So you’re considering getting another piercing. What, am I wrong? Oh I see, maybe I shouldn’t assume that you’re getting another piercing, you could be doing some light reading and want to see what all this conch piercing fuss is about, which is fair enough — knowledge is power. Or maybe my assumption was right, and you are very much contemplating getting your ears pierced for the umpteenth time.
Regardless of why you’re reading this article, just sit back and relax a bit so we can learn all about conch piercings together.
What Is A Conch Piercing?
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A conch piercing is your run-of-the-mill body piercing located on the middle, external part of your ear. A little more specifically, the piercing is located on the cartilage area just before the ear canal, also known as the “concha” of the ear.
The conch piercing is one of many cartilage piercings that have come into the spotlight recently, and if you want to sport an elegant and unique look, you’re looking at the right piercing.
How To Get A Conch Piercing
@piercingsbycolin Quick conch piercing from today #conchpiercing #piercing #fyp #safepiercing ♬ original sound – Colin_o
To get a conch piercing, you’ll first want to do some research on piercings or have at least some background knowledge of cartilage piercings. While your piercer will give you more in depth information about the piercing you want to get, it is still a good idea to have some information on what’s going on when getting pierced.
To get this piercing, you’re going to want to go to a tattoo/piercing parlor to get it professionally done. While this piercing can technically be done at home with the right tools (that are sterilized), you don’t want to run the risk of hurting yourself and possibly messing up/scarring your ear in the process.
Cartilage vs. Lobe Piercings
Cartilage piercings are different from lobe piercings. The lobe is significantly softer and is made up of mostly just skin and fat. Being made of skin and fat makes the piercing process less painful since the piercing needle can glide right on through without much resistance.
Cartilage on the other hand is a lot harder than the lobe since it is made of stronger, more flexible connective tissue. Because cartilage is harder to pierce through, the piercing process will hurt a bit more and will likely take longer to heal.
Conch Piercing Cost
As for the cost of your piercing, you can expect the piercing itself to average around $60. When choosing a place to get pierced, it is best to look at the actual piercing process rather than price. You want the piercing to be done well and properly to minimize chances of scarring, so look for an experienced piercer who knows what they’re doing, the price will absolutely be worth it.
Healing And Care Process
Healing your piercings can be a long and arduous task. In my own experience, my LOBE piercings took over a year to heal due to a combination of my crappy healing capabilities and improper care. So trust me, you’re going to want to take care of this cartilage piercing.
With your conch piercing, you’re going to want to be diligent. In fact, you’re going to HAVE to be diligent. Here are some helpful piercing aftercare tips for your conch piercing healing process.
- Do not spin or rotate the jewelry in your piercing. The act of piercing is something very traumatic to your skin, and your body is going to do what it can to heal it. If you spin/rotate your jewelry, you are actually disturbing the new skin cells that are trying to form/heal the open wound, thus irritating the piercing and possibly infecting it. Keep it stationary.
- Do not use alcohol or similar substances to try and clean your piercing. Alcohol actually dries out and kills new and healthy skin cells (things that you want to have), so you don’t want to use something so harsh. You want to opt for a spray designated for cleaning piercings or make your own distilled water and non-iodized salt solution to clean your ears. While cleaning, you want to minimize moving the jewelry as much as possible.
- Do keep your piercing in at all times. If you take out the piercing too early, the hole will start closing up quite soon, so wait a minimum of five to six months before thinking about removing that conch.
- Be careful of getting any soaps, shampoos, and other skin care or hair products into your piercing. If they do get in, make sure to rinse thoroughly and gently with warm water to get all those products out.
- Try not to sleep on your piercing. Sleeping on the new piercing can cause it to heal crooked, become inflamed, cause irritation bumps, and a whole slew of things you wouldn’t want to happen. Of course you’re going to toss and turn in your sleep so this might not always be an easy thing to do, but just try your best.
- L.I.T.H.A. or “leave it the hell alone.” Don’t fidget or play with it as that will cause, as you may have guessed, irritation, inflammation, infection, yadda, yadda, yadda.
Now I know this seems like a lot. And hey you’re busy, you’ve got stuff to do, so these things might not always be at the forefront of your mind when getting a new piercing. But the closer you stick to and stay with these guidelines from the get go, the better off your piercing(s) will be.
Benefits Of Conch Piercings
There have been anecdotal claims of conch piercings helping with migraines, muscle relaxation, anxiety, etc. but there is no concrete, scientific evidence to back up those claims. Everybody’s body is unique and different, so the benefits that piercings could have, if any, are very personal and something for you to discover.
… Though one undeniable conch piercing benefit is that they’re easy on the eyes and will be a killer addition to accentuating your ears and expressing yourself.
Alternatives to Conch Piercings
One last thing before we go. Maybe you don’t want to go and get another piercing — that’s totally valid. There are plenty of alternatives that will get you just as many compliments as the actual piercing. You can find some clip-on earrings, ear cuffs, and/or crawler/climber earrings that can go along right with your aesthetic.
- Clip-on earrings are pretty self-explanatory, you can have all the benefits of wearing earrings without committing to making a hole in your ear!
- Cuff earrings are adjustable earrings that you can put anywhere on the outer edge (helix) of your ear. You can switch it up with different styles depending on what you’re feeling.
- Crawler/climber earrings are a little different than the previous two in that they don’t wrap around your helix/concha area of the ear. They go into a lobe piercing and follow the shape of your ear lobe upwards, creating a cool and distinctive look without needing to have multiple piercings.
So is the conch piercing the next piercing you’re thinking of getting? Let us know in the comments!
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