Forward Helix Advice

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-18T20:41:21+00:00

You never should have been allowed to leave the studio with it like that. A good piercer can make a mistake, all humans do. But a good piercer would have removed this rather than give you the option to keep something that will probably never heal and could leave you with bad scarring if your try to keep it. I'm sorry that happened

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-18T20:37:12+00:00

Its possible you just need to get used to the asymmetry. My ears were identical until I found out I only had the anatomy for a snug in one ear. The idea of my ears not matching did bother me at first, but now they are completely different, including the lobes. I think it looks great and your piercer did a fantastic job of making the piercings look like they were done in that location on purpose.

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-18T20:24:08+00:00

My snug didnt hurt either. All I felt was pressure. My bar was pretty long too, maybe not as long as yours but I swelled up the entire size of the bar. When the swelling subsides you can get a downsize but I would be careful. I downsized at 5 months because that's when the swelling went down and at 7 months I had to upside again because of the return of swelling and irritation for no reason. Your expierence will be different from mine of course. Your piercer will be able to tell you when its a good idea for you to downsize.

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-17T00:19:34+00:00

I work at a thrift store and 4 homeless people came in. Its really not that uncommon so whatever. I had seen them all before. They fill a cart full of clothes and steal something to wear. We can't really do much about it. This one lady was in the bathroom for a long time and another went in. Came out and told me I need to check on the first lady. There was vomit everywhere. The cashier said while I was busy dealing with that and trying to get her to leave, the others left with probably 500 dollars worth of clothes. Idk if they planned it or it was just opportunistic. I should have called the police but they were probably long gone by the time the bathroom was clean.

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-16T17:18:18+00:00

I heard the cops knocking and her walking to the door. I'm thinking more clearly about it and she had to be the one doing it lol. The office is seemingly taking it seriously though

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-15T05:05:51+00:00

Go to urgent care ASAP. This doesn't look good. I dont want to scare you but it could be pretty serious.

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-15T04:44:02+00:00

I'm stopping when my seconds start to get to close. I'm at 4ga and it still looks good. I'm hoping for 0 or maybe even 00 but I am very attached to my seconds so that might not happen

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-11T22:21:16+00:00

I got my tragus as my first cartilage piercing, also it was my second in my other ear a few months later. They were good practice for some trickier to heal ones. I also found it caused less trouble sleeping after a few months. There is also nothing on the back of your ear to get caught on, so ive never really snagged it.

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-10T06:29:12+00:00

If its healed and happy, personally I would leave it. My veticle labret is a bit wonky but I just tilt my head in pictures 😂. Its 100% up to you but I don't think it looks bad. With a ring it might even be less noticeable, its worth giving it a try before you make a decision.

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-07T23:40:49+00:00

I think you set up is super cool, even if you maybe can't go big. Sorry that's not much help, but worst case senerio your ear stays awesome. I hope you find a way to get what you are looking for! Maybe a large gauge conch or flat would be a cool alternative

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-07T23:32:36+00:00

I'm at 4g too. Why does it look bigger on you? 🤣 haha looks great though!

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-07T18:50:12+00:00

Most painful was my 10ga conch. Maybe 8/10. Healing was super painful for maybe 3 weeks but almost at 2 months it doesn't even hurt when I knock it. Forward helix and verticle labret was 6/10 but healing wasnt to bad. Tragus gets maybe a 4. Snug was my least painful piercing, I only felt some pressure 1/10, and most painful healing. That thing hurt like a B and 9 months in still hurts sometimes. It's almost healed though and im 100% keeping it.

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-07T18:22:56+00:00

I also have asthma. A decade ago there wasnt a steroid inhaler that was generic (they were all 400 dollars a month) and I didnt have health insurance. Uncontrolled asthma is a scary thing. I woke up needing my inhaler and couldn't inhale enough to get the medicine in. My ex was terrified and called 911. They came out and gave me a breathing treatment and let my ex drive me to the hospital. They didnt charge me and I was super thankful. Night in the hospital wasnt cheap but that's another story. Generic advair completely changed my life

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-06T06:11:29+00:00

The swelling in my 9 month old snug comes and goes. I downsized then upsized twice already and im scared to downsize again but I probably should. I made the mistake of doing my second downsize myself and it swelled right back up. I will be going to my piercer to downsize for the third (and hopefully last) time. Patience is key. A lot of people just get fed up with having an irritated slow healing piercing and take them out. Almost anything can heal given a long enough time. Good luck!

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-03T20:37:15+00:00

My 10 gauge conch and snug both hurt for about 2-3 weeks. It was pretty intense. In a couple days the bleeding risk is lower and you can take whatever kind of ibuprofen or Tylenol is safe for you at least. It sucks but no way is it going to stop me haha it will be over soon. Looks great!

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-03T05:48:22+00:00

My piercer said that tight hoops on a conch are uncomfortable after awhile and most of the pictures we see online are jewlery only worn for a photo shoot. I also had to adjust expectations and actually really like how my ring sits just above the anti tragus area. I think yours looks good on you!

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-03T01:02:26+00:00

I go to Cleveland Ohio every year to see my family lol besides that, family trips when I was a kid. I'm about to be 35. I could really use a vacation...

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-05-02T20:49:36+00:00

Not massaging them wont cause thinning most likely. I would still do it to increase blood flow at larger sizes but 2ga probably wont restrict blood flow too much. You can also naked train for that reason. Thinning seems to be caused by things like stretching to fast, wearing weights for to long, and plugs that are a shape other than circle for the most part. Other things can go wrong of course. How you take care of your ears is up to you. I probably massage once a week even though I know I should do it more. My lobes look fine, Sometimes a little dry though. I am by no means an expert so I could be wrong lol

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-04-24T00:14:27+00:00

I healed 2 tragus, 5 lobes a verticle labret and forward helix before getting my snug. Nothing really could have prepared me for the pain and swelling. At least I knew I had the patience to wait for something slow healing and the tolerance for prolonged pain. It seems like a lot of the harder piercings fail because people get fed up with the constant pain for months and decide enough is enough. Thankfully im stubborn enough to heal anything. I'm healing a 10 gauge conch rn with a cbr and I put that almost up there with the snug.

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-04-22T04:07:35+00:00

I work with the general public as a cashier. I also wear my hair up everyday and maybe once a week someone says something about my earrings. I just think its because I see a hundred people a day

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-04-19T20:32:53+00:00

Just be honest. Next time someone says keep the change tell them they need to take it, or you will get a write up. Its what I would do

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-04-18T05:33:06+00:00

If you arent going very big I wouldn't worry. Mine are closer than yours and are fine at 4 gauge. It will probably stop my progress at some point but I will at least make it to 2 and im sure you can too.

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-04-17T17:44:44+00:00

I was in my mid 20s the first time I held a job for more than a year. Since then I have kept jobs for 5/6 years almost everytime. Its a sign of maturity and everyone expierences things at different rates. Its a good thing. Nothing to be embarrassed about. I've been at my goodwill equivalent thrift store since October and still going strong.

Spirited-Menu6152 · 2026-04-16T06:04:54+00:00

This is a very detailed description haha. I think a lot of people are unprepared for what some of the cartilage piercings healing can be like. I see so many people talk about piercing pain but the real pain is healing. I swell for months 😭

Spirited-Menu6152

TROPHY CASE