What to Know About Helix Piercings, According to a Pro

Whether you've had your ears pierced since you were a child or (like some of us) you took a trip to Claire's in your adolescent years, there's something about getting your first ear piercing that just feels like a rite of passage. It seems inevitable, then, that the types of piercings available would evolve with time, and now we have the opportunity to get piercings in nontraditional places like eyebrows or belly buttons — there are even "surface anchor" or dermal piercings that we can get in our cheeks, arms, or the back of the neck. Safe to say: times have changed.

But sometimes you want just a bit of variation that's nothing too extreme, and if you love piercings, we have the perfect solution: helix piercings. There are numerous helix-piercing options on the market, like forward helix piercings and even triple forward helix piercings, so we asked a professional to take it back to the basics and break down what exactly helix piercings are, as well as what everyone needs to know before getting one. Read ahead for all the best tips to have on hand before you make that appointment.

Anna Girgan is the director of in-store experience for Banter by Piercing Pagoda.

Before getting ahead to the different types of helix piercings on the market, we wanted to understand what exactly helix piercings are, so we reached out to Anna Girgan, director of in-store experience for Banter by Piercing Pagoda. "A helix piercing is any piercing around the "rim" of the cartilage of the ear," Girgan says. These types of piercings are also always cartilage piercings as opposed to antihelix — or snug — piercings, which connect from point to point from the middle of your helix to the inside of your conch (the bowl of your ear).

One thing that sets helix piercings apart from other ear piercings is how flexible they are in terms of placement — but this could also make getting additional piercings complicated. "Helix piercings have a larger margin of placement flexibility than some other piercings," Girgan says. "This is good and bad, as it can make lining up multiple helix piercings more complicated. It can also complicate decisions on where to put the helix piercing if you're looking to add additional piercings later."

There are a few different types of helix piercings:

There are also "faux helix piercings" available if you want the look of the piercing but don't want to actually commit to the real thing. "There are hoops available that click on and appear to be an actual piercing that you could put on your helix," Girgan says. Magnetic studs that can act as faux helix piercings are another option.

Since everyone has different pain-tolerance levels, experts can't say for sure what the helix piercing pain will be like, but if you're generally more sensitive to pain, you can have the area "numbed with Lidocaine to help," Louisa Schneider, CEO and founder of Rowan, previously told PS.

Finding the best helix piercing earrings depends on the type of helix piercing it is. For a standard or forward helix, Girgan recommends "a flat-back earring." For an industrial piercing: a 14g straight barbell. For healed helix piercings, she recommends hoops in the wearer's personal diameter preference. If you want to switch out your jewelry, Girgan says to wait approximately six to eight weeks at minimum before switching. Though the piercing won't be fully healed yet, "it will be fine to switch to new jewelry [more comfortably] at this time."

In terms of jewelry material, Girgan says that "14k gold with no nickel or cadmium, and high-grade alloy titanium are best for all piercings," not just helixes, and if you want to switch up the type of jewelry being worn, "the way to switch it out varies by the original piece of jewelry you chose," so be sure to consult your piercer if you are having a hard time on your own.

Helix piercing healing time can vary, but it typically takes close to four months to heal initially. However, it can take up to an entire year to fully heal.

In terms of rejection, helix piercings actually fare a bit better than other types. "Rejecting helix piercings is rare and generally only happens when the piercing was pierced incorrectly," Girgan says. But very specific instances like "extreme health changes tend to cause general rejection, and something like a pregnancy can actually cause all piercings to start rejecting, no matter how long they've been in," Girgan says.

To verify whether your helix piercing is being rejected, Girgan says to take note of "whether the piercing started out in one area of the ear and has slowly migrated to another." If you are unsure whether the piercing is being rejected, always consult a professional piercer, but if you are able to verify rejection at home, "it is best to remove [the piercing] before it fully rejects and causes permanent cartilage and skin damage."

When the piercing is healing, "it is normal for it to produce 'crusties' daily until healed," Girgan says. To aid in the healing process, "saturate and clean the piercing with a new Q-tip or paper towel twice a day using Studex Advanced Piercing Aftercare & Cleanser ($15) or H2Ocean Piercing Aftercare Spray ($16)."

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When the piercing is fully healed, you will notice that "there will be no pain even when slightly bumped into," Girgan says. If you have been keeping up with general aftercare, it should take approximately three months for a helix piercing to fully heal, a much shorter timeframe than other piercings like industrials, which can take up to six months.

Helix piercing cost will depend on the area in which you live as well as the piercer you choose to see. However, you can expect to pay anywhere from $40-$80 for the initial piercing, plus the additional cost of jewelry.

Whether you have already committed or are still on the fence, keep these tips in mind if you decide to make your next piercing a helix.

Ariel Baker was an assistant editor for PS Beauty. Her areas of expertise include celebrity news, beauty trends, and product reviews. She has additional bylines with Essence and Forbes Vetted.

Renee Rodriguez is a staff writer and social producer for PS. She writes across all verticals, but her main areas of expertise focus on fashion and beauty content with an emphasis on reviews and editor experiments. She also produces social content for the PS TikTok and Instagram accounts.