How long does a cartilage piercing take to heal?

*cough* I'm also going to get a cartilage piercing.. how bad does that one hurt on a scale from 1-10, how long does it take to heal (or, I mean, how long until I can change the earring), how long can't I sleep on it for, and which hurts more, with a...

needle, or with a gun??

It really depends on your tolerance for pain. For me, it didn't hurt at all. I have piercing on the top part of my right ear, cartilage, in the middle and both of the bottoms of my ears pierced. I'm pretty sure its six weeks before you should change the earring in it. With sleeping it depends on the way you set your head on whether it will be uncomfortable or not. I had to put my hand over that part of my ear when I had a stud in by now that I have a loop earring I don't have to bother with it anymore. I would recommend going for a gun not a needle. Also, I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself, get a professional to do it. That way there’s a less chance of it getting infected, which can hurt if you don't clean it as well right after getting it pierced. Once you get it pierced, ask the professional any questions you may have and they'll give you the answer. Hope I helped!
~Alanna

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Hey, ok. When I got my cartilage pierced, I didn't think it really hurt. It really depends on your tolerance for pain. I'd say it hurt a 2/10. After about a week I could sleep on it, but still not pressing really hard, and mine didn't get infected either. Of course it stings first, but if you have your lobes pierced, it's the same as that but you just have to wait a little bit longer until you can take them out. I got it with a gun because it was faster. If you dont have high pain tolerance, I'd say get it with a gun, but if you are afraid of pain so much, and more worried about getting an infection, I'd say go with a needle. Piercing Pagoda is a good place, and so is Claire's, if you're over 13. I'm not yet, so I got it at piercing pagoda.

I have mine pierced two times.
it just hurts when it goes through.
but after that. it doesnt hurt, unless you touch it.

Mine didn't hurt at all when I got my tragus done, there was a little crunch, and then when it was over it started to sting and hurt like a b*tch... I couldnt sleep on mine for 2- 2 1/2 weeks, but it wasn't so bad,,, and mine took a while to heel because every time it was about to, it would get hit or bumped, which delayed the time of heeling.

I would say it hurts as much as a paper cut it hurts for like 2 minutes then I didn't even know it was there I just got mine done 3 weeks ago and I haven't cleaned it for like a week and it didn't get infected I would say the gun its less painfull but it is a lot better as for is infection and heal time if you get it done whith a needle I would go with the gun it pain is about a... 1in a half over 10

wow pwople talk so much crap/... it is ILLEGAL to pierce the top of ear with a gun!!! if someone does it they should be closed down... it depends on the personw ith healing and pain...

Lets be HONEST, cartilage NEVER heals right, there will be nights you sleep on it wrong 20 years from now and it will hurt FACT, not because it's done wrong either, piercing it with a gun is NOT illegal, I've got my done at CLAIRS, a shop in the mall and WALMART, walmart isn't going to do it if its illegal, but I'd go with the gun, because the needles bigger...it doesnt hurt getting it done, after mine felt hot and stung for like, I dunno 5 min, not unberable, just annoying, you'll be iight

I'm sorry but the gun is a bad bad way to go for a cartilage piercing. It's more painful than the needle even tho you'd think the needle would hurt more because it creates a bigger hole. On a scale of 1-10, I'd say the pain was 1. And I'm very sensitive to pain. My lobes hurt more at the moment of being pierced than my cartilage. The needle is also a lot safer. It's completely sterile and professionial are doing it. I'm not sure if working at Claire's and using a gun to punch a hole in the ear like a hole puncher is very professional, but it works for some. When you use a gun it is more likely to damage the cartilage (like break it in that area) and cause infection. Also, guns cannot be properly sterilized like needles are. Needle piercings heal faster too just because it is sterile. Why not pay a little extra for a professional who specializes in piercings rather than someone who has been trained to use a gun and shoot earings through your ear?

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I've gotten my ears peirced at percing pagoda with a gun 3 times for cartilidge and no problems what so ever! they use a new gun everytime and you sit there and watch them take it out of a sterlized package and they throw it away when your done. I haven't had and horrible infections or huge bumps. and the guns quick and easy and makes you totally less nervous than a needle coming at you. thats just my experience.

I've gotten my ears peirced at percing pagoda with a gun 3 times for cartilidge and no problems what so ever! they use a new gun everytime and you sit there and watch them take it out of a sterlized package and they throw it away when your done. I haven't had and horrible infections or huge bumps. and the guns quick and easy and makes you totally less nervous than a needle coming at you. thats just my experience.

You should use a needle for piercing cartalidge, a gun can shatter it.

Don't sleep on it for about a week, and then leave it in for 3 months, and then you can change the stud and stuff, but you should keep a stud in all the time for like a year at least.
Mine hurt about a 4 ?

I did it myself though, I would recomend professionally.

hi there.
I have an industrial piercing in my left ear. I got it done by a professional piercer, which I recommend all the way. it was a more individual experience, which made me feel more comfortable about asking questions etc. and besides that, he charged me half as much as the lame stores in the mall wanted - to some people that might sound shady, but to other people it is realistic. 40$ vs 85$ for an industrial? yeahhh... and if you had any follow up questions about your piercing (ie. if I got infected later), you would be able to ask your specific piercer. good luck finding that same teenage girl who used the gun at claires.
also, piercing with a gun can be extremely dangerous. like people have said on here, the guns are wayyy harder to properly sterilize (there are so many tiny parts and pieces that cant be reached and cleaned) and can damage your cartilage.
my piercing hurt fairly badly. on a scale from 1-10, I'd say about a 6 for me. it was done with a 14g needle, and since its an industrial it requires 2 holes so it was twice the fun. I will definitely say though it was NOT the most painful experience of my life (my tattoo across the inside of my wrist was).
I still dont really sleep on my ear that much to this day, partially out of habit and partially because the bottom hole of my industrial is still healing. I take kind of a long time to heal and I've had infections with ear piercings in the past.
as you might have seen, if your piercing does end up getting infected, DONT TAKE OUT THE JEWELRY. it can trap the infection in your ear and if it gets stuck in there it could eventually lead to deformity of your ear or possibly amputation. I dont mean to scare you but its the truth and you can look it up.
anyway that was a super long post but I hope it helped. good luck!

I got my cartilage pierced about 3 months ago, and honestly it didn't hurt much. I would say a 3/10 for the actual piercing. and a 5.5/10 for the healing process. It can take up to a year to heal, depending on each person. You shouldn't take it out for AT LEAST 2 months, even then I still wouldn't take it out until it is healed. When you get the piercing it just feels really warm, and thats about it. But after wards it hurts when it is even slightly touched. if they get irritated (like mine is right now) then a lumpy thing can form on the back, but it will go away if you do sea salt soaks.
If you do regular sea salt soaks (3 times a week for the first two weeks, then any time it gets irritated) then it will heal better and faster.

never get your cartilage pierced with a gun..it could shatter the cartilage. Its just as fast with a needle.

Hey,
All those people that say not to peirce with a gun are nuts I have peirced my ears myself 4 times with a gun on each lobe and in middle top ears on cartilage and on inside of ear kitty corner of ear opening on both ears in cartilage and I had very very little pain a 1/10 maybe and I was able to sleep on the top ear peirceing about 3 to 5 days after I peirced it and for the inside of my ears I was able to sleep on both the very same night. and I have peirced a dozen others with a gun and they had no problems when peirced on cartilage.

Hey,
All those people that say not to peirce with a gun are nuts I have peirced my ears myself 4 times with a gun on each lobe and in middle top ears on cartilage and on inside of ear kitty corner of ear opening on both ears in cartilage and I had very very little pain a 1/10 maybe and I was able to sleep on the top ear peirceing about 3 to 5 days after I peirced it and for the inside of my ears I was able to sleep on both the very same night. and I have peirced a dozen others with a gun and they had no problems when peirced on cartilage.

at the time when she first pierced it, it hurt about a 2. but after that I hurts for about 3 months, mine still hurts. and I got mine done with a gun. a needle probally hurts more because a gun is reallly quick

I just got mine done. and I out a needle and cork. and trust me. I wouldn't go the gun way because my mom got it done with a gun. and she told me that she wishes she went to a tattoo piercing place to get it done. I got mine done at a tattoo piercing place and I got it done march 21 and it stopped hurting like march 24. and when I asked the guy he told me if I use warm salt water with a little bit of hydrogen peroxide and it will probably heal for like a month.

hope this helps!

I have 5 cartlige piercing. 1 industrial 1 anti-tragus and 3cartlige studs. they all take different amounts of time it is how your body reacts to the piercing and if your getting just a stud, go for the gun but if your actully geting like a trugus or industrial or something "major" get it done with a needle. if you do roll over in it, its not the end of the world and it will only be accouple iod days until you can fall asleep on it, but it might annoy you. honestly no matter what people say it is how you and your body react the the peircing.

Alright, so I'm thirteen, and I got mine pierced with a gun, and it did not hurt at all, it was just like the snap of your fingers, I didn't even blink. Frankly, I think the gun is more sanitary, because it's just a never used ear ring in the gun, and you don't even have to sanitize it. I could sleep on my ear that night. It's no joke, you do need to clean it every night, it WILL get infected. Mine didn't from not cleaning it though. Mine got infected because when they pierced it, my hair got in it, and whenever I turned it, my hair got stuck in it, so I took it our after a month and a half, and cleaned it out, and sanitized my ear, and ear ring, although your really supposed to keep in it for 3 months. but really it doesn't hurt at all. :D