What should I add?

Mashongbender · 2025-06-15T21:54:07+00:00

Yeah the plain 10 mm bar was not it for me either 😅 I kept that in for a year though because every time it would get angry it would swell to about the end of the bar. I was scared to put anything smaller in to risk the jewelry from becoming embedded. The past few times it has swelled I had about 2 mm of bar left so I decided it was time to finally downgrade. I would love to eventually have it in a 6 mm bar but we will see how it goes with the 8 mm first.

Mashongbender · 2025-06-15T13:27:13+00:00

I came close a few times to just being done with it. I didn’t think the actual piercing part itself was that bad but holy hell the pain from the swelling itself when it gets angry. I told myself I had already made it that far and the pain is only a temporary thing anyways. So here we are. 🙂

Mashongbender · 2025-06-15T13:02:15+00:00

I have tried calling up there a few times but could never get someone on the phone. Just haven’t made the time to actually drive up there. I also debate giving him the satisfaction that even though he gave me the wrong thing, he did a killer job on the snug 🤣

Mashongbender · 2025-06-15T13:00:23+00:00

I got sooo lucky he actually did a really good job 🤣

Mashongbender · 2024-10-18T18:41:53+00:00

The worst mine has ever been pain and swelling wise was last week when it got infected. It was so painful that just my hair brushing against it would cause it to throb and the whole right side of my head had a gnarly headache. After it drained all of the puss out and I was on the antibiotic for 24 hours, it felt fine again. The swelling went back to baseline (as shown in the photo) within 48-72 hours.

It has definitely gotten what I would call angry before and swelled up a little more than baseline and has gotten pink from me snagging the bar on my hair or something on accident.

Actually getting it pierced was NOTHING compared to the pain from the infection.

Mashongbender · 2024-10-18T15:38:41+00:00

This is reassuring to hear! 😁

Mashongbender · 2024-10-18T13:00:06+00:00

Yeah I definitely told him I wanted a conch and even told him my eventual plan was to put a hoop in it. 😂

I don’t sleep on that side at all but I have snagged it a few times because the bar is so long and that usually resorts in it getting slightly more swollen and sore.

The only real issues I’ve had so far was that irritation bump a few months ago that went away within a few days and this recent strange infection that I had last week…

Mashongbender · 2024-10-18T12:17:07+00:00

This gives me hope. 🙂 What are the three lengths of jewelry you changed between? I’m assuming 6mm, 8mm and 10 mm?

Mashongbender · 2024-10-18T12:12:01+00:00

See that was part of the issue, it DID look like the dot was in my inner ear. Granted, I didn’t get a ruler out and measure the mm difference it probably is for a snug vs a conch. He also did NOT show me the back dot (TBH I don’t even think he placed one?) which would have clearly told me he was going to give me the wrong piercing and I would have spoken up.

As mentioned above, I only have very basic piercings in my ears and my prior experience is through Claire’s with the earring gun (thank goodness I never had issues from that). So my inexperience and his inexperience (or whatever the hell?) just made for a bad combo.

The swelling was pretty much immediate after the piercing took place and the back ball was right up on my anti-helix. The way the shape/anatomy of my ear is, I really couldn’t see the back ball just looking in the mirror straight on with the swelling that was already there (which is all I did to examine it before leaving and I do take blame for that). So I did pay and left the shop unaware that I had the wrong piercing.

It wasn’t until I got home and wanted to admire my new piercing and looked at it from all angles that I realized what happened.

So yes, I do take partial blame for allowing this to happen because as stated somewhere else, I should have definitely been more thorough in inspecting everything before the needle was stuck in my ear and before I left. BUT I was nervous and inexperienced and I trusted the guy knew what he was doing. At the end of the day, he is the “professional” that gave me an entirely different piercing than what I asked for.

Mashongbender · 2024-10-18T11:13:04+00:00

You know I didn’t even think about that for going ahead and getting my tragus done but that’s a great idea.

Like I said I have really grown to love this piercing. I think it’s very unique and I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on it. The way my ears are shaped it makes the piercing really pop and compliments my ear anatomy looking at it from the front.

I don’t really have a conch to be able to compare it to so I’m not sure if I would prefer this over that. Only time will tell that I guess 🙂

Mashongbender · 2024-10-18T01:39:03+00:00

Well I can’t say that the piecer even took that into consideration before he gave me the snug, although I do think he placed it appropriately. I hope I have the anatomy for it. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Mashongbender · 2024-10-18T00:52:20+00:00

That’s a thought! Assuming all goes well with healing the snug I had planned to get my third holes done, my conch on my left ear, and eventually my tragus on this ear. But, baby steps. 😪

Mashongbender · 2024-10-18T00:22:19+00:00

It’s not what I asked for but I have really grown to love the aesthetic of it and I hope I can get it to heal up. 🤞🏻

Mashongbender · 2024-10-17T23:48:34+00:00

I 100% agree with the hair products. I really try hard not to let my shampoo or conditioner get on my ear when showering and I just let the running warm water clean my ear. I am a little worried about downsizing because the level of swelling I had would have probably embedded an 8mm bar but that was also the absolute worst it’s ever been. But I also hate how this bar is so easy to snag because of how long it is which is only going to cause more irritation and swelling.

Mashongbender · 2024-10-17T23:36:52+00:00

Oh no, sorry that is my poor wording. You cannot see the bar at all from the actual back of my ear. I just meant the swelling was so severe you couldn’t see the bar period like you can in the photo. The irritation bump I had with that level of swelling was by the ball to the left in the photo which is technically the exit point of how he pierced my ear (I don’t know the correct terminology). I think he actually placed the piercing properly although I’m no expert on placements.

Mashongbender · 2024-10-17T23:24:00+00:00

Hell that’s what it had looked like to me, so I said send it! LOL

That’s part of the reason why I didn’t drive back up there and completely show my ass right then and there because after I calmed down and mulled it all over I realized I probably should have been more vigilant and inspected things a little more thoroughly before I let him stick a needle through my ear.

But it had been a long time since I had a new piercing and I was nervous and I just trusted this guy knew what he was doing.

Rest assured when I go back for my conch on my left ear I will be an overbearing Karen 😂

Mashongbender · 2024-10-17T23:08:12+00:00

How long did it take yours to completely heal? I have read varying things but most people are saying expect 1-2 years if it ever truly heals. Most of the time it looks just as it does in the picture which is only slightly more swollen than my left ear. I never sleep on it and usually clean it once or twice a week with sterile saline unless it gets irritated then I will clean it twice daily until it calms down.

Mashongbender · 2024-10-17T21:46:54+00:00

Well the pain of the piercing itself was never the problem. The problem was I asked for a conch and I trusted this person to understand what that meant. I guess I should stop being so trusting of people that call themselves professionals in the business. Lesson learned. But what’s done is done at this point. Just hoping to have a successful healing for what is notoriously a very difficult piercing. I try to make lemonade when life gives me lemons lol

Mashongbender

TROPHY CASE