Cartilage Piercing w/ Piercing Gun

itzd0pey · Apr 19, 2007

=o sooo i just found out that yu aren't suppose to pierce the cartilage with a piercing gun. lol anywho i got mine done twice with piercing gun. =o first time i got it done was from this asian lady who really sucked >:O , there was pain there for a week( without contact ) anywho.. it healed up & after awhile my friend tugged on it so it got infected =o, when it finally healed it got this huge bump there, but =o it went down tho. thenn like 3 days ago , i decided to repierce the same spot with a piercing gun, i heard it destroys ur cartilage =o, ppl said its better to do it with a needle? wouldn't that hurt more :x. anywho >:O i hope this one don't come out with a huge bump if when it heals up -surr

So what's wrong with doing ear cartilage piercing with a gun? The skin on the cartilage is held in place by a connective layer to the cartilage, when the stud goes through the cartilage it tears the connective layer away from the cartilage and fluid fills the void between the skin and cartilage. This fluid crystallizes and forms what is called Cauliflower Ear* ( *usually seen in boxers who fight without ear protection ) this bump looks awful and is not the desired effect for ear cartilage piercing. The cartilage piercing takes and inordinate period of time to heal due to the lack of room for the skin to heal through the hole of the cartilage because the piercing isn't big enough for the tissue to enter the hole in the cartilage. Besides that the cartilage isn't suppose to be pierced that way in the first place.
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source: http://www.pacificbodyjewellery.com/smkgun.htm

:: Ear Cartilage ::

Ear cartilage piercings are like exotic plants. There is a vast array of exciting possibilities as far as location, angles, connections, and jewelry options. They look great to own. But the extreme sensitivity and slow regeneration of ear cartilage makes constant care essential to healing. Many people do not have the information and/or patience to heal them successfully. If you are interested in giving it a shot, we can help you with the information. The patience is up to you.

As you can see from the photos, many different types of ear cartilage piercings are possible, depending mainly on the shape of your individual ear. Everyone has slightly different folds and surfaces, so customizing projects to your ear is the best way to go. Unlike the softer tissue of the lobe, cartilage is rather unforgiving, so you really can¹t force it into unnatural positions. If you do, you tend to pay the price in pain and scarring. If you work with the structures you already have, and take care not to put pressure on them, you have a greater chance of a happy piercing.

The main difference between cartilage and lobe piercings is healing time. While an ear lobe will heal in 6 - 8 weeks, cartilage piercings may take 6 months to a year to be fully settled. The piercing may be achy or tender for a good bit of this time. And you must take care not to sleep on that side, hold the phone against it, play with it or otherwise put pressure against the piercing. If you are not gentle with it, cartilage will often build up large lumps of reddish or skin-colored scar tissue around the piercing.

Eliminating the cause of the problem will often help the scar tissue dissipate (e.g. stop sleeping on it), but it can become permanent. (See the Infections and Irritations section of Aftercare for advice on scarring.) So it is definitely in your best interest to treat cartilage piercings well from the start. Along with navels, ear cartilage can be some of the most difficult piercings to heal.

One final note on ear cartilage: Never never never let anyone pierce your cartilage with an ear piercing gun! You are virtually guaranteeing yourself an extended healing time with extra pain and scarring. Guns were not designed for piercing structural tissue, and can cause damage. Furthermore, the studs the guns use are too short to allow for the swelling caused by gun piercing. If the tissue is restricted during swelling, it is prone to more scarring. Using a gun to pierce cartilage opens the door to a whole slew of possible complications. Don't do it.

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source: http://www.infinitebody.com/gallery/ear/earcart.html

leejr930 · Apr 20, 2007

i want to get my cartlidge pierced too but i heard it hurts too much. Can't stand the pain.

itzd0pey · Apr 20, 2007

doesn't hurt when its pierced, but you will feel alot of pain while you sleep & happen to roll on to it

Cartilage Piercing w/ Piercing Gun

itzd0pey Well-Known Member

leejr930 Member

itzd0pey Well-Known Member