Because of the popularity of cartilage piercings in the current times, a demand has been created for earrings that are specially created for the cartilage. These earrings are known as cartilage earrings.
Cartilage is made of connective tissue, a substance that is thicker and harder that earlobe tissue. There are four different kinds of cartilage piercings that are done today. These are conch piercings, orbital piercings, helix piercings and tragus piercings.
In a conch piercing, the cartilage in the center of the ear is pierced. In an orbital piercing the entry and exit piercing occurs in the same spot of the cartilage. In helix piercing, cartilage will be pierced twice, while in tragus piercing the area near to the face above the earlobe is pierced.
A professional should perform all body piercing, and any piercing of the cartilage should be manually done. A piercing gun should not be used for fear of shattering the cartilage and the possibility of scarring. After piercing the cartilage, and based on how thick the cartilage is, healing may take from four to twelve months before is completed.
After the piercing, cartilage earrings must be put in place. Careful consideration should be given to the choice of these first earrings and the chosen pair of earrings must be comfortable for the wearer to wear until the cartilage is completely healed. After the cartilage is healed, the earrings may be changed. The earrings must be of quality and made of white gold, titanium, sterling silver, surgical steel or yellow gold. Earring types are captive beads, studs and posts, cuffs, industrial and hoops. A wide variety of styles exist and they vary from the classic gem stones to punk symbols.