Helix Piercing, what to expect?

[MochaMostly]

I’ve made an appointment at a reputable place but would love to know of others experiences
Is the aftercare tricky, wondering if I need to clean it twice a day and avoid swimming?
How long is it painful to side sleep?
What’s the timescale to have it replaced with a shorter pole?
How long until I can swap to a different earring?
What’s the recommended metal?

thank you

Most of this should be advice from your piercer before they do the piercing. But if you are a side sleeper get a little piercing pillow (donut shaped) as that makes things much more comfy!

I made the mistake of getting it from a place that uses a gun. The first one never healed right so I took it off. And it closed but there's a little lump/scar at the back now.

The one on other side took ages to heal, like about 6 months. But wearing an earring in it annoys me so I don't anymore. It hasn't closed up though after about 8 years. And looks normal.

So I'd say just be aware it's cartilage so takes longer to heal than earlobes or other skin. And if it doesn't take properly it might scar. But less so if they use a needle.

Personally I don’t think the aftercare is tricky (I think most reputable piercers advise leaving piercings alone generally (ie no over-cleaning or turning)) but it can be LONG. Definitely is in my case - my helix piercings are 5 years old and I still can’t use a hoop, only a titanium post.

The best places will use titanium or 14k solid gold and advise you to shorten the post after about ) weeks. That doesn’t mean it’s healed necessarily though.

Highly recommend a donut pillow - I’m a side sleeper and it still hurts sometimes if I don’t use one.

I used a donut pillow for year and kept the original simple titanium stud in. Healed beautifully. Don’t rush into changing it, follow all the down sizing advice etc and you will be fine

Thanks all, this is really useful

Don't do it. Had to take mine out after trying to heal it for over a year. Very painful.

Agree with the piercer using a needle rather than a gun.
Was told I could go back for them to change the post length after 8 weeks, which is much comfier to side sleep on.
Took probably about 5-6 weeks to feel healed.
Cleaned with cotton buds and solution twice a day but no wiggling it.
Forget I have it most of the time now.

My daughter had the same issue. I went with her when she got it pierced and it looked excruciating (she's got other piercings and two tattoos - one quite large) and said it's the worst one she's had.

Reverse helix was worse in my opinion although I’ve had the helix for over 30 years so don’t remember too much!

I had two adjacent helix piercings done at the same time about 25 years ago. I went to a reputable place - one of the local environmental health officers had her piercings done there. I believe piercing studios and the people carrying it out should have a licence from the council.
It used hollow needles to piece and they placed surgical steel rings (am wearing them now).
I had no problems with infection etc but they were more tender than lobe or navel piercings.

Pain levels for different piercings really vary by individual, as do healing times. Don't be put off by one person saying it didn't work for them as you might not have the same experience; I've got a few lobe and cartilage piercings and a surface tragus (though I'm aware that one will eventually reject as it's a dermal) and by far the worst one to heal was my second lobe! And it wasn't because I didn't look after it.

Try it; see how you get on; if you're unhappy after giving it as much time and effort as you're willing to, take it out. I've never heard of a helix piercing leaving noticeable scarring if it doesn't work out.

Good luck and enjoy!

I’ve got 10 helix piercings, 3 standard ones in the bit further up from the lobe and then 2 in each ear as forward helix, the bit closest to your head/eye. Standard helix all healed fine, only issue I have is that I cannot change jewellery myself, I just can’t ‘see’ to put the backs on or close hoops where I have those. Also all healed within 6 months, tbh I have never bothered with all the cleaning but I DO NOT TOUCH THEM. Please avoid messing with them, it’s the greatest chance of infection no matter how clean you think your hands are. My forward helixes were a bit harder to heal as in they would occasionally be a bit red in the first few months but a bit of advice from the piercer and followed their instructions and they’ve all been fine. Good that you’re going to a reputable place and they’ll be able to advise on aftercare and see you if you have any issues. Enjoy the piercing!

I have 6 helix piercings, and these are my answers based on my own experiences:

Is the aftercare tricky, wondering if I need to clean it twice a day and avoid swimming?
No, it's not tricky at all. You do need to clean your ears twice a day, yes, but it's easy to do. And, I would avoid swimming for a short while.

How long is it painful to side sleep?
For a fair amount of time, in my case. I actually couldn't sleep on my side unless I had some kind of "buffer" that meant that my pierced area didn't get pressed against the pillow. I quickly became a back sleeper!

What’s the timescale to have it replaced with a shorter pole?
My healing was really slow, so it took months. My helix piercings healed the quickest, though, while my conch piercings healed the slowest.

How long until I can swap to a different earring?
Again, I personally waited for a long time (as in a couple of years, if not more), but that's not necessarily what works for someone else. But as I said, my healing was really slow. Maybe because I got too many piercings all at once.

What’s the recommended metal?
There are many metals to choose from, it just depends on your preference and budget. I have tried titanium, steel, solid silver and solid gold. I prefer solid gold, but the most durable metal would probably be titanium or steel.

Definitely have it done with a needle, not a gun (any type of gun which forces the earring through). I had mine done with a gun decades ago (before I knew better!) and it never healed properly. It was marginally more bearable with a hoop than a stud. I still have a small lump now even though I’ve not worn an earring in it for 25 years.

Daughter had hers done with a needle (18k gold, post earring with a flat back) and it was fine to sleep on after just a few weeks. Hasn’t had any trouble with it at all. Cleaned it twice a day to start with, just with a saline wipe, and dried it after a shower. Avoided touching it. Avoided swimming for a month or so (you’re supposed to leave it longer I think). I know some of her friends have had trouble with theirs, but I think they were done with a gun. She hasn’t tried changing the earring yet, but can move it freely without any pain whatsoever.

My paperwork says avoid swimming for 4 weeks. It’s been 6 weeks and the piercing has literally never been sore apart from sleeping on it accidentally. I’m getting another done soon, same ear, so will invest in a piercing pillow. It’s been easier to manage than my last lobes were tbh and I’m quite lax when it comes to cleaning

I’m so glad I asked and am so appreciative of everyone that has replied, thank you. I feel prepared.