HELIX PIERCING GUIDE
what is a helix piercing?
Helix Piercings are one of the most popular cartilage piercings and are the perfect addition to your ear stack! A helix piercing is usually found on the ear's upper cartilage and can be completely customised with different placements and jewellery. It's the easiest way to effortlessly enhance your ear stack.
In this guide we will talk about what a helix piercing is, the types of helix piercings, the cost, the process, aftercare and styling tips.
single helix
A single helix is a piercing done in any location along the outer ridge of the cartilage. It is a simple yet effective way to enable your own creative expression through your everyday earrings.
double and triple helix
Why stop at one? A double or triple helix consists of multiple piercings in a row on the upper ear cartilage. If you are planning to build a helix stack (2 or more helix piercings) we will suggest 1 to start, then space the new piercings out every 4 months. It is also important to make sure that there is enough space between the jewellery to allow the earrings to be safely changed and cleaned.
Forward helix
A forward helix is a unique piercing that sits on the smaller outer rim of the top of the ear. It is such a great way to spice up your ear. Not all ears have the right anatomy for a forward helix - this piercing requires enough depth at the front and underneath to successfully pierce this placement. We recommend a complimentary consultation if you would like to have your forward helix pierced.
mid helix
A mid helix is just that, it’s the middle section of cartilage between the upper cartilage and the upper lobe. A mid helix is pierced slightly lower than a normal helix and is the perfect way to connect your stack if you already have a helix and an upper lobe!
cost of a Helix 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
Helix piercing procedure
The process of a Helix piercing is fairly easy. 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 - taking into consideration your lifestyle and end ear curation goals. We may also recommend a silicone piercing disc to be installed onto the back of the piercing - this assists with stabilising the piercing as it’s it’s healing, helps to prevent piercing bumps, and removes the risk of the earring embedding into the ear at the back - that is the most difficult area to care for post-piercing.
Following from this your piercer will then clamp the area using Pennington forceps and insert the piercing needle through. This process is done by one of our qualified piercers with an 18-gauge piercing needle. We do not use piercing guns or piercing pressure devices, as these instruments can cause trauma and spread bacteria. A piercing needle allows for increased precision and less trauma as well as a risk of infection to the ear regardless of the location of the piercing.
Following this, the earring of your choice will be fitted to your ear. 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 there you have it, your new piercing is ready to be the perfect everyday accessory!
Pain and healing time
Pain Guide: 6/10
Forward Helix: 8/10
On a pain scale, a helix isn’t one of the worst cartilage piercings to have done, however, it is not as painless as the lobe. The only exception to this is the forward helix which can be slightly more painful due to its position and the technique that is used to pierce this location.
Helix piercings can be one of the peskiest piercings to heal - they require patience. These ear-piercing placements are most likely to flare up as they are positioned on the outside edge of the ear, exposed to all the everyday dangers - towels, hair, knocks and bumps. Extra care and caution are needed.
The healing time for a helix is between 9 and 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 3-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 helix 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 helix piercing is very similar to that of a lobe piercing. 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 can 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. We also recommend trying not to sleep on a fresh piercing as this can cause the piercing to become swollen or infected.
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?
Here's what to do - The serious stuff
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 helix piercing is a unique piercing to style as there are so many options depending on your personal style and ear anatomy. You can opt for something super subtle like our 14K Solid Gold Diamond Petit Solitaire Earring or make more of a statement with our 14K Solid Gold Wave Piercing Hoop. Whatever your preference, we've curated pieces to match every aesthetic. Check out a few of our favourites below.
Unsure on what jewellery to add into your Helix piercing? Well, we have plenty of options that will work wonderfully! Check out our Helix Piercing Collection for our favourites.
Helix Piercing Collection
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Diamond Petit Solitaire Earring
14 Karat Yellow Gold / Lab-Grown Diamond / Single or PairRegular price $140.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Diamond Petit Solitaire Earring
14 Karat White Gold / Lab-Grown Diamond / Single or PairRegular price $145.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Piccolo Diamond Earring
14 Karat Yellow Gold / Lab-Grown Diamond / Single or PairRegular price $125.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Petite Clicker Ring
14 Karat Yellow Gold / Single or PairRegular price From $130.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Diamond Petit Duo Earring
14 Karat White Gold / Lab-Grown Diamond / Single or PairRegular price $200.00Regular priceUnit price per
WANT MORE?
Looking to get some more piercings but not sure where to start? Here are our favourite piercing combos for a helix 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.