It’s no secret that ears full of different piercings are trending these days. While the classic lobe piercings are the norm for most, lately, we’ve seen a major shift from plain old lobe piercings to intricate piercing placements, to show off your “earscape.” It’s no question that there is a rhyme and reason to ear piercing, as it is an art in itself. Some questions our clients ask range anywhere from “what’s a trendy piercing placement right now?” to “is a needle or gun piercing the best way to go?” Well, our earring experts at Slate & Tell have all of the answers for your next piercing, including placement, method, care and more!
Check out our most asked questions and tips for your next piercing below!
1. The Ear Map
The classic ear map features seven different piercing placements for your next earring hole. The classic lobe piercing, the helix, also known as the cartilage piercing, the tragus, rook, conch, and upper lobe are also popular piercing spots. The lobe piercing can hold any earring from a stud, to a drop, hoop or dangling earring, while piercing spots like the tragus, conch and daith are better with small hoops! See our earring map below to plan your next piercing
2. Where Should I Go for my Next Piercing?
Our experienced jewelers and colleagues always recommend to get your next piercing at a piercing and tattoo parlor and to stay away from piercing pagodas or anywhere that uses piercing guns- we’ll get into the piercing gun preference in the next section! Always do your research before you get pierced. Read reviews, and make sure to ask questions upon your arrival! You want to look for a piercer that regularly sterilizes their equipment and is wearing protective equipment, such as gloves. Yelp will be your best friend for your piercing research!
3. What’s the Difference Between Getting Pierced with a Piercing Gun Vs. a Needle?
Every professional piercer uses needles, not piercing guns- and here’s why. Non-disposable piercing guns are actually banned by the APP (Association of Professional Piercers), as piercing guns use springs, which can hurt your ear tissue due to the pressure of the gun. Additionally, the level of accuracy with a needle is far better than a piercing gun, and more sanitary. Piercing needles are specially designed to go through the ear tissue and actually create space for the earring itself. Just remember to take a deep breathe and the piercing will be over before you know it!
4. What Piercing is the Most Painful?
It truly depends on a few things, including your pain tolerance and nerves before the piercing. Of course it is a bit nerve wracking to get any piercing, but your nerves can actually attribute to the pain of the piercing itself. Earlobe piercing pain is quite mild, while areas on the ear that contain more cartilage can be slightly more painful. The best way to avoid pain after your piercing is to make sure you are doing everything you can for a quick and easy healing process.
5. How Long Will My Piercing Take to Heal?
Because of the different levels of blood flow to different parts of the ear, healing depends on the placement of your piercing. For example, the cartilage does not have as much blood flow as the lobe, so it may take longer to heal. In order to avoid any infection of the piercing, it is best to avoid touching the piercing with dirty hands. The risk of infection truly comes from the transfer of bacteria onto the piercing.
Additionally, it is a great idea to wash and change your pillow cases every one to two weeks after your piercing, to ensure there is no dirt or bacteria that can affect the piercing. Your piercer will give you information on how to care for your new piercing, which usually includes a saline solution or antibacterial soap. If your piercing feels like it might be infected, make sure to call your piercer or doctor and use an antibacterial healing ointment, such as Neosporin.
Now that you have your piercing guide- it’s time to shop Slate & Tell’s latest earring collection. From eccentric evening earrings, to simple, everyday pieces, Slate & Tell’s earring collection has everything you need to create the perfect “earscape” for your summer look! Shop our entire earring collection here.
