Yeah, my ears were secreting something greeny, but it was just because the backs of the stud were cheap metal. I switched them to my trusty sterling silver back and it's fine now

Also you said earlier "Might be allergic to whatever I'm putting in my ears"

Are you changing the jewellery already?

No. I changed my first holes, and I get blood reactions to different earrings. Like, right now I have different earrings in, and they're doing wonders for my first holes. Unlike other ones, when I have blood coming out of it. =\ (Possibly because of the Jewerly)

My 2nd and 3rd holes - I guess I'm 'allowed' to change them today, because it's been six weeks today. But I haven't changed them. Maybe I should change them though, because it might be the Jewerly that's doing this to my ears.


For my Cartilage I changed it after 1 week (I know it's not good) But it's weird. My Cartilage is doing better than all of my other piercings.

It's strange how that can happen isn't it?

Ah fair enough then, I'd say when you go to your piercer, ask him to change the jewellery to some titanium rings or bars, I wouldn't change them yourself yet, your ears sound pretty messed up (no offense!), and changing them yourself might just irritate them more.

I hope they heal nicely soon

My piercer isn't a guy, lol. She's a girl, but I got it pierced at a 'Piercing Pagoda'. That's where I got all of my piercings (For my Labret, I wouldn't go there. I'd go to a professional piercer for that) But it's funny.....

I got my Cartilage at a different piercing place (Still a Piercing Pagoda, just a dif. mall) And it's healed up great. My 1st, 2nd, and 3rd holes I all got done at the same place, and those are the ones screwed up. =\

Ahh, sorry .

Hmm, I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping you out though.

Read the Claire's Jewellery post, it's talking about the difference between stores, how certain managers bend rules and stuff.

How're your ears doing now?

As a person who is sensitive to metal (even titanium sometimes seems weird, but maybe it's just I've never had GOOD titanium) bioplast and quartz are WONDERFUL. Oh My Gosh. My transverse was really fussy until I put a bioplast bar into it (and it was pierced with Stainless Steel (circular barbell) then changed to a curved barbell when it wasn't healing up.) And I put a little bioplast bar in my eyebrow as a retainer and never had any problems with it once I did that.
As for quartz, I had a quartz retainer that I lost and loved it. Very smooth and comfy. And I have just bought another set (one for my transverse and one for my helix) and they feel so good.

So, as a metal challenged person, those are both EXCELLENT options.

My second holes were done by Claire's. The third ones were done by Piercing Pagoda. I swore I wasn't getting any more holes ever again. My ears looked like bejeweled grapes they were so infected. After that fiasco... (2002) I ended up getting a professional piercing for the first time. Strangely I haven't infected since. Different jewelry, different techniques for piercing and a whole different system for aftercare. What a difference. I tried to dissuade my co-worker from taking her daughter to get her ears done at the Mall. She said "No way! She's not going to one of those places to get that done." Her daughter is afraid of the noise of the gun. I didn't change her mind, but her daughter also didn't get her ears done. So that's something.

Oh yes... and Claire's gave me crooked frickin' holes. I'm really very sensitive about them being off. It keeps my left ear from being the absolutely most perfect wonderful ear. It makes me pout and want to set fire to all the Claire's stores.

Lady Draugr

Another thought I had...

I got my regular lobe holes at Claire's when I was 13. They're straight enough through the ear, but my lobes are different lengths/sizes whatever. so when it came time that I wanted to get my transverse done, my right lobe didn't have enough room under the original piercing to pierce it safely. so I just have my left lobe done transversely. now, for a regular ear piercing, they're fine. They're even across the face. they're straight. they healed just fine (though I didn't like the ear care solution they were selling at the time.)

I got my helix pierced at Wal-Mart and it wasn't quite on the mark I had requested, but it healed about as decently as could be expected from a gunned cartilage.

My eyebrow was my first "professional" piercing and it healed fine. It was done by an apprentice type guy and later when the "master" piercer saw it he was upset at the way his trainee had done it. My piercing by the "master" was my transverse and I was much more knowledgeable about piercings by this time and did SSS and all that good stuff. That piercing was the most irritable piercing I have had. It's also the last one I've had done for multiple reasons.

Woah. A piercing done at Walmart? I guess they really do 'have everything' there! =P


I've enver had any piercings done with a needle, does it feel any different than getting it with a gun? I was thinking about a needle going through the bottom of my lip, (I might be getting my Labret done) and now I'm getting cringes. Now that I think of it, I'm terrified of the pain. I know it won't be fatal or anything, and it's bare-able, but I'm a wuss when it comes to pain.

I totally wouldn't recommend going to Wal-Mart for a piercing. As far as I know, they have little to no training. Admittedly, I'm a cashier and don't work the jewelry counter, but ... yeah.

the needle is much better. My eyebrow didn't hurt at all, and my transverse was only painful because of the unusual angle and whatnot. Also, i think I might have been the first one that piercer had done despite the fact he talked big. But he took a picture of mine to put in his portfolio.