Helix Piercing: Information & Aftercare
A helix piercing is often someone’s initiation to piercings beyond the earlobes. Now made famous by several celebrities, including Beyonce, Normani, Bella Hadid, Scarlet Johansen, Shawn Mendes, and Robert Pattinson, this cartilage piercing has grown in popularity.
Before today’s mainstream celebrities were sporting helix piercings, it was prominent within ancient South American civilizations. The Aztecs, Mayans, and Incans donned jewelry in their upper ears as a form of religious and spiritual expression.
Then, when famous piercing industry figures, such as Fakir Musafar, started studying primitive cultures and practicing piercing, helix piercings became popular among punk, goth, and alternative subcultures.
Today, helix piercings, often referred to as simply cartilage piercings, are some of the most popular ones performed at piercing studios across the globe, especially as the start of ear stack projects. If you’re considering getting one, read about the piercing, jewelry, aftercare, and healing process.
What Is a Helix Piercing?
A helix piercing is a cartilage piercing that goes through the ear’s curled outer rim if it is pronounced enough. However, if an ear does not have a pronounced enough outer rim, the helix piercing is placed at the base of the helix where it meets the scapha – the flat part of the upper ear cartilage.
There are also different types of helix piercings, such as forward helixes or hidden helixes, depending on their placement along the ear.
Should you choose to get more than one, a double helix is two stacked helix piercings, and a triple helix is three.
One of the many benefits of a helix piercing is that the helix ranges from just above your earlobe to the very top of your ear. This means you can get pierced (anatomy-depending) anywhere along that outer ridge of cartilage.
The Helix Piercing Process
While many places in the mall or non-licensed piercing shops will advertise that they do cartilage piercings, we strongly discourage you from getting pierced there. Frequently, these piercings are performed with guns, and cartilage piercings should never be done with piercing guns.
Not only are they incredibly unsterile and can spread bacteria easily, but the sheer force of the piercing gun shoving the jewelry through your cartilage is enough to leave permanent scarring if not wholly shattering the cartilage. Instead, please visit a professional, experienced piercer who uses a needle to perform the piercing.
When I got my double helix piercings done, the piercer first assessed my anatomy before taking me back into the piercing room. Once there, I sat on the chair and had to turn my head so she could mark the two places along my outer cartilage where I wanted the piercings placed.
After marking my ear, she changed gloves, cleansed the area with a sterile solution, and changed gloves again, and we were ready to begin. She had me take a deep breath in, and as I exhaled, she slowly pushed the needle through the first marked spot on my ear’s cartilage.
Next, she fed the flatback stud post of the threadless jewelry I selected through the back of the receiving tube and inserted the black top I had chosen before repeating the procedure for the next piercing.
Some piercers perform helix piercings freehand, while others prefer forceps or receiving tubes. It’s up to personal preference and training.
When we were all done, she cleaned the area and allowed me to get a good look in the mirror.
Helix Piercing Pain: How Much Does It Hurt?
When I got my double helix piercings, I had already had an industrial piercing, which involves two separate helix piercings, so I knew what I was in store for. Luckily, I have a high pain tolerance.
However, each person has a different pain tolerance and will rate how bad the piercing hurts. That said, compared to an earlobe piercing, which is softer and has more blood supply, a cartilage piercing is thicker tissue so it will hurt more.
Overall, it’s a quick little pinch. I would rate mine a 5/10 on a pain scale.
How Much Is a Helix Piercing?
The cost of a helix piercing varies depending on the shop you go to and the initial jewelry you select for your piercing. Typically, a piercer will charge needle or service fees ranging from $20 to $65. Then, you will need to add the cost of jewelry, which can run anywhere from $35 to over $500 if you opt for something made by a luxury jewelry brand. While tipping is not mandatory, it is polite to tip your piercer up to 20% of the total cost.
What Gauge Is a Helix Piercing?
Helix piercings are typically done as either 16G or 14G. If your cartilage is particularly thick, or you’d like a larger piece of jewelry, you can go as thick as 12G or 10 gauge.
Helix Piercing: Initial Jewelry
Helix piercing jewelry is versatile, and plenty of options are available, even for initial jewelry. One of the great things about helix piercings is that you’re never stuck with plain, boring jewelry right from the start while you wait for your piercing to heal fully.
One of the most popular options for initial jewelry is a flatback stud with some kind of end on it. You can opt for something simple, like a plain metal stud, or you can go for something more flashy and opulent, like a cluster of five blue gems. There are countless options for tops for flatback studs, ranging from discs to opal crowns.
You can also dress up your initial jewelry. Because of their placement along the rim of the ear, you can also opt for gorgeous gold chains or dazzling dangling crystals to hang from your stud.
In addition to an internally threaded or threadless flatback stud, you can also choose a straight barbell.
Some piercers will allow you to get pieced with a hoop as an initial piece of jewelry for a helix, though not all will. If you have experience with healing cartilage piercings or other piercings on the body, then your piercer may trust you enough to heal the piercing with a hoop without issues. However, it is easier to heal with a stud or straight barbell and switch to a hoop when the piercing is fully healed.
If you can get pierced with a hoop, be warned that it may be more prone to irritation bumps and significantly more difficult to heal than a stud or straight barbell.
Read more about choosing helix piercing jewelry in our comprehensive guide.
Helix Piercing Aftercare
Helix Piercing Healing Time
It takes anywhere from three to nine months for a helix piercing to heal fully. However, it is not uncommon to take even longer, often as long as nine months to a year. This is because the helix is located where it’s extremely easy to get your jewelry caught on a comb, clothing, or a towel. It’s also quite challenging to avoid sleeping on the piercing since we can’t control what we do in our sleep.
When Can I Change My Helix Piercing Jewelry?
When you’re first pierced, the jewelry is also longer than you need to accommodate for swelling. After the first six to eight weeks, your swelling should subside enough for you to visit your piercer and have the jewelry downsized. This will help you avoid snagging or catching the extra long jewelry on towels, brushes, combs, or even getting the jewelry caught if you have long hair.
How to Clean a Helix Piercing
Cleaning a helix piercing is relatively simple. Wash your hands with antimicrobial/antibacterial soap before handling your piercing. You do not need to touch your piercing to clean it.
Instead, purchase a saline spray, like the kind from NeilMed or H2Ocean. Spray your piercing once in the morning and at night, and carefully pat it dry with a clean paper towel.
Other Aftercare Tips
If you are worried about accidentally sleeping on your healing helix piercing, purchasing a travel pillow is one way to sleep comfortably and rest easy. Simply place your ear in the center of the travel pillow and sleep on your side. This allows you to rest your head and use a pillow for comfort without pressing anything against your ear.
You must also be patient while you’re healing your piercing. Unfortunately, the helix is in an area that exposes the open, healing wound to shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, sweat, headbands, over-the-ear headphones, and more. Exposure to these things can cause the piercing to be a bit temperamental, but if you follow proper aftercare, you should still be able to heal your piercing without problems.
Whether you want your first cartilage piercing or have plenty of experience with them, helix piercings are a great option. They have tons of versatility in jewelry options, and although they take longer to heal fully, it is a relatively easy aftercare process.