Snug Body Piercings & Aftercare Explained
If you’re looking for a unique piercing that not everybody can get, look no further than the snug piercing. The reason not everyone can get it is because it’s an anatomically dependent piercing due to its location. The snug piercing goes through a ridge of cartilage in your ear known as the antihelix, which many people do not have. In addition to having this ridge, your cartilage must also be thick enough to be suitable for the piercing.
The necessity for thicker cartilage means that this piercing is pretty painful and it is not for the faint of heart. And we won’t lie, this is also not an easy piercing to heal. You have to be on top of the aftercare. So, keep reading on to learn more about the snug body piercing and its aftercare.
Why Does a Snug Take Longer to Heal?
Yep, that’s right, the snug piercing takes a lot longer to heal than a standard lobe piercing. This is because the cartilage the snug piercing goes through is thicker, which means there’s less blood supply going to the area. Therefore, the lower range of the healing time is 6 months, but the higher range is a year.
Aftercare Tips & Tricks
One of the pros of getting a snug piercing is how unique of a piercing it can be. However, they aren’t the easiest to heal just because of how much more out in the open they are on the ear. Fortunately, all you have to do to let your new piercing heal properly is follow our snug body piercing aftercare tips and tricks.
Make Sure Your Jewelry Is Long Enough at First
During the healing process, the area around the snug piercing will swell a lot. This is why you’ll want to make sure you go to a reputable piercer who knows the importance of placing long enough jewelry in the piercing. Jewelry that is too short will cause more trauma to the area, as it cannot compensate for the swelling.
While it may initially look strange walking out with an extra-long antenna coming out of your ear, trust us. You’re going to rejoice as soon as the area swells up.
Don’t Rotate, Twist, Or Turn Your Jewelry
It’s tempting, we know, but you definitely do not want to rotate, twist, or turn your jewelry. In fact, you shouldn’t even really be touching your healing piercing. The reason why you want to avoid these things, and any movement, really, is because movement will cause more trauma and scar tissue to build up. This will prolong the healing time.
Try Your Best to Not Sleep On It
While this goes without saying with any piercing, it’s especially true for the snug piercing: Do whatever you can to avoid sleeping on it. One way you can do this is to buy an airplane pillow. Sleep with your ear inside the middle of it, allowing the pillow to elevate your head ever so slightly.
Do Saline Soaks Regularly
You never want to put any harsh chemicals on a fresh piercing. This includes: Neosporin, Bactine, rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and more. Rather than cleaning your fresh piercing, they will irritate it.
Instead, you’ll want to do routine saline soaks. All you have to do is get a gallon of distilled water and mix in 4 teaspoons of non-iodized sea salt. Then, one to two times daily, you’ll want to pour the saline solution into a glass shot glass or a coffee mug. Heat the solution up so it at least matches your body temperature. Then, you’ll want to carefully submerge the piercing and let it soak for 7 to 15 minutes.
After Aftercare
Once your piercing has finished healing, you’ll want to downsize to an appropriately sized curved barbell. We have a large selection of curved barbells and ends to choose from. Or, if your anatomy is suitable for it, a ring.
Written by Jackie Rachel
