Body Jewellery Shop Blog

Ear piercings are amongst the most common and basic body piercings, widely accepted within most social groups and cultures. Many people wouldn’t even remember their first piercing experience, having their earlobes pierced at a very young age.

Ear piercings aren’t just limited to the earlobes, however; you can be as creative as you like with virtually endless possibilities! You can find an amalgam of jewellery on the market, or even have your very own custom-made design to suit your every needs. Ear modification and piercing procedures available today can allow you to design virtually everything about the look you want, simply by visiting a piercing studio and discussing your ideas!

The Anti-Tragus is the raised fold of cartilage that sits on the outer side of the ear, above the ear lobe and just opposite the tragus. Some people may find their anti-tragus is too small to be pierced, however micro (smaller) jewellery is often successfully used. Ball Closure Rings can be used, but they may flop about and aggravate the piercing. Using a curved barbell or labret stud will probably improve the chances of a quick healing.

The Auricle (Rim) piercing is the cartilage rim that runs along the side/edge of the outer part of the ear (away from the side of the head). Many people like to use Ball Closure Rings for this piercing, athough they are more prone to movement and to catching on hooks or clasps etc, thus aggravating the piercing. Labrets and barbells that aren’t too long will help minimise snagging. Usually, jewellery that is a millimetre or two larger than the thickness of the cartilage is sufficient.

The Conch is the large area of cartilage that makes up the back of the ear. Although large diameter Ball Closure Rings have been successfully used, this piercing heals quicker when a labret or barbell is used. The gauge can be anything up to 3.2mm but the length need only be a couple of millimetres larger than the thickness of the cartilage; usually 8mm long is suitable.

The Daith (Crux of Helix) is the fold of cartilage that sits beneath the rook and is closest to the ear canal. There must be enough cartilage to comfortably hold the chosen jewellery. Micro jewellery (1mm to 1.2mm gauge) often rests well in most Daith piercings because the Daith can be quite shallow, and the diameter of the ball closure ring can be as little as a couple of millimetres larger than the thickness of the pierced cartilage. Curved barbells are a better choice, over straight barbells and labrets.

The Industrial piercing (also known as a Scaffold) is where two or more separate rim (or cartilage) piercings are joined by one barbell. This procedure can be performed as separate piercings with separate jewellery and allowed to heal individually; but can also be fitted with one PTFE barbell, which will decrease the amount of tension placed on the structure of the cartilage itself. The piercer should carefully mark and plan the piercing so the gauge is suitable for all the tissue it travels through.

The Orbital is a piercing which enters and exits through the same area of the ear using a circular piece of jewellery, such as a Ball Closure Ring or Circular Barbell. Two piercings next to each other are ‘adjoined’ using the piece of jewellery which sits through both holes. This piercing is sometimes more successful when made as two initial piercings, with separate jewellery; but with careful planning one piece of jewellery can later be fitted into both healed holes.

The Ear Lobe is the fleshy tissue that hangs at the bottom of the ear. It gets plenty of blood supplied to it and thus should heal fairly quickly. If piercing the lobe, try to make sure the piercing is central in the lobe itself. Rings, barbells or labrets can be worn, though barbells and labrets do not need to be much longer than 8mm; the rings are often around 10mm or 12mm in diameter. The dimensions of the earlobe will effect the gauge used, but it is common to find that anything up to a 3.2mm gauge is used.

Some piercers have pierced initial piercings with a larger gauge, using a dermal punch technique. This can guarantee that the initial hole will never close, which can be a serious commitment for many people.

The Pinna (Helix) is located on the cartilage rim along the top part of the ear. Usually a small diameter Ball Closure Ring can be used for this piercing. Even the labret or barbell can be ‘micro’ jewellery (at 1mm or 1.2mm gauge), and need not be any larger than 8mm.

The Rook is the highest fold of cartilage, beneath the Helix. Make sure that there is enough cartilage to support the jewellery comfortably. If a shallow Rook is pierced with large gauge jewellery, the jewellery has a higher chance of migrating (but a thin gauge, or Micro, jewellery can migrate faster!). Ball Closure Rings, Curved Barbells or PTFE Barbells are recommended for this piercing.

The Snug piercing is located through the inner cartilage, halfway down the outer rim of the ear, above the anti-tragus. In most cases this area is quite shallow, and micro jewellery is often used. Curved barbells are preferable and need only be a few millimetres longer than the thickness of the cartilage.

This Titanium septum retainer can be flipped up into your nose, out of sight!

Any acrylic retainer can be worn during medical procedures, x-rays and scans as they do not contain any metal. Piercing retainers are also ideal for wearing to work, school and for playing sports to prevent injury. Piercing retainers are very versatile and can be used for virtually any piercing you have, from nostrils, eyebrows and navels to stretched ears and genital piercings. We have a wide selection of retainers to choose from, in many different sizes and shapes.

The best thing about Bioplast, Bioflex and PTFE acrylic is the ability to autoclave (pressure-steam sterilize) the retainer for initial piercings, so you can request to be pierced with a retainer at your piercing studio. If you need to change your existing jewellery for a retainer before your piercing has healed you can ask your piercer to autoclave and fit the retainer for you.

Different Types of Piercing Retainers

Labret Retainers:

Labret retainers are very versatile and come in a variety of styles, including clear-top, flesh-tone, beauty-spot-black and clear o-ring. Labret retainers are also known as ‘lip retainers’, however, they are not only used for lip, labret and monroe piercings but also earlobes, tragus and other cartilage ear piercings. The soft acrylic material and flat base plate on labret retainers make them incredibly comfortable to wear in ear piercings, whilst also preventing injury or damage to the teeth and gums for oral piercings. Labret retainers are available in two gauges (thicknesses); 1.2mm and 1.6mm, and 3 different lengths; 6mm, 8mm and 10mm.

Nostril Retainers:

Our Nose Piercing Retainers are available in two different designs; the professional hook nose screw studs that ‘twist’ into your nose piercing, or the straight nose pins that have one straight stem. Nostril retainers are also available in different gauges (thicknesses) to ensure you have a perfect fit! The most common nostril piercing size will be 1mm, but we also have 0.8mm and 1.2mm for those who may have downsized or stretched up.

Tongue Retainers:

Tongue retainers come in a variety of colours and shapes, with a standard length of 16mm that can easily be cut down to length and re-threaded for a perfect fit (re-threading of acrylic stems is explained further on in this article). The most secure retainers for tongue piercings would be the dome-topped barbells, available in transparent clear, flesh-tone and pink. The dome-top is threaded onto the end of the bar, ensuring to stay in place just like any standard threaded barbell.

Curved Retainers:

Curved Bioplast retainer stems can be used for eyebrow piercing, navel piercings and any other piercing that will fit the size of the stem correctly. We have them in both 1.2mm and 1.6mm gauges, at a long length of 25mm that can be cut down and re-threaded for a perfect fit. More information on re-threading acrylic can be found further below. A flat base-plate is fixed to one end of the curved retainer stem, but you can choose to add your own accessory onto the other end of the stem. We have a selection of accessories to use for securing retainers in place, shown further below.

Silicone Flesh Plug Retainers:

If you have stretched your piercings and need larger gauge hiders to keep them discreet, these flesh-tone silicone hider plugs are the way to go! Available in a great range of sizes from 2.4mm to 19mm, these stretched-piercing retainers are flexible and soft, making them easy and comfortable to wear for any occasion.

Circular Barbell Retainers:

These 1.2mm micro-circular barbells are available in 1.2 x 8mm, commonly worn in micro septum, earlobe, tragus and cartilage piercings that fit this gauge and internal diameter. Both ends of the circular barbell stems are threaded to fit any 1.2mm accessory, although you can also use our range of push-fit balls and o-rings, shown further below…

Barbell Stems:

We have a wide selection of barbell stem retainers that can be used for different piercings as required by you, from lip, labret and monroe piercings to cheek, eyebrow, nipple, conch, tongue and other piercings that fit the gauge and length of the stem correctly.

Barbell stem retainers come in a variety of styles, including a straight barbell without any fixed ends, or with a fixed base-plate in the form of a ball, or flat disc or half-ball (dome).

Barbell stems are available in both 1.2mm and 1.6mm gauges, with varying lengths that can easily be cut down and re-threaded to fit virtually any piercing perfectly!

We also have long strips of PTFE stem (which can also be purchased as a set with a Threading Tool) as shown below, which can be cut down and worn in any piercing that fits either 1.2mm or 1.6mm gauges. More information on re-threading of your acrylics can be found further below.

Piercing Retainer Accessories:

Piercing retainers can be held in place using push-fit balls or o-rings, which can be easily fitted by pushing them onto the end of the stem. Push-fit labret retainers will be supplied with their own push-fit accessories, which will fit into the hollow stem of the stud.

Cutting and Re-Threading your Bioplast, Bioflex and PTFE Stems

Acrylic stems are flexible and soft, therefore can be easily cut down to your desired length and threaded for a custom, snug fit in your piercing.

Simply trim the retainer stem at a slight angle (remember to allow some space for the thread when measuring the length!) and use the Threading Tool to push and twist a new thread on the end of the stem; quick and easy!

If you do not have this handy little tool, not to worry! You can do the same thing using a metal threaded accessory by pushing and twisting it onto the stem, which will screw a new thread onto your stem (but may be slightly trickier!).

Acrylic Smooth Segment Rings are a cheap and lightweight alternative to heavy large gauge jewellery. They are very easy to open and close, and are perfect for PA piercings where metal jewellery is not an option. These smooth segment rings are ideal for healed piercings only, as they cannot be autoclaved.

Acrylic Ball Closure Rings are available in a range of sizes and colours. The captive accessory is easy to remove and fit, making these rings quick and easy to use!

What are the advantages of a microdermal anchoring?

Microdermal anchoring is a very versatile procedure that can be placed almost anywhere on the body, although healing can indeed be difficult on areas of high movement. As imcrodermal anchors allow the skin to move, pull & stretch, this allows the body to heal with less scarring and smaller possibility of the jewellery migrating and rejecting. A great range of placement possibilities have been successfully accomplished with microdermal anchoring, such as the face, fingers, neck, arms, head, hips and back; all of which are much more difficult to heal as standard surface piercings.

 

How long does a microdermal piercing take to heal?

View our full range of blackline microdermal anchors and accessories!

How is a microdermal anchor removed? 

Microdermal anchors are considered a permanent piercing; once healed, they can only be removed by making an incision into the healed flesh to allow the microdermal anchor to be removed. For this reason, it is important to carefully consider the placement of the jewellery when deciding to have the procedure.

 

View our full range of titanium microdermal anchors and accessories!

How do I care for my healing stretched piercing?

A fresh stretch will be tender and may swell for the first few days, so you may decide to use a cold compress if this makes you feel more comfortable.

You can follow a daily salt solution soak while your stretch is healing, to keep the area clean and free of any debris (dead skin cells will build up if you do not clean your piercings regularly). If you are making your own salt solution, it is recommended you use Sea Salt and (either bottled, still water or) boiled water (cooled down) with about ¼ teaspoon of salt to 8oz (250ml or 1 cup) of water. Too much salt will dry your piercing out and cause irritation. A good reference to go by is to keep the salt solution no stronger than the taste of your tears!

We highly recommend our very own Body Jewellery Shop Saline Solution for quick and easy use, anywhere and anytime! Only £2.99!

What materials are best for stretching my piercings?

The best materials to use for a fresh stretch are Surgical Steel, Titanium (including Blackline and Zircon Gold) or Glass. These materials are non-porous (such as acrylic and wood). Porous materials are not recommended for use until your stretch is fully healed to prevent any skin reactions with your bodily fluids throughout the healing process.

How do I take care of a fully healed stretched piercing?

Once you have reached a stage at which you are happy to stop at, you will have the opportunity to shop around for a wonderful selection of Flesh Plugs and Tunnels to wear in your new modification! You will also be able to choose from a variety of double-flared jewellery (where the outer lip is larger than the size of your stretch, keeping the jewellery securely in place without any o-rings or screw-tops). To wear double flared jewellery, your stretch must have the chance to heal for several months whilst your skin will settle and gradually loosen up to allow for the larger flare to slide through without causing damage.

Visit the BodyJewelleryShop Gallery to view more piercing photos!

You will notice that over a longer period of time, you will be able to comfortably take your jewellery out for several hours each day without the hole reducing in size. There are many benefits to this, as your piercing will be given the chance to breathe and relax (encouraging good blood flow, oxygen, nutrients and removing any stress from the jewellery you wear each day). Some people are eventually able to remove their jewellery for a day or night, usually at larger gauges (over 12mm) as the skin has lost enough elasticity not to close up within this period of time.

If you have trouble getting your jewellery back into your stretch after leaving it out, there is no need to worry! Just use a hot compress for 5-10 minutes and use some lubrication to insert the jewellery back in again. Your stretch should ease up again in no time.

Make sure to clean your jewellery and piercings regularly, at least once a day (more so in hotter conditions and summer months). This will prevent any build up of dead skin cells, which eventually begin to smell if left to linger!

Try to moisturize your stretched piercing regularly, having a good routine (such as after every shower) will keep your piercings healthy and supple. Vitamin-E oil is a popular choice, as well as Savlon, E45 and Nivea (do not use scented oils and moisturizers as they could cause irritation).

How do I stretch my piercing?

Piercing stretching is a very individual process that differs from person to person. It is also very common for one earlobe piercing to be easier to stretch than the other! For this reason, it is of utmost importance that you listen to your own body, make sensible judgement and stretch as works for you. The main factor to consider is the speed at which you stretch your piercing as well as how long to wait in between each step. This will ultimately have an effect on the health of your piercing and also prevents any damage or blowouts throughout the whole process.

Only ever begin stretching a new piercing 3-4 weeks after it has fully healed. Your tissues must be given a few weeks to settle down and loosen up naturally before the very first stretch is made.
Before starting the stretching process, have a read through the following tips and precautions to help you along the way:

Tips