I finally got my helix piercing done after 6 years of um-ing and ahh-ing...it's not even like it's a 'major' piercing to have, but for some reason I just never got round to it no matter how much I wanted it done. I was just meant to be in Birmingham to get my mum's birthday present, but ended up wandering into the Oasis (one of my favorite independent stores, worth a look when you're around!) and before I knew it, was at the counter at Dollyrockers signing the consent form, haha. It cost me £24, which included the titanium barbell. I also got all the usual aftercare talk and it was all over and done within 10 minutes of walking into the shop. Rules differ between studios, but for a helix piercing, you need to be 16+ with photo ID, or 14 with parental consent.I've only had 4 lobe piercings done before (2x sets of 2), so was a little bit worried about the pain seeing as my ear rim is cartilage, but they actually froze the area so all I felt was a little scratch when he inserted the needle (you should never get a helix piercing done with a piercing gun due to the danger of migration, rejection and internal damage to the cartilage as a result of shock) I'm not too sure if anywhere in Coventry does the same, but it's the only piercing studio in Brum which uses a freezing technique. If I'm honest, everywhere should do it because it did make the experience a lot more comfortable. It definitely hurt more when he had to put the barbell into the piercing, but the stinging sensation is an extremely momentary thing, so I can't complain really!
It's been around 4 hours now and it's just numb more than anything else - it does hurt a lot if you knock it, though. Trying not to get my hair tangled in the back of the barbell is a bit of a challenge, so I may have to wear my hair up for a bit so I don't cause any unnecessary problems. Comparing the pain scale to my lobe piercings is quite difficult as I was 12 when I had my second set done, but from what I can remember, there's not too much difference, and the healing time and aftercare is the same - 6 weeks with a twice daily clean using half a pint of boiling water mixed with a tablespoon of table salt.
