Need Helix piercing advice

[Audacious]

Hey guys.

So I got my helix pierced (the top cartilage part of your ear) with a 14G needle. It hurt so bad, fyi haha. So anyways it's been a few weeks, and it's still a bit swollen and it's really tender.
I'm a fidgety person...so I've been rotating it and playing with it probably too much...it's a captive bead ring. So yeah it's caught my attention hahaha. I've been cleaning it with antiseptic every night...I take the jewelry out, clean that, clean the piercing, then put it back in. That's what I've done with all my piercings and it's been fine.
I'm just wondering how long until it stops being sore. My nose has only been done for about a month and it's not sore anymore...and my lobes were a piece of cake.

Any advice on how I can cut down on the soreness and make the swelling go away?

Thanks

[Thirteen]

Well, although I don't have the same piercing, I do have an Industrial that was done with a 14g needle.

First of all, you shouldn't be taking the jewelry out. That's a NO-NO. Second, what are you using to clean it? A warm sea salt soak is a much better cleaning solution than any kind of chemical, so try switching to that. Oh, and don't play with it!

Last note, these kinds of piercings do take awhile to heal. Probably at least 3-6 months, if not 12 months. Keep in mind, that's a fairly big needle to go through your cartilage. My Industrial took a few months to heal, then it acted up again, so I switched jewelry and let it heal more, and it's fine now.

If you have any more piercing questions, feel free to PM me.

[Audacious]

Why is it bad to take the jewelry out to clean it?
I'm pretty sure it's 14G. My piercer didn't tell me, but I know a guy who was a piercer and I was like, "aaron what guage is this" and he was like "14" and that was the end of the conversation hahahaha.

[Maloo]

you're not supposed to take the jewelry out because you're agitating the piercing when it's trying to heal.

[thefirstlady]

Myss is right. Taking the piercing out of a fresh piercing will only agitate it and make it even more tender. It will also make it take longer to heal. Stop playing with it too. Dirty hands + playing with a fresh piercing can lead to infection and make it take even longer to heal. Just continue cleaning it at least twice a day. Your piercer should have given you an aftercare sheet on how to take care of the piercing.

Here's the aftercare we give clients:

WASH your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning, or touching on or near your piercing for any reason.
SALINE soak at least two to three times daily. Simply invert a cup of war saline solution over the area to form a vacuum for a few minutes. The longer you soak the better. For certain placements it may be easier to apply using fresh gauze or a cotton ball saturated with saline solution. A brief rinse will remove any residue.
DRY with disposable paper products such as gauze or tissues, because cloth towels can harbor bacterial and catch on new piercings causing injury. Pat gently to avoid trauma