If you have just had a new cartilage piercing done, you naturally want it to heal as smoothly as possible. In itself, that is not so difficult, but it does require a lot of patience and there are a few things you need to take into account during the healing process. But no worries, many people have gone before you with their cartilage piercings, such as helix piercings, tragus piercings or industrial piercings. And often everything just works out fine. Did you know that your nostril is also made up of cartilage and therefore requires a similar healing process? But on to it, what is the best way to let your cartilage piercing heal? Then read on!
Patience is a virtue
Cartilage piercings have a long healing period. You simply cannot ignore that. The cartilage part in your ear (and nose) is made up of different layers. The blood flow to the cartilage part of your ear is different from that of the softer tissues, such as your earlobe. Cartilage itself does not contain any blood vessels, these are located in the tissues surrounding the cartilage. This means that cartilage piercings take a lot longer to heal than, for example, an earlobe piercing. The cartilage part of your ear is mainly fed by the blood vessels in the skin tissues. When you pierce this part, it is therefore important that this is done as cleanly and neatly as possible, so with a piercer and with a good, incredibly sharp needle. The big advantage of that large amount of blood vessels is that this tissue can immediately take action if something is wrong, which can cause you to experience significant, sudden swelling and redness. It is part of it, but it can sometimes be difficult not to give up hope and to give your piercings the chance to actually heal. The best thing you can do for your cartilage piercing is to leave it alone as much as possible and clean it in a gentle, not too aggressive way.
How do you keep your cartilage piercing clean?
Many people benefit from using a warm saline solution. You make the saline solution with salt and boiled water. Then you soak your piercing in it so that the blood circulation is stimulated and crusts can come off. Then you rinse briefly with clean, warm water and let it dry completely.
Another method is to clean it in the shower with only warm water. In principle, this also works fine, the warm water stimulates the blood circulation and you can easily rinse away crusts with the spray. Just make sure that no shampoo residue remains in your piercing, so clean your piercing at the end of your shower routine. You can use a mild, unscented soap (for example the cleaning gel from Easypiercing).
There is also the LITHA method, where you actually touch the piercing as little as possible (or, Leave It The Hell Alone). After your piercing has been done, you actually try to forget that it is there as much as possible and let your body do the rest. When it suits you, you can rinse the piercing in the shower, but otherwise you leave it alone.
Oh yes, when drying yourself, also make sure that you do not accidentally get caught on your piercing. You will not be the first person to have their nose piercing roughly removed by an overzealous towel... Not a pleasant feeling, we can tell you from personal experience.
Stick to your aftercare method
Actually, a very important 'rule' during the healing of your cartilage piercing is that you should not switch between aftercare methods too much. Are you going for the warm saline solution? Then do not suddenly start using soap after a few days, but keep it up for at least a few months. Are you using the LITHA method? Then leave it alone as much as possible. Move the jewelry as little as possible, so certainly do not turn your jewelry. Turning is completely unnecessary and only damages the wound on the inside, which will make the healing process take even longer. Also, no picking, no fiddling, no rubbing. Just keep those fingers away from your piercings anyway, because fingers often carry a fair amount of bacteria and other contaminants, and you don't want those anywhere near your healing piercings. So keep your hands off!
Wear suitable jewelry
A no-brainer, but important. A piercing jewelry that is loose enough but also stable gives you the best chance of success. In most cases, a barbell or labret rod is the best choice. Long enough to absorb any swelling (which you can also encounter later in the healing period) but not so long that you get stuck everywhere. Your piercer can inform you perfectly about the size. Special nose studs are often available for nose piercings, but sometimes an extra thin labret rod can also be placed. Rings are generally not preferred, because they can cut into your skin due to their round shape (you will certainly notice this if there is swelling) and in addition, rings often move faster, which can also cause irritation.
The Bump
It can happen that after a while you suddenly see a bump appear around your piercing. Not nice of course, but in general this happens very often. There can be several causes for these bumps, but in general these bumps are caused by a minor bacterial infection or by excessive scar tissue. In both cases it is often just a matter of bad luck, because due to the longer healing time a cartilage piercing is exposed to all kinds of external influences that can cause a bump. Usually such a bump does not look very nice, but you do not have much trouble with it. Sometimes they can be a bit sensitive or itchy, as soon as you notice that you are getting more trouble with it, it is important that you check it with your piercer or GP of course.
Ok, bump detected, my patience is up, how do I get it out?
Saline solution - Many people achieve good results with a warm saline solution. You then make a standard saline solution and soak a clean gauze in it. You then place this on the affected area and apply light pressure. Hold this until the gauze has cooled down completely. Then repeat this 6-8 times and once a day and rinse the saline solution away with clean (warm) water afterwards.
Healing Discs - Another option to tackle your bump is to use our silicone Healing Discs. These are small silicone discs that you wear around the bar of your piercing. The discs also exert light pressure on the piercing, which will make the bump disappear faster. In combination with daily rinsing with warm water (hello, shower!) or a warm saline solution, you will often notice an improvement soon.
Piercing Oil - Essential oils can also provide relief from irritation. Some people achieve good results with Tea Tree oil, but caution is advised here because pure essential oils can irritate the skin. It is best to add a few drops of Tea Tree to your warm saline solution and soak your piercing in it, or opt for a mixture of essential oils and base oil that you can use undiluted on the skin, such as our piercing oil Fix.
Piercing First Aid Kit - If you want to have everything you need to tackle your cartilage bump right away, our Piercing First Aid Kit for Cartilage Bumps is perfect. This kit contains everything you need to take care of your piercing with a bump: mineral salt, silicone healing discs, tea tree oil and sterile gauze.
On to a good healing, then! If you still have doubts about the healing of your piercing, it is best to check this with the piercer who did your piercing or of course with your GP.
If you have any questions about our aftercare products or jewelry, please do not hesitate to contact us!
Phone: 072-7370119
Whatsapp: 06 4049 4149
Email: info@alloverpiercings.nl
