A while ago I started to get very interested in piercings. I recently pierced my second set of lobes, and I wanted a new project because I very much enjoyed the satisfaction of doing a piercing by myself, and watching it heal, etc.
At A Glance Author mina Contact mina@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Myself Studio Bedroom Location Sydney Australia I always wanted a helix, but was too stingy and lazy to go to a studio to get it done, however one of my friends told me that he had done his himself, so I decided that I would give it a shot one day.
One night I suddenly remembered about it and decided to do it. I went and got my safety pin (unprofessional I know), and put it into a saucepan of boiling water (I thought it would help somewhat even though it isn't a proper method of sterilization, i would recommend using proper sterilization methods). I then got a bowl of ice, some tissues, a nice flower earring, some cotton buds and some Vaseline.
I put an ice cube on either side of my ear and held it there for about 2 minutes, this process really hurt actually. In fact I think the ice hurt more then the piercing did. After a while I took the ice off, and got out the safety pin. I picked where I wanted it to be, and put a sock behind my ear (they were clean, don't worry) because I was standing next to my drawers and they were there. I used it so the piercing procedure wouldn't pull on my ear.
I felt the needle go through the first layer of skin, which didn't hurt at all, then there was a hard part (I'm assuming the actual cartilage part). It took a while to push it through, but when it did go through it went quickly and suddenly with a weird noise. Then I just got it through the last layer of skin at the back.
Pushing the safety pin in further (so that it got past the narrow tip) was a little painful. I out Vaseline on the safety pin to ease it up. I got it half way through the safety pin and closed it up. Then for the next 10 minutes I just twisted it and pulled it back and forward so when I made the switch to the earring it would be easier.
After a while I took it out and put in the earring without any troubles. My ear at this stage was red and a little swollen but no blood at all, like all my piercings. I gave it a bit of a clean with the cotton buds since there was a little bit of pus and the such around the opening. That night it was very, very hard to sleep, and pressure to that side of my head would cause a lot of pain to my ear, and would cause the back of the stud to dig into my head, which wasn't pleasant at all.
For about a week and a half later my ear was really sore, and I was worried that it was infected. The slightest touch would send it into fits of pain and redness, and it didn't help that people kept on accidentally slapping my ear. After a while it settled down, and after about 2 weeks I took it out quickly (just to see if I could), I had a little bit of trouble finding the exit of the hole, but I got it back in with little problem.
It has been over a month since I got it, and yesterday I went out and bough myself a barbell, it is multicolored, and not ordinary in shape, it twists around, but so that the other end doesn't end up in line with the first end, rather about 1cm lower. Since this piercing was a lot thicker then the stud I had been wearing, I was a little worried that I would not be able to get it in. I'm guessing that it is either 16 or 14 gauge, however it wasn't specified in the store. It took a little bit of extra push but I got it in and screwed up the end (this was really hard).
I really like the way this piercing looks, it doesn't hurt anymore, or cause any irritation, and it never once got infected. I do want to try another one and make it a double helix but I'm a little scared because I really did not like the snapping/cracking sound it made last time.
This piercing hurts a little more then a lobe piercing, and It is a little harder to get the needle through, however I think it looks brilliant and I recommend it to anyone who wants to go further then a lobe but is too scared to do anything crazy.
My parents don't like it at all and think that it looks trashy but I love it.