Helix
Helix piercings are more than just a trend—they’ve been around for centuries, with cultures worldwide decorating their upper ears for hundreds, even thousands, of years. The helix, that curved ridge of cartilage running along the outer edge of the ear, offers a range of piercing options. But there’s more to it than just picking a spot! Even tiny changes in placement can have a big impact on the angle, which affects how your jewelry sits and how it’s seen—whether from the front or the side. These angles also determine what kind of jewelry you can rock comfortably; some angles allow for a variety of sizes, while others might limit you to smaller pieces. And if you’re a fan of hoops, the angle is especially crucial.
Cartilage piercings like the helix typically take about 6-9 months to heal, but don’t be surprised if it takes up to a year or even longer, especially with hoops. Healing time can vary depending on your anatomy, any medical conditions, lifestyle, climate, and your choice of jewelry. If you’re a slower healer, don’t sweat it—you’re not alone. Side sleepers, people who wear headsets at work, and those who tend to snag things easily might have a trickier time with healing, but that’s totally normal.
At Proper Poke, we usually start with straight posts for cartilage piercings during the healing phase. If you’ve got your heart set on wearing a ring once it’s all healed, let us know so we can adjust the angle or placement just right. We can do multiple helix piercings on the same ear, but since cartilage takes longer to heal, we recommend sticking to one ear at a time. This way, you’ll still have one ear free for sleeping, using the phone, and going about your day-to-day.
For initial jewelry, we typically go with a 16 or 14 gauge press-fit titanium post. We’ve got a wide range of options, from simple, classic designs to something a bit more blingy, like gold and diamonds. Check out our online store to see some of the many choices we offer for helix piercing jewelry.
And if you’re into the idea of connecting piercings, you can pair an outer helix with a forward helix and link them with a longer barbell, which is often called an industrial piercing. Outer helix piercings are usually placed along the "valley" around the ear’s edge, but we can also move the placement inward towards the antihelix, known as a "flat" piercing. Flat piercings are a great way to show off more decorative jewelry, and we’ve got plenty of options for that too!
