Ear piercings have become a popular form of self-expression, with many individuals adorning their ears with a variety of unique placements and custom combinations. Among the many options available, the conch piercing stands out as a versatile choice that offers a range of styling possibilities. But what about "double diet piercings"? It turns out that there's some confusion around this term, so let's clarify what it really means.
Understanding Conch Piercings
A conch piercing is a cartilage piercing located in the concha, which is the inner, cup-like part of your ear. The concha is divided into two areas:
- Inner conch (cavum): The inner "cup" of your ear, near the ear canal.
- Outer conch (cymba): The upper, flatter part of your ear between the helix (the folded edge) and the antihelix (the curve of the ear).
Conch piercings go through cartilage, which is harder than the soft tissue of the earlobe. As a result, they require special care and a longer healing time.
Types of Conch Piercings
There are several types of conch piercings you can choose from, depending on your desired placement and aesthetic:
- Inner Conch Piercing: This type of piercing is placed in the inner "cup" of your ear, near the ear canal. Cartilage studs are a popular jewelry choice for inner conch piercings, as they sit comfortably in the middle of the ear.
- Outer Conch Piercing: This piercing is done on the upper, flatter part of your ear, between the helix and the antihelix. Hoops are a popular choice for outer conch piercings, along with studs.
- Double Conch Piercing: This variation involves two piercings, which can be stacked in the inner conch or placed as an outer and inner conch piercing combination.
The Piercing Procedure
Regardless of the type of conch piercing you choose, a professional piercer will follow these basic steps to ensure a safe and successful procedure:
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- Consultation: The piercer will discuss the placement of the piercing with you and answer any questions you may have.
- Preparation: The piercer will clean your ear with alcohol or another antiseptic solution to sterilize the area.
- Marking: The piercer will mark the precise location of the piercing on your skin.
- Piercing: The piercer will use a thin needle or a dermal punch to create the piercing. A dermal punch is typically used for outer conch piercings, as this part of the ear is flatter.
- Jewelry Insertion: The piercer will insert the sterilized jewelry you have chosen into the piercing.
- Final Cleaning: The piercer will stop any bleeding, clean the area with an antiseptic again, and provide you with aftercare instructions.
Pain and Healing
The intensity of pain experienced during a conch piercing varies from person to person. However, you can expect to feel a pinch and some throbbing during the procedure. Because conch piercings go through cartilage, they tend to be more painful than earlobe piercings. If you are concerned about pain, you can ask your piercer about numbing the area with an ice pack beforehand.
After the piercing, it is normal to experience tenderness, blood, bruises, redness, and swelling in the first few days. During the healing process, which can take 4 months to a year, you may also experience itching, discoloration, and the formation of a pale fluid crust around the jewelry.
Aftercare
Proper aftercare is crucial for preventing infection and promoting healing. Follow these steps to care for your new conch piercing:
- Clean Hands: Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching your piercing.
- Cleaning Solution: Prepare a cleaning solution using 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt or 1 tablespoon of table salt dissolved in one cup of warm water. Alternatively, you can use a mild liquid antibacterial soap diluted with water.
- Cleaning: Dip a cotton swab in the cleaning solution and use it to soak the area of your piercing.
- Jewelry Rotation: Gently turn the jewelry in your piercing while the area is wet.
- Frequency: Repeat the cleaning process twice a day.
What to Avoid
- Irritation: Avoid irritating the piercing with clothing, excessive movement, unnecessary touching, or overwashing.
- Bodily Fluids: Prevent your conch piercing from coming into contact with other people's bodily fluids.
- Harmful Substances: Avoid recreational drug use, excessive caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol, as these can all affect healing.
- Personal Care Products: Avoid using personal care products around the piercing, such as body lotion, makeup, or hairspray.
- Sleeping Position: Don't sleep directly on the piercing.
- Charms: Avoid adding any type of charm to your jewelry until the piercing is fully healed.
- Contaminated Items: Clean headphones, phones, glasses, hats, helmets, and anything else that comes into contact with your conch piercing.
- Hair Styling: Be careful when styling your hair to avoid irritating your piercing.
- Harsh Chemicals: Don't use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol when you clean the piercing because they kill new, healthy cells and can slow down healing.
- Ointments: Avoid using ointment on your piercing because it interferes with healthy airflow.
Infection
An infection can develop in your piercing if bacteria invade the wound before it has healed. This can be caused by:
- Nonsterile piercing tools or an unhygienic environment
- Removing jewelry from the piercing too early
- Touching the piercing with dirty hands
- Forgetting to clean your piercing every day
- Swimming in a natural body of water, a hot tub, or a pool
Symptoms of Infection
- A discharge from the pierced area
- Fever
- Warm, red, or swollen skin around the piercing
- Soreness or pain around the piercing
If you suspect you have an infection, contact your health care provider for advice. Infections of the pierced area are not uncommon, but they usually respond well to treatment.
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Other Complications
Other complications occur less often than infections. Some can be serious, including:
- Bloodstream Infections: Unclean conditions and instruments that aren't properly sterilized can put you in danger of blood infections. You could develop hepatitis B or C or tetanus from contaminated piercing tools. Make sure you have all of your vaccines before any type of piercing and choose a piercer with a good reputation.
- Keloids: A keloid is a type of scar that forms after an injury, such as a piercing. Keloids extend beyond the original area of the wound and may not form until 3 to 12 months after your conch piercing. People who are prone to developing keloids should avoid piercings.
- Allergic Reactions: A nickel allergy is the most common cause of an allergic reaction to a piercing. Many types of jewelry contain nickel, including some gold jewelry. Only good-quality jewelry that doesn't contain nickel should be used for piercings.
- Piercing Rejection: Conch piercing rejection occurs when the piercing jewelry comes all the way to the surface and is pushed from your body. This can happen because of a harsh aftercare product, physical or emotional stress while the piercing is healing, poor health habits, or for unknown reasons.
Symptoms of Piercing Rejection
- Piercing thickness: The tissue between the piercing openings gets smaller or thinner over time. If there's 1/4 inch of space or less between them, you might have rejection. Another sign to look for is if there's only a thin strand of almost transparent tissue left, and you can see the jewelry through your skin.
- Piercing irritation: The skin between the piercing holes is flaking or peeling, red or inflamed, or hard and calloused.
If you have any of these symptoms and think you have rejection, remove the piercing and speak to your piercing professional.
Choosing the Right Jewelry
Selecting appropriate jewelry is essential for a comfortable and successful conch piercing. Look for jewelry with the American Society for Testing and Materials Standard (ASTM) or International Standards Organization (ISO) code designations. These organizations set materials standards so you know the quality of the jewelry and can trust that it's from a reputable source. Your piercer should have this information on hand.
Approved Jewelry Materials
- Surgical Steel: Only some stainless steels are made for body piercings. Look for steel with these standards: ASTM F-138 or ISO 5832-1, ISO 10993-(6,10, or 11), EEC [European] Nickel Directive.
- Titanium: This is a popular choice for people with nickel sensitivity. Pick implant-certified titanium (Ti6Al4V ELI) that's certified with one of these standards: ASTM F-136, ASTM F1295, ISO 5832-3, Commercially pure titanium that is ASTM F-67 compliant.
- Niobium: This material is similar to titanium and is popular for piercings, but it doesn't have an implant-grade designation.
- Gold: Across rose, yellow, and white gold, only pick gold that is 14k or higher, free of nickel and cadmium, and alloyed for use on skin. You shouldn't use higher than 18k on new piercings, as the metal is too soft. Also, avoid gold-plated, gold-filled, or gold overlay/vermeil jewelry for a fresh conch piercing.
- Platinum: While this is a great sturdy material for body piercings, it's rarer to find since it's more expensive to make and harder to fashion into jewelry.
- Glass: Glass has long been used as jewelry for body piercings. You'll want to pick fused quartz glass, lead-free borosilicate, or lead-free soda-lime glass for initial piercings.
Best Jewelry Types for Conch Piercing
- Rings: These hoops come in different diameter sizes and are a popular choice for high-ear piercings, such as outer conch piercings.
- Cartilage Studs: Common inner ear jewelry, these look similar to lobe studs and come in a range of styles and sizes.
- Barbells: These can be straight or curved and have balls that thread onto both sides. Barbell jewelry is popular for outer and inner conch piercings.
Cost and Considerations
The cost of a conch piercing can vary depending on the studio, the piercer's experience, and the type of jewelry you choose. Many studios charge a fee based on the site of the piercing and add the jewelry price on top of that. Total pricing can range from $75 to over $100.
Before getting a conch piercing, it's essential to understand the process, potential risks, and aftercare requirements. Be sure to ask your piercer about jewelry materials to ensure they are ASTM- or ISO-certified and suitable for your skin. Conch piercings take longer to heal than earlobe piercings, so be prepared to commit to proper care to avoid complications.
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Debunking the "Double Diet Piercing" Myth
Despite the existence of double conch piercings, the term "double diet piercing" is not an actual type of piercing. It appears to be a misinterpretation or humorous alteration of the term "dydoe" piercing.
What is a Dydoe Piercing?
A dydoe is a type of male genital piercing that passes through the ridge of the glans on the head of the penis. They are often done in pairs. The jewelry is usually a 12 gauge, straight barbell with a ball on either end, although a ring may be used at a higher chance of rejection.