Having piercings in different parts of your ear has become an enormous fashion trend over the last few years. Withhuggi this our earring game- be it a sterling silver or a gold plated one has inspired many to try on piercings. You can mix and match different earrings and create a unique result that will definitely elevate any outfit, from daytime to night time. But which ear piercing should you get? Here’s everything you need to know before having an ear piercing.

There are many types of ear piercing that you can do, depending on where exactly you want it and on the level of pain you can handle. Starting with the basics, there is the lobe piercing and the upper lobe piercing. These two are the less painful ear piercings – as they are on the fleshy area of the ear – and almost everyone has one or two of them. These piercings are also very versatile once wholly recovered, and you can choose among a great variety of earrings to wear, from hoops and huggies to studs. Next there is the helix piercing. This piercing is on the upper rim of the ear and it is also referred as the cartilage piercing and due to that it can hurt a little bit, but not that much compared to other cartilage piercings. You may feel some pain at the moment but it will eventually go away. Another fashionable ear piercing is the tragus one. This specific one pierces the part of the cartilage on the outside of your ear canal. This area of your ear is a bit thicker and therefore you may feel a little bit uncomfortable, but it won’t last for long. Additionally, there is the snug piercing. This specific piercing is located in the middle of the ear’s outer rear, piercing both the ear’s inner and outer parts. It goes through a thicker area of the cartilage; you will feel an intense pressure while getting it done. One of the most painful piercings to get is the conch piercing. This piercing goes through the inner shell of your ear, which is also a very thick part of the cartilage. While having it you may experience some pressure and pain during the process. Lastly, there is the famous industrial piercing. The industrial piercing is considered the most painful piercing as it is not just one piercing but two in two different parts of the sensitive cartilage. We would suggest that if you can not handle the pain well, don’t go for that type of piercing.

After you get your piercings done with a perfect cuff earring or any style you like, you will have to take good care of them to ensure they won’t get infected or closed. The first few weeks are crucial to making sure that they heal correctly. The healing time depends on the ear piercing you get. For example, lobe piercings take up to six weeks to heal, while helix piercing takes up to 3 months. The tragus piercing takes up to 8 months to heal completely; meanwhile, the conch piercing can take three months up to nine months. To help the piercing heal and avoid getting infected, you should follow a few rules. Firstly, you should clean the area of the piercing with soap and warm water or rubbing alcohol. You can also put an antibiotic ointment around the area to prevent skin infection. Secondly, as tempting as it may be, do not touch your piercing. Germs from your hands can also cause an infection. You should also avoid places where germs flow freely, like pools and hot tubs. Lastly, it is essential to leave your piercing in place for the healing time needed, even while sleeping, but try not to sleep on the pierced earring.

No matter how good care you take of your ear piercing, there is always a risk of infection. Infections can be caused by getting your ears pierced in an unhygienic environment or with unsterilised equipment. It can also be caused by touching your piercings with dirty hands, neglecting to clean them daily or removing the earrings before healing. You can easily understand if your ear piercing has been infected when you are experiencing aching or throbbing pain in and around the piercing, swelling, itching and/or burning in the pierced area, redness and/or abnormal yellowish or whitish discharge. You can handle the infection by following some simple steps:

• Firstly, wash your hands with water and soap
• Put ½ teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water and stir
• Do not remove the earring. Soak a cotton ball in the saltwater and place it on the infected area
• Pat it dry with a tissue or clean cotton ball
• Put a little bit of over-the-counter antibiotic cream on the area
• Rotate your earring a few times

Repeat the procedure three times a day. If the infection doesn’t go away, you should see your doctor.

Piercing healing time guide

We, in Galleria Armadoro, are huge fans of ear piercings, and that’s why we have created the Ear Stories collection. This collection includes mini hoops, huggies and studs crafted out with sterling silver so that you can create your own unique ear story. From gold-plated stud earrings to sterling silver stud earrings, we have got one for all. To help you make your combinations, we have created different guides that explain which earring matches which piercing, so let’s get into it!

First, we have the huggies and mini hoops guide. The Ear Stories collection offers nine different sizes: 6,5mm, 8,5mm, 10mm, 11mm, 12,5mm, 15mm, 18mm, 20mm & 22mm. For the lobe piercings, you can wear earrings from 22mm up to 8,5mm. The 6,5mm huggies are suggested for the upper lobe piercings, the helix piercing and the rook piercings, while for the conch piercing, we suggest the 11mm and the 12,5mm huggies.

The second guide is all about the studs. Again, there are two different types of post; the butterfly post and the ball screw post. The butterfly post is perfect for the lobe and upper lobe ear piercings, while the ball screw post is designed for all the cartilage piercings, including helix, conch and tragus.

The Ear Stories collection is designed to encourage the mix & match style in the earrings, and that’s why all the Ear Stories earrings – mini hoops, huggies and studs – are sold single and not in pairs. So you can create your unique combinations that match perfectly the style you are going for. All the pieces are either gold vermeil or sterling silver earrings and completely hypoallergenic, meaning they are the perfect earrings post healing.