FLAT PIERCING GUIDE
what is a flat piercing?
There are many variations of a cartilage piercing for you to choose from, including a flat piercing or one of our personal favourites, a love bite! A flat piercing is done in the flat area of your cartilage which gives you a large surface area to work with and get creative with placement. This cartilage is located on the upper inner side of your ear next to the helix.
Depending on personal style, ear anatomy and pain threshold the options are endless when it comes to a flat piercing. These piercings are also only able to have a flat back stud as there is no outer edge to place a hoop around.
In this guide we are going to talk about what a flat piercing is, the types of flat piercings, the cost, the process, aftercare and styling tips.
Single flat
The first and most common form of this piercing is just a singular piercing in the flat of your ear. It's a subtle yet striking addition to your ear adornments. The singular flat piercing offers boundless opportunities for creativity, allowing for complete flexibility in its positioning.
Love Bite
Is one not enough? Let us introduce you to one of our favourites, the love bite. The love bite is a double flat piercing that is placed close together in a straight line across the flat of your ear. There are endless combinations for this piercing which means unlimited creativity!
cost of a flat piercing
At Covetear, we don’t charge extra for specialty ear piercings with the cost of your piercing being universal across all piercing types.
We charge per piercing with the price of your jewellery of choice added on top.
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Single
1 Piercing - $60
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Double
2 Piercings - $80
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Curation
3-4 Piercings - $100
flat piercing procedure
First, your piercer will start with sterilising your ear with a medical-grade alcohol swab. Next, we will mark up the site of the piercing to make sure that you are happy with the placement.
Following from this your piercer will then clamp the area using Pennington forceps and insert the piercing needle through. This process is typically done by one of our qualified piercers with an 18-gauge piercing needle and not a piercing gun, as a piercing gun can cause trauma and spread bacteria. A piercing needle allows for increased precision and less trauma as well as the risk of infection to the ear regardless of the piercings location.
Following this, the flat back of the correct sizing will be fitted to your ear and the front of your choice will be screwed in. We have specifically engineered our piercing jewellery to be safe and stylish so that you can use them whilst your piercing is healing and after.
And just like that, your new piercing is ready to be shown off!
Pain and healing time
A flat piercing is very similar to a helix piercing in terms of pain levels. As the piercing goes through similar thicknesses of cartilage it is ranked the same as a helix piercing on a pain scale.
The healing time for a flat piercing is between 6 to 12 months. For the first 72 hours localised swelling, redness, a warm pulsing sensation and a small amount of bleeding are all completely normal.
During the 2 to 4-week mark you may still feel some faint pulsing and you can also still expect a fluid-like substance to expel from the ear and form a crust - especially at night as this is when most healing happens. It is extremely important to treat your piercing with care and do not touch it unless you are cleaning the area.
Between the 5 to 12-week mark although you may not be feeling any discomfort it is important to remember that the piercing channel will not be fully healed so we strongly advise that you avoid friction and irritation. Do not twist, push or pull the earring if possible. This is also the stage where it can be considered to downsize your post to promote faster healing.
The three-month mark and beyond is where you must be patient and where most piercings are known to cause trouble. Although you may think that the piercing is fully healed and go ahead and change your jewellery early, it can cause infection and keloid-style scarring if changed too early.
That is why our number 1 recommendation is to choose a piece of jewellery that you love for your initial piercing, downsize your post at the right time and wait the full recommended period before changing your stack. For a flat piercing, it is recommended that you wait a minimum of 9 months before you change your piercing jewellery over.
If you remove your jewellery from your piercing with out replacing it your piercings can close over in just a few hours so it is essential that you keep jewellery in the piercing at all times.
Aftercare
The aftercare for a flat piercing is fairly simple and easy. Our simple-to-follow tips have been developed in line with professional piercing and healthcare standards, ensuring your piercings heal as easily and quickly as possible. We offer unlimited, complimentary Aftercare Appointments to help you achieve optimum healing time by providing expert advice on demand. There are 4 essential steps to cleaning your new piercing.
The first and most important piece of care advice is DO NOT TOUCH. If you must touch the piercing, wash your hands. Never, ever, touch your new piercing with unwashed hands.
Second, we use the NeilMed™ piercing aftercare spray which does all the work for you! By aiming the pressurised can at a distance of 3cm - 6cm from the affected area, it is able to clean away any dirt or unwanted objects from the area without irritation. Spray both the front and the back of the piercing and then using a cotton tip, remove any discharge or dried blood.
The third step is to gently pat dry the entire area. For this, we suggest avoiding the use of toilet paper, cotton buds, Q-Tips and cotton wool on and around the newly pierced area(s) as the material from the fibres can irritate the skin and cause infection. Make sure the area is completely dry. Moisture can encourage bacteria to grow, and negatively affect your healing process.
Lastly, we recommend cleaning your piercings twice a day for at least 6-8 weeks, then this can be reduced to once daily.
Pro-tip; when washing your hair, if you have access to a removable shower head, hold it near your piercing and allow the water to wash over the piercing lightly to remove any build-up of product. Any built-up shampoo or conditioner will increase the risk of infection and irritation so ensuring its removal is essential before spraying the piercing with the aftercare spray!
is your piercing infected?
The success rate of piercing healing is very dependent on you, and how committed you are to your aftercare. If you neglect aftercare and interfere with your fresh piercing (playing with it and touching it) then the likelihood of complications is going to be much higher and your piercing is going to take much longer to heal.
If you experience sudden swelling that you feel is outside of ‘normal’ post-piercing healing, you must contact us immediately for professional advice. Piercing infections can become serious, very quickly. Do not delay seeking assistance. We are contactable 7 days a week for piercing aftercare advice - however we are not medical professionals, and as such, our recommendation will always be to see a doctor if there is any chance you have a bacterial infection.
Things to watch out for are the sudden onset of excessive swelling, excessive bleeding, discharge of bright yellow, green, or dark fluids, and/or red stripes coming from the piercing site. These symptoms are indicative of serious problems. Fever, upset stomach, dizziness, or vomiting may also be signs of infection.
TIME TO STYLE!
A flat piercing is a unique piercing to style as there are so many options depending on your personal style. You can go for something super subtle like our 14K Solid Gold Diamond Petit Solitaire Earring or make it a little more fun with our 14K Solid Gold Diamond Heart Earring. Whatever your style, we've got the ideal piece waiting for you! Take a look at a few of our favourites below.
Unsure on what jewellery to add into your Flat piercing? Well, we have plenty of options that will work wonderfully! Check out our Flat Piercing Collection for our favourites.
FLAT COLLECTION
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Diamond Petit Solitaire Earring
Prix habituel $145.00Prix habituelPrix unitaire par -
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Diamond Petit Solitaire Earring
Prix habituel $150.00Prix habituelPrix unitaire par -
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WANT MORE?
Looking to get some more piercings but not sure where to start? Here are our favourite piercing combos for a Flat piercing!
piercing and styling appointments
Ready to commit to your next piercing? Book in at one of our locations and one of our expert piercers will help you to achieve your new look! If you're not totally confident in the pieces you're after, that's ok! You can book in for either our deluxe piercing experience or ear curation experience where our experts will work with you to create a bespoke design with the highest level of artistry.