Piercings and Pain

A while ago I asked on Twitter if anyone would be interested in a post on piercings and the answer appeared to be yes! I had a few new ones done since that tweet, however, and wanted to let them heal a bit to get a good idea for the pain and aftercare, hence why this post is a bit late. But now it's here, let's jump straight into it!

(Piercings in order of getting them done)

Helix
Pain: 4/10
The initial piercing pain was sharp and unexpected but only lasted a second. The dull throb that set in after lasted much longer, and eventually turned into a magnificent purple bruise that covered my entire ear. Nothing being careful around the jewellery and a few painkillers couldn't fix, although it did persist for months. Washing my hair also became interesting, as the long barbell was constantly getting wrapped in hair and knocked, but since changing to a ring I've had no issues.

Lobes (x2)
Pain: 1.5/10
Not quite as sharp as the pain from the helix and with a hell of a lot more pressure thanks to the fact that they were done with a gun. The second ear is always worse than the first as you know what to expect, but it's nothing unbearable and the throbbing doesn't last too long after. Really not painful at all and super easy to look after.

Rook
Pain: 1/10
For such a fiddly piercing I honestly can't even remember getting it done, that's how painless it was. An initial pinch as the needle went in but mostly smooth. Even when it came to inserting the barbell. Sleeping on it has never been a problem, and cleaning it has always been easy and painless. Dare I say it's even fun to clean a rook piercing?

Conch
Pain: 5/10
After my daith (see below) this was easy. Maybe a little worse than a helix piercing, but not by much. Jewellery was fiddly, thanks to my tiny ears, but not too painful. Swelling took a month to finally go down, but for the most part I could lean on that ear straight away. Getting hair caught round it or catching it with my glasses is still painful (less so than when it was new), but other than that it's been an easy one. Just try to remember you have jewellery sticking out the back of your ear now.

(Piercings in order of getting them done)

Double helix
Pain: 4/10
If I didn't know what to expect with helix piercings I would have rated this higher, seeing as how it's two piercings and all. The first isn't too bad if you know to expect a sharp pinch, but the second is twice as bad as it's going through already bruised cartilage. As for care, it's been a pretty nice one to look after: very prone to being knocked about and

Helix
Pain: 2/10
After three previous helix piercings I think it's safe to say I know what they feel like and am not too bothered by it. Add to that how easy this one was for me and you get such a low rating. Not bruising, no bleeding, minimal swelling... What more could you want from a piercing? Healing, however, has not been so easy. For whatever reason, this helix has been my most troublesome, with the dreaded cartilage bump on both sides, resistance to hot compresses, and constantly getting wrapped in hair? Not fun.

Daith
Pain: 8/10
My piercer wasn't wrong when she said 'it's a toe-curler, this one. If you can get your daith done you can get anything.' This hurt. It's a fiddly piercing, a thick piece of cartilage, and a pressure point. To me, it felt as if I was being pierced with a blunt needle and that my piercer was really struggling to push it through as it felt like it went on forever. Putting the jewellery in was so easy compared to actually making the hole for it, but ever since it's been sore and prickly. But I haven't had a migraine since getting it done, and it's been relatively problem free. Still a little sore if I fiddle with it and prone to crusties, but I could sleep on it after about two weeks.

Nostril
Pain: 3/10
As I'm sure most people with nose piercings will say: it's not that bad, it's just the weird eye watering. If clamps are used they're probably the most uncomfortable part as they're big in your nostril and hold on tight. You also don't realise just how much your nose moves until you get it pierced, so talking, yawning, sneezing, eating, smiling, and blowing your nose will all be uncomfortable for the first twenty four hours. Sleeping and cleaning it, however, aren't problems at all.

Do you have any piercings?