Cartilage tissue is the area over the earlobe, and is connective tissue, a very dense and thick substance compared to the earlobe tissue. Cartilage piercings are classified into four different types, orbital, conch, tragus, and helix piercings.

In orbital piercing, the exit and entry spots occur in the same spot of the cartilage. With conch piercing, cartilage at the ear’s middle section is pierced. Tragus piercing is performed in the cartilage next to the face and just above the earlobe. For helix piercing, cartilage piercing occurs twice and is performed on that area of the cartilage on the outside section of the ear.

To be safe, all body piercings should only be performed by a professional, also any cartilage piercing must be performed by hand. The use of a piercing gun may lead to the shattering of the cartilage and possible scarring may occur. It could take anywhere from 4 months to 12 months for the piercings to be completely healed, and the time taken will depend on the cartilage’s thickness.

The earrings used following the piercings, should be carefully chosen and should be comfortable enough for the person to leave on for up to 12 months until the piercing is completely healed. Once the healing is complete, the earrings may then be changed. Earrings should be of good quality and may be of sterling silver, , white gold, yellow gold,surgical steel or titanium. The designs of the earrings include hoops, posts or studs, cuffs, industrial and captive beads

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.

The cartilage is that area above the ear lobe, and consists of connective tissue which is harder and thicker than the tissue of the earlobe. Four types of cartilage piercings are available, helix, tragus, orbital and conch piercings.

The helix piercing occurs on the cartilage which curls up on the outside part of the ear. In the standard helix piercing the cartilage is pierced just once. In helix piercing, the cartilage is pierced twice. In the tragus piercing the cartilage area above the earlobe, near the face, is pierced. The orbital piercing will enter and exit the same area of the ear’s cartilage. A conch piercing is done in the cartilage at  the middle of ear.

Body piercings should be done ideally by a professional, and the cartilage piercing should only be done by hand. If a piercing gun is used, the cartilage may be shattered and scarring may occur.  The cartilage takes from four months to twelve months to heal depending on the thickness of the cartilage pierced.

The initial pair of cartilage earrings selected after cartilage piercing, should be carefully selected and should be a quality pair in gold or sterling silver, and it should be a pair the wearer would be comfortable wearing for up to twelve months. After the cartilage heals, the earrings can be changed. This type of earrings is made of titanium, white gold, yellow gold, surgical steel, and sterling silver. The types of earrings are hoops, captive beads, posts or studs, circular barbells, cuffs and industrial.  There are many styles and they will range from punk symbols to more classic gem stones.