In 8th grade I decided I wanted my cartilage done. And I wanted my cartilage done really really badly. My parents, being who they are, said maybe when I asked them about it. Of course, I took that as a "no". Then one of my friends who also wanted her cartilage done did hers herself. I saw it, and it looked... pretty crappy, honestly. It was way inside the curve of her ear, and it looked really infected. Also, her mom was taking her to the doctor to get it fixed so it would heal and not get more infected.
At A Glance Author disorder Contact disorder@bme.anon When A year ago Artist me Studio my bedroom Location new mexico I then thought... if she can do it, I can too! (Of course, forgetting that hers got messed up and did not look attractive at all.)
My first attempt involved a poorly sterilized needle and little else. I was on the phone with my friend, and, while talking to her, I took a deep breath and pushed through the first layer of skin. She kept talking to me and trying to get me to go ahead and do it, but something didn't feel right. I gently put the needle back in the dent, and pushed again. Then I decided to do it another night, which brings me to my second attempt.
My second attempt did not even happen. I went over to a friends house to sleep over, with the agreement that after watching the movie Thirteen, we would pierce each other's cartilage. Then my friend became a bitch and would not watch Thirteen. Then I went into her bathroom with a thumbtack and tried again, but wussed out before even breaking the skin. After that, my friend and I put some pillows down on the floor. I lay down on them, and as she was coming at my ear with a thumbtack I freaked out.
My third and final attempt was a success. I put a dot in sharpie on my ear where I wanted the piercing. Then I dumped everything I was going to use in rubbing alcohol. Next came the numbing, in the form of a chunk of ice held to my ear for an amazing amount of time. Finally, the piercing itself.
I cut a pear in half, to use as support for the tissue. Then, using one of the very sharp studs I had gotten my lobes pierced with, I pushed. Hard. A loud pop, and there it was! My craved cartilage piercing!
The next three months were hell, as far as healing was concerned. Every other week or so, my piercing would get so infected that I would have to take out the stud, clean that, and vigorously clean the piercing. Now, after reading up on it, I realize that taking the stud out was probably bad. However, one of my friends had gotten hers done professionally around the same time, and hers did the same cycle of "healing" and then getting horribly infected. After two months, that stopped happening, but every time I tried to put a hoop in, my piercing would start bleeding and I couldn't get the hoop through. So I stuck to studs for a while, and one day I found a hoop in my room. I realized I hadn't tried to get a hoop through for awhile, and so I quickly cleaned the hoop and gently pushed it through. Success! That was when I considered the piercing fully healed.
Now, a whole year later, my piercing has healed better than some of my friends, who had theirs done professionally, mainly because I ended up with a very miniscule keluloid. How I managed that, I do not know, but I am not complaining.
Now, self piercing is not a good idea, but I can not say it has hurt me terribly. (After my cartilage healed I double pierced my ears) My honest opinion is that ears are Ok to do yourself, as long as it is not a complicated piercing (i.e., Industrials.) And, with everything, please, please keep it clean. I know people who have pierced things and had things pierced, and as soon as it gets dirty it gets infected and goes down hill from there. Another thing to remember is to make sure that what you're cleaning with is not too harsh. (My rampant use of rubbing alcohol probably slowed the healing process considerably.) And, most importantly, if you have any doubts, do not do the piercing yourself!
In retrospect, if my parents had said a concrete yes or no, I would not have done it myself, and instead I would have talked them 'round and gotten it done professionally.
Especially because my mom wants me to get my cartilage redone "correctly" by a professional before I get my eyebrow done. Seriously though. I like it, it's well healed and cute!