Body
piercing is a trend that has been steadily growing in popularity for the past
decade. New and unexpected ways and places to pierce are always being sought.
More extreme forms of body piercing are often practiced as a type of
self-expression. Along with the rise in popularity of body piercings in
general, comes a parallel increase in the popularity of cartilage piercing,
particularly of the ears. Ear piercing limited to the earlobe has been around
for decades in America, but with the advent of cartilage piercing, more areas
on the ear were opened up for piercing, and people could get multiple piercings
in one ear. Low quality materials in earrings have long been a source of
irritation or allergic reactions for people with pierced ears, even more so
with cartilage piercings. Care needs to be taken to use hypoallergenic
earrings, such as stainless
steel ear plug,
which do not react with the piercing.
As piercings go, ear piercing is of
the more permanent variety because the body can't replace cartilage. Cartilage
piercing takes around six to eight months to heal completely. If proper care is
not taken of the piercing site, infections, whether viral or bacterial, are a
distinct possibility. Infections of the cartilage itself are serious and can be
very hard to treat. The first three days after a cartilage piercing, the area
should be cleaned twice a day using an anti-bacterial soap. After that, once a
day cleaning is recommended; cleaning more often than this is actually harmful
to the piercing. The piercing should not be touched with unwashed hands. Even
if the pierced area seems to be healed, cleaning shouldn't be discontinued, as
the inside of the pierced cartilage may take a much longer time to heal.
Earrings should not be removed and replaced until the piercings have completely
healed, as this can introduce infection, as well as irritate the site.
Cartilage piercing is generally done with a large hollow piercing needle.
Piercing guns should not be used, as they inflict a blunt trauma that can
shatter the cartilage. An earring is then inserted, generally either a barbell,
plug or captive bead ring. The earring itself should be surgical stainless
steel, titanium or niobium, with niobium being the least likely to cause a
reaction. Gold of any grade is not recommended in initial piercings because
gold is mixed with other metals. Silver should also not be used because it can
stain the tissues permanently. Likewise, gold plated jewelry is not recommended
in new piercings because the gold plating can wear off before the cartilage
piercing is healed. High quality metals like surgical steel are best to wear
initially. Stainless steel is
nontoxic, resists staining and corrosion and is difficult to scratch. Scratches
are not only unattractive; bacteria can grow in them as well.
Once the piercing is healed, the earring material is not as much of an issue,
but people still have different degrees of sensitivity and can become irritated
easily with any metals that are not high quality. Many people have allergic
reactions to nickel, and people can develop allergies over time to nickel if it
is worn nonstop. Thus, when getting a cartilage piercing, the material of the
earring is an important consideration, as is the need for good hygiene and care
of the piercing.
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