How to Prepare for Your First Helix Piercing

 Spiral piercing is rarely the initial puncture. Most people start with a lobe, navel, or nostril piercing. Going to ear cartilage means longer healing time and slightly more pain. But you don't have to be afraid. Whether the helix will be your first upper ear piercing or another one for your collection, you can get it done, you just need to know how to prepare for it.

What is a Helix piercing?

Helical piercing is a piercing of the outer upper cartilage of the ear. The name comes from the DNA helix, with which the piercing bears some resemblance. Cartilage forming strands of DNA, and piercings forming connecting strands of sugars and phosphates. 

The presence of two or three helical punctures means double helix piercing and triple helix piercing, respectively. Other popular options include:

• Straight helix piercing: The anterior helix faces forward on the upper cartilage of the ear, just above the tragus.
• Piercing Anti-Helix (Snug): The antihelix is ​​placed on a cartilaginous fold within the outer cartilage. The exact location depends on the shape of your ear.

How to get ready

Choose a piercing salon

One of the first things to do is to choose a professional piercing shop. Whatever experience you have with other piercings, the helix is ​​a bit more advanced. You want to get your cartilage pierced by a professional. Inexperience can lead to infection, damage, or, alas, an ugly piercing.

In addition to this, you benefit from any piercing in a professional shop. This means a sterile environment and instruments. Do not pierce the coil with a piercing gun. As well as support and instruction throughout the healing process.

Our favorite Helix jewelry

Get information about aftercare in advance

If you stock up on pre-piercing care products, you will have less to worry about after. In all likelihood, all you'll want to do afterwards is look at your new piercing instead of walking around town for the essentials.

Your piercing studio may recommend certain products. A basic piercing care kit should include:

• Antimicrobial soap type PurSan.
• Saline wound wash or saline solution, such as NeilMed. Or ingredients for your own sea salt bath.
• Soak applicator, such as sterile gauze pads or cotton balls.

This readiness saves time and can help you deal with pre-piercing tremors. 

There!

You don't want to get pierced on an empty stomach. Eat good, healthy food no more than 2 hours before your helix piercing. This maintains blood sugar levels, preventing dizziness, lightheadedness, or even fainting.

Also take a snack with you. Just like after an injection at the doctor's office, you want to take a moment to recover and regulate your blood sugar levels after your piercing. It's best to bring your snacks individually wrapped, like a juice box, to make sure they're safe and sterile.

Avoid drugs, painkillers, and alcohol before getting pierced

For a restless piercing, it's tempting to calm your nerves with a drink before the needle. But alcohol before a piercing is a bad idea. It thins the blood, which can cause excessive bleeding and bruising. In addition, the presence of alcohol in your body increases the risk of swelling, infection, and pain. It's actually best to avoid drinking alcohol for the first few days after your piercing.

Medications and painkillers can have a similar effect on piercings. So it's best to avoid them too. If you are taking prescription medications, you may want to check with your doctor and/or piercer. Some conditions, such as hemophilia, require a doctor's consultation before making an appointment.

If you are taking antibiotics, it is best to wait until you have completed your prescription. Reschedule your piercing if you are sick. You want your body to be in top shape to recover from your piercing. 

Relax/keep calm

There is usually a little anxiety before a piercing, but it's best to try to relax. Staying calm relaxes the muscles, making it easier for both you and the artist to puncture.

There are many things you can do starting with what you are doing right now. Learning about piercings helps calm the nerves. You can enter with confidence and knowledge of what is about to happen. This is a great way to take control mentally.

There are many other relaxation techniques for piercings. Some tips include:

• Take a friend with you
• Listen to soothing music or podcasts
• MEDITATION
• Breathing exercises
• Positive thinking

Choose your Helix jewelry

Of course, you will need jewelry for the initial helix piercing. But it's worth considering what body jewelry you might want to switch to once the piercing has healed. There is a big difference between choosing jewelry for new and healed piercings.

For your initial spiral jewelry, it's all about healing. You want a piercing that won't irritate the piercing. This means choosing non-allergenic materials such as gold (14-18 carats) and titanium for implants. Also, you want jewelry that won't snag or move easily. A ring, for example, is usually a poor choice for an initial piece of jewelry because it tends to move around a lot, irritating a fresh piercing, and easily catches on a hairbrush.

However, once your piercing is fully healed, your options open up. You can become more liberal in your choice of jewelry. This is when you can replace the barbell or spike with a ring.

It's good to go not only with the jewelry you plan to wear that day, but also have an idea of ​​what kind of piercing jewelry you'll want to wear later on. This will allow the stylist to understand how you want the piercing to look.

There are 3 common types of helix piercing jewelry:

• Captive Beaded Rings
• Labret studs
• Barbells

Common questions about Helix piercing

How long does a Helix piercing take to heal?

The helix is ​​roughly in the middle of how long an ear piercing takes to heal. The average healing time is 6 to 9 months. You usually need to wait at least 2 months before changing your jewelry, as changing jewelry before it heals will damage the piercing. Consult with your piercer to determine if the piercing has healed sufficiently. 

How painful is a Helix piercing?

People always want to know how painful a piercing is. This is a fair question, although the initial pain passes quickly. A helix piercing is somewhere in the middle, usually a 5 out of 10 on the pain scale. It is slightly less painful than most other cartilage piercings.

What are the risks of a Helix piercing?

By itself, a helical piercing is a pretty low risk if you take proper care of it and go to a professional piercing shop. However, it is worth understanding the risks in order to understand the importance of these factors.

Going to a professional piercer is essential, especially for cartilage piercings. This area is prone to excessive bleeding, so proper placement is important. Also, the shape of your ear determines the position, so you need someone with a lot of experience and knowledge. Piercing in the wrong place also increases the risk of scarring.

Your aftercare is something you shouldn't take lightly. Infections are not common, but they do happen if the piercing is not cared for. A severe infection that causes the coil to pierce can lead to keloids, large, swollen scars that leave scars and may require treatment. In the worst case, the infection can lead to perichondritis, which can worsen the structure of the ear. If you see signs of an infection or allergic reaction, speak to your piercer immediately and take steps to prevent these conditions from occurring.

Get a Helix Piercing in Newmarket

When you get a helix piercing, be sure to visit a professional piercer. They will make sure your piercing is safe and beautiful, answer all your questions and teach you aftercare techniques.

Contact us to schedule an appointment or visit our professional Newmarket Piercing Store at Upper Canada Mall.