mall places that did ear piercing, and decided that After Thoughts was best because it's sign advertised that they did cartilage piercing while the rest just said ear piercing. I also liked it better because the piercing station wasn't so much out in the open, and your back was turned to the store entrance. My mom signed the form, and for Becca. Little did she know that I not only planned to get my cartilage pierced, but that I also was going to get another set of regular lobe piercings. *insert evil grin here* I told Becca I'd go first because she looked a little nervous and I got my regular piercings done first. Feeling slightly dizzy from the rush of adrenaline, I asked Becca if she wanted to get hers done and then I'd get my other one done. She said okay and hopped up on the chair. She looked so nervous I couldn't help but laugh and I made jokes and stuff to try and relax her. The piercer/store clerk asked Becca to pick out an earring and she chose a simple gold stud (smart choice, I wasn't so smart). She marked her ear and gave Becca a mirror, asking her if it was where she wanted it and Becca said yes. Becca held her breath and the store clerk fooled around with the gun for a moment, inserting the cartridge and telling Becca to breathe. Finally, she held the gun up to Becca's ear and pulled the trigger. Becca flinched, but didn't appear to be in any pain. She looked at it in the mirror and then hopped down. I asked her if it hurt and she said no, so I wasn't nervous.
I hopped up in the chair and chose a silver hoop (HUGE mistake, do NOT get a hoop, especially a crappy mall piece of jewelry silver hoop). She marked the place, and I liked it, and she told me to be freaked when the cartridge didn't let go of the earring after the gun pierced- it didn't let go of a hoop, it had to be taken off manually. I kept my eyes trained on Becca and pop! I felt a hot pinch, it almost felt good, and I was pierced. I checked it out in the mirror and was exceedingly pleased. Becca and I both paid (mine was about 40 dollars since I had 2 separate jobs done) and went out into the mall to meet my mom and my grandma in the food court. They admired our earrings as we sat down and congratulated us on being brave... * snicker snicker *
It turns out that the whole thing after that day was going to turn out to be terrible. I couldn't sleep on that side for about 6 months. It got infected, red, and it hurt. I have a keloid there now, and it's still not healed. (All this even though I used the disinfectant that they gave me twice a day.) When it came time for volleyball season and I had to take it out, I pulled and felt resistance. I pulled some more, and some more, and the back just would not come off. I had my coach look at it, but she couldn't really see. Our first game was coming up so one weekend morning I just decided I was going to do it. I went into the bathroom, shut the door, and pulled really hard. I bit my lip to keep from screaming because it hurt so bad, and then I looked at the earring and found the reason why it had not come off: the cheap crap earring had RUSTED SHUT. I swore and got so pissed that I almost broke a candleholder. I showed the earring to my coach and she looked shocked. The night of the first game I took out the new earring I had put in and went out onto the court. When I came back in, the skin had closed shut. I almost left it but it seemed like such a waste seeing as I had spent so much time on the piercing. So I got a sharp stud and forced it back through the skin, much to the wonderment of my teammates. I had to do that for every game that year. After that, I kept trying to put in different earrings: another huge mistake... so about a month ago I got smart and just put a real stud in it and I'm leaving it.
Advice for getting your cartilage pierced:
1) DO NOT go to a mall store.
2) Pick GOOD earrings, such as titanium, nobium, gold, or surgical steel.
3) Do not cut the piercing off from air by putting hair over it.
4) Do NOT get hair styling products in the piercing- it really hurts.
5) Always always love your piercing and someday it will love you back :).