Helix Piercing

A helix piercing is a piercing of the helix, ie the ear edge, which is pierced through cartilage.

History and culture

The helix piercing is now worn mainly to fashion criteria in western culture, where it established itself, especially during the 1990s in addition to the Tragus, Rook, Snug, and Conch Daith piercing as a rare variant of the ear hole. It is also common in a traditional piercing several ethnic groups.

Africa

In Africa, the piercing is known by the ear edge in many races. For example, in West Africa the Fulbe, the Lobi and the Dogon, or in East Africa with the Maasai, the Samburu, the Pokot and the Turkana. Usually it is a symbol of wealth and beauty.

By the people based in Kenya Kikuyu stakes are especially common with large diameters in the ear edges, where several parties were also worn.

The men of Lmasale, a clan of the Samburu, are used during the circumcision earrings. These are later taken from their mothers in the ear edge, while they are in combat or hunting.

Southeast Asia

Large holes in the upper ear edges are worn traditionally by ethnic groups which belong to the Dayaks in Borneo. For example, by hunters of the Iban and Punan. usually are used canines or claws of bears and leopards. The jewelry is a sign of social rank and, in addition to successful hunters give a fearsome appearance.

In older carriers in Indonesia, a helix piercing is often a sign of maturity dar.

Implementation, healing and risks

As with other piercings is first disinfected by the stabbing of skin. Then, the injection site, usually on the front of the ear, marked with a special needle pierced (see piercing a piercing). Since this is mainly cartilage pierced, the implementation may be more painful than in cartilage-free areas of the body.

Since little skin around the cartilage and it does not even own blood supply, the healing process much take longer than is the case, for example, the lobe-piercing. In addition, initial pressure caused pain.

An alternative to the jump-off with a venous catheter or a similar hollow needle is the punching. Here, cartilage tissue is removed, whereby pressure pain is diminished, or completely absent, and the healing time is shortened.

The healing process is engraved with the helix piercing is usually about three to six months. If the piercing punched shortened this period to two to four weeks.

Jewellery

As a suitable piercing jewelry usually a ball closure ring with a thickness of 1.6 millimeters is used. Alternatively, however, labret plugs are worn. For the first use until the healing is often recommended a straight barbell to the freshly pierced tissue not exposed to any additional pressure that can occur on curved decorations.

With several piercings through the ear edge, the ear spiral is considered fashionable among the special form of jewelry options. It is passed is a spirally curved barbell that is determined from the branch channels. In this case, however, an exact alignment of the individual piercing is necessary. The distances between the piercings to one another, must be adapted as appropriate to be employed already in the jump-off to the spiral.

Variations

The helix piercing can be installed anywhere on the ear edge, starting directly from the spot above the earlobe to above round the ear-round.

The anti-helix piercing is located at the inner edge of the ear, where the ear is adherent to the head, where it is engraved horizontally through the ear edge.

If two opposing helix piercings connected with a barbell, one speaks of an industrial or scaffold piercing. Frequently, a helix piercing are combined with an anti-helix piercing.

At a deeper set Helix Piercing the upper ear edge, it is an outer conch piercing. Strictly speaking, this is no special form of the helix piercings, but a special positioning of the conch piercings. This in turn is often confused with the turn-helix piercing.