Guide to Piercings: Helix Piercings

Once you go beyond the traditional ear lobe piercing an array of different ear piercings exist. One of these is Helix piercings which are an extremely popular choice (it is often people’s second ear piercing after the ear lobe).  So here is everything you wanted to know about Helix piercings, from healing times to jewellery choices and some photos for inspiration!

Helix piercings are located in the upper ear cartilage and are sometimes referred to as cartilage piercings. Traditionally, it is located at the rear of the ear on the outer section of cartilage, though a forward Helix is one variation located at the front of the ear. We then go into double and triple helix which are multiple helix piercings.

How much does a Helix Piercing hurt?

Pain is relative so it is hard to say how much one piercing will hurt for one individual as opposed to another. Having said that, Helix piercings are thru a thick section of cartilage which requires a little more force, say compared to a lobe piercing. Basically, expect something worse than your lobe piercings but not extremely painful.  The piercing will be quick and you will have your amazing new Helix piercing!

Never get your Helix (or any other piercing) done with a piercing gun and always go to a professional piercer.

Heal Time & Aftercare

• 3 to 6 months
• A definite consideration is if you tend to sleep on your side, trying to sleep on the opposite side to the fresh piercing, placing a pillow on that side of your body (behind your back) can help you from rolling over.
• Avoid touching the piercing with dirty hands. Dirty hands can carry bacteria that can be transferred to the piercing and cause infection and irritation.
• Do not spin the jewellery as this will irritate your piercing while it is trying to heal and risks introducing bacteria into the piercing.
• Do not change your jewellery too soon. Many people want to change the jewellery quite soon after getting the piercing done, doing so before the piercing has fully healed railings the risks of infections and at the very least sets the healing time back as all the natural healing is disrupted by the change.

Type of Jewellery

The two main types of body jewellery for helix piercings are studs or rings and there are many variations and styles within each of these categories!

Helix Rings Studs consist of a straight bar with a decorative or plain end and a flat-backed end on the rear (same as a labret stud). Commonly the front unscrews so that you can insert the jewellery into your piercing.  Studs come in a variety of jewelled fronts, plain or even unique designs in a range of materials and finishes. Barbells are similar but have a removable (screw-on) ball on the rear.

Helix Studs & Barbells Rings (or hoops as some call them) are extremely popular choices for helix piercings. Rings are inserted and removed depending on the type of ring they are. Our range includes a number of fantastic ring choices some (such as our hinged segment rings or our continuous rings) make inserting and removing the jewellery super easy.

References:

BME Wikipedia Helix Piercing https://wiki.bme.com/index.php?title=Helix_Piercing retrieved 26th September 2022
Wikipedia Helix Piercing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helix_piercing retrieved 26th September 2022

Photos:

Photo by kyle smith on Unsplash
Photo by Brenner Oliveira from Pexels
Photo by Rachel Claire from Pexels
Photo by Jayson Hinrichsen from Pexels
Photo by Scott Spedding from Pexels