I seem to have a bit of a piercing addiction. On the bright side, it could be worse, right? The day I shared I was getting my conch pierced (the most recent one) in NYC, I was flooded with questions about everything from the location, to the pain level, and everything in between.
Let me start by saying, I’ve wanted this piercing for THE longest time. I finally got the balls (for lack of a better word) to get it done. I also want to preface this post by saying that obviously everyone has a different pain tolerance. Since I’ve gotten 6 piercings this year, I think it’s safe to say that mine is fairly high. Since I get so many questions about them daily, I thought I’d break it down.
Let’s go in the order that I had them done for timeline sake.
first holes.
I’ve always loved piercings. I used to wear the little multicolored stick on ones…anyone else remember those? I wanted to get my first holes when I was way younger, but my parents made me wait until 5th grade. I remember my mom squeezing my hand and we came up with a random word to repeat until it was over. The word happened to be “macaroni” if you’re curious. Great choice if I do say so myself.
Pain? I honestly don’t remember, but doubt most of you are here with questions about your first.
first cartilage.
I got my first cartilage (the lower one with the hoop) freshman year of college. My parents weren’t overly strict growing up. They were the perfect balance of being parents and having rules, but not being overbearing and were very reasonable/cool, in my opinion. However, when it came to piercings, my dad wasn’t too excited haha. I went to a tattoo place, got it done, and told them after. What’s that quote…ask for forgiveness, not permission? To really understand the story, you’d have to know my dad and I’s relationship but to summarize: We were very similar. No one will probably ever really get me the way he did (vise versa), he was totally that person for me, but because of it we also butted heads. After I got it pierced, he didn’t talk to me for two days. Once he saw it in person, he loved it and ended up buying me a diamond stud to wear in it as my 21st birthday present. I’m currently wearing the stud in my third hole on the same ears!
Pain? This one actually hurt pretty bad. It was also my first piercing in years and took a long time to heal.
seconds.
I got these a few months ago, shortly after I got my thirds. I have kind of known from the get-go what I wanted my “curated” ear to look like and I have taken the time to do one piercing each go around. For these I went to Shaman Modifications (a well known piercing spot in Austin).
Pain? Getting one on each ear is actually a little more painful. I’m obviously not a professional, but the guy who pierced me explained it to me like this: Once you pierce one year, the endorphins rush to that side to “help”. So your body is basically tending to that “trauma” then when you pierce the other ear right after it hurts even more because your body is already dealing with the first one (aka. you feel the pain more).
thirds.
These are a fun little memory. I wanted my second and thirds together but waited to get these with my friend, Jen! These are our friendship piercings haha. We got them them in Dallas the day that the reward style conference started! It was a really fun thing to do with a girlfriend.
Pain? Same concept as the seconds – it hurts worse when you do both ears. Everyone’s ear shape is a little different, but my ears are on the smaller side, so these were pretty hard to find a spot for. We wanted to avoid the cartilage, but I think they are on the very edge. These took longer to heal because of the placement. Kins would bump them when I held her or I would snag my hair on one of them etc. They were definitely one of the most painful and just a pain throughout the healing process! They are totally fine now, but went through phases of getting borderline infected, swollen etc..
second cartilage.
I love this one! I got it done in Austin at Shaman Modifications, again. It’s still pretty new and nowhere near healed yet. The cartilage ones (my newest conch included) take much longer to heal. I was so excited about this super cute lotus flower and right when I got home and showed Alex he asked me if I had an Adidas symbol in my ear lol…cue my bubble bursting.
Pain? This one didn’t feel great, not gonna lie, and while it’s still not healed and slightly swollen etc. it hasn’t been as bad as far as healing goes. I think it’s kind of tucked away and just hasn’t gotten snagged like my thirds did.
conch.
Ahhh my newest piercing and the one I have been most excited for. I have wanted it for so long and finally had the balls (for lack of better term) to get it done. I decided spur of the moment in NYC to bite the bullet and just get it done after years of wanting it.
Pain? Let me start this by saying that when I said I was getting this, I had TONS of messages from people saying how painful it was and how long it takes to heal. Most people said it was their most painful piercing of all. The actual piercing wasn’t terrible (I went to Maria Tash in NYC), but it was definitely very sore and achey after. I can’t sleep on it, wear headphones—nothing. So it’s a pretty big hassle in that way, but I really love it so it’s worth it for me. You just have to weigh the pros and cons! It’s only like a week old, so I can’t speak to healing yet. This one is not for the faint of heart in my opinion and the opinions of many of you who have messaged me haha.
was it worth it? + things to think about.
I get this question a lot too. They are very me, so in my eyes, yes but it is absolutely a commitment. If you’re not someone who wants the commitment of dealing with the pain and time it takes to heal, get a cuff!
The healing process is also pretty long on several of these, so if you have to take your jewelry out for work, that’s also something to consider.
Rounding up a few cute cuff options here.
pro tip for sleeping.
Several of you gave me the tip to sleep on a neck pillow and it’s been so helpful! You basically sleep with your ear IN the hole part of the pillow. Genius, right?!
my daily earrings.
Note: My exact earring are all fine jewelry/real gold and diamonds but I will link up similar more affordable options at the bottom as well.
first hole details on my day to day look.
I change out my first holes pretty frequently! In these photos I have diamond hoops that Alex gifted me in the my first holes, but when I wear smaller one, I use the below listed.
right ear – Jude Frances Jewelry Provence Champagne Hoop with Pave Diamond Crescent Charm.
left ear – Jude Frances Jewelry Provence Champagne Hoop with Diamond Dagger Charm.
second hole details.
right ear – Jude Frances Diamond Bezel Hoop with Pave Kite Charm in gold.
left ear – Jude Frances Diamond Bezel Hoop with Pave Diamond Cross in gold.
third hole details.
The diamond studs from my dad in the left ear and the Jude Francis Petite Diamond Trio Stud in my right ear.
lower cartridge.
Jude Francis Petite Pave Diamond Hoop.
upper cartridge.
I got this one at the piercing studio – it’s a sapphire lotus flower.
conch.
Maria Tash Diamond Hoop.
More options