Cartilage piercings are becoming increasingly popular with ear piercings, and many people don't want to pay a professional for one. However, homemade piercings are dangerous and often end up with a crooked and irregular hole at best, or a bad infection at worst. You should always consider seeing a professional piercer, but if you are firmly committed to getting yourself a piercing at home, read these instructions and tips.
Steps
Step 1. Consider hiring a professional
Contrary to popular belief, piercing your ears on your own is neither easy nor safe. A professional piercer has the experience, tools and environment suitable to proceed quickly and cleanly.
- Poorly executed piercings can lead to infection, bleeding and even nerve damage. You must be aware of all the risks if you want to continue.
- If in any doubt, go to a piercing studio.
Step 2. Choose a suitable needle
You can't use sewing ones or a safety pin; you can find the specific tools online and they are not too expensive either. There is a very wide variety of models, but only one pair is suitable for piercing the tragus. Your needle should be:
- Cable.
- Larger in size, or caliber, than the earring you want to use (if you intend to wear an 11 gauge jewel, buy a 12 gauge needle).
- Curved (optional). Most practitioners use a curved needle because this pattern follows the natural line of the tragus. However, it is not easy to handle and not strictly necessary.
Step 3. Prepare to make the material safe and sterile
You will never be too careful when it comes to the hygiene and sterility of piercing tools. Remember that you are about to create an open wound in the body that will remain open for several weeks - until it heals; so it's a perfect place for bacterial overgrowth, if you're not more than careful. Make sure you have:
- Gloves.
- Cork.
- Cotton balls.
- Gauze.
- Disinfectant.
- Antiseptic liquid, bleach, denatured alcohol or a flame to sterilize.
Step 4. Wash your hands and clean your ear
You can use soap and water or an antibacterial solution that you can buy without a prescription. If you've decided to use soap, get a germicidal one. Remember that it is essential that your instruments and hands are perfectly clean.
Step 5. Sterilize everything
The importance of this step will never be emphasized enough. Use antibacterial wet wipes and clean every surface, sterilize the needle, the earring and the cork. First wash each object with soap and water to remove any residue of dirt and encrustations. There are two acceptable ways to sterilize the material:
- Sterilize the needle by holding it over a flame for 10-15 seconds. Do not allow the flame to come into contact with the needle.
- In a bowl, prepare an equal parts solution of bleach and water. Submerge the tools and wait at least a minute. Finally rinse with clean water.
- Whenever your hands or equipment get dirty or contaminated, repeat this process all over again.
Step 6. Consider the complications
While the tragus isn't a particularly difficult spot to pierce, you need to be prepared for the fact that your hand could slip, faint, or puncture the wrong way round. Have a friend nearby who can call emergency services if needed.
Step 7. Place a thick piece of cork behind the tragus
This allows you to keep it still and prevents the needle from passing over once this part of the ear has been pierced. Insert the cork so that it rests against the tragus without causing you discomfort.
You may need to cut the cork piece in half to fit your ear, however make sure it is no thinner than 1.5cm
Step 8. With the help of a mirror, align the needle at the point to be pierced
Make sure it is well centered in relation to the tragus and that it is not crooked or tilted. You can also buy a specific marker to mark the exact point where you want to apply the jewel, in doing so you will have a point of reference. Do not use normal school markers, because the ink can get into the wound.
Step 9. Press the needle firmly, keeping it straight, so that it passes through the tragus
Perform a quick movement and a certain force to push the needle through the ear to the cork. Do not hold the needle crooked and do not jerk it once it is in the skin. Stay calm and push the needle with a quick but steady movement.
- To relax before the piercing, inhale deeply and then push the needle as you exhale.
- Don't stop halfway because you only increase the duration of the pain.
Step 10. Leave the needle in place for 10 minutes before removing it
In the meantime, use a cotton ball and denatured alcohol or an antiseptic solution to disinfect the wound.
Gently, rotate and pull the needle to partially remove it. Leave a small part of the instrument in the ear, so you can easily insert the earring
Step 11. Insert the tip of the earring into the hollow part of the needle
Thanks to the hollow point of the needle, you can guide the jewel through the tragus. Next, hold the earring still and remove the rest of the needle so that only the first one remains in the hole. Close the jewel.
Step 12. Use gauze to gently wipe away blood
You can first dip it in an antibacterial solution or alcohol to sterilize the wound. Dispose of all used materials.
Step 13. Leave the earring in place for 4-6 weeks
This way the skin has time to heal and a small hole will remain. If you remove the jewel prematurely, the hole could close again and you would have to repeat the procedure.
Step 14. Check the tragus for infection
Over the next two weeks, keep your ear clean with soap and water to avoid infection. If you notice any of these symptoms, do not remove the earring and go to the doctor immediately:
- Red or swollen skin.
- Ache.
- Green or yellow liquid leaking.
- Fever.
Advice
- Use a medical marker to draw a spot where you want the piercing. Do not use a normal marker, because the ink could enter the bloodstream.
- Do not use ice to numb the ear, as it also hardens the skin.
- Look in the mirror to make sure you pierce the tragus in the straight line.
Warnings
- Don't pierce your friends unless you're a professional body artist. You could have legal repercussions and put the health of your teammates at risk.
- Remember that we are all different and you may have risk factors that make these methods impractical, or your ear may have characteristics where the techniques need to be modified.
- Read all the instructions and warnings before continuing, and make sure that all the equipment is sterilized.
