I just got my cartilage pierced with a piercing gun at Claire's 3 days ago, and I regret that I did not do my research before I got it. After having it done, I researched online and all websites say that piercings guns should never be used for cartilage piercings because of all these reasons, and that one is almost guaranteed a keloid/hypertrophic scar and a much longer and painful healing time, versus getting it pierced with a needle.

Right now, it is still a little red, and it hurts when I touch it or clean it, but otherwise there are no signs of infection. I am very scared of getting a keloid or any future infections, so I am thinking about taking it out now, letting it heal, and then getting it redone with a needle at a professional piercing parlor. So I have a few questions...

1. Is there any risk of permanent scarring if I wait until/if I get an infection or a bump, and then I take it out to heal?
2. If I do get a keloid, can it heal if I take out the earring right away?
3. If I have no problems after 3-4 months and it has healed, am I safe from future keloids? (basically, after 3-4 months, are piercings done by guns and piercings done by needles the same?)

Thank you very much!

If you really want the best results from a piercing, I would take it out and get it redone with a needle. Piercing guns merely push (force) an earring through your ear, where a hollow needle takes out a tiny piece of your ear. Needles cause less trauma to your ear. Also, piercing guns are not sterilized, therefore when they are used on you, you run a risk of infection. Piercing guns can also potentially shatter your cartilage. They are bad news.

The redness and tenderness are normal, it is still a fairly fresh piercing.

Now as for your questions :

1. If you wait until you get an infection and then take it out, you can have significant scarring depending on how severe the infection is.

2. Keloids are scars and can't just "heal". If you want to completely take away the keloid (if you do get one) you will need steroid injections.

3. You can get a keloid at any time. If your piercing gets infected or irritated you can develop a keloid. Every time it gets infected or severely irritated it opens itself back up, which means it has to heal again. During this healing process, you can be prone to keloids.

I q0t mine with a piercinq qunnn 2 & many of my other friends but I think that's boogi that stuff just like keep cleaninq it & watch out for it
Kay?

I got mine pierced with a gun nearly 3 months ago, and it's been fine, just make sure you clean it etc :)

I just got mine yesterday at piercing pagoda so I know how you feel. I was having second thoughts about mine also. But I have a friend who got her cartilage pierced 1 year ago & she got a keloid but it healed fine. So I'm sure we're both fine:)

I got mine done 2 days ago with a gun and mines fine. My friends have all got theirs done with guns and have had theirs for nearly a year. As long as you don't touch it unless your cleaning it and be careful with it it will be fine. I don't even clean mine and mine doesn't hurt at all ;D

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Originally Posted by YourBabeTasha

I got mine done 2 days ago with a gun and mines fine. My friends have all got theirs done with guns and have had theirs for nearly a year. As long as you don't touch it unless your cleaning it and be careful with it it will be fine. I don't even clean mine and mine doesn't hurt at all ;D

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Aren't you always souposed to clean it though?

I got mine pierced last week with a gun and it hurts really bad right now. Should I take it out and clean it and then put it back in or leave it in and clean it? I didn't know all this stuff could happen when getting it pierced with a gun, I figured it was fine since that's how all my other ear piercings were done. What should I do?

There is a risk of scarring but it will be minimal. You've only just got it done so if you do take it out take extreme caution or it will be painful.

no. The keloid won't disappear wit hthe removal of the earring. All it's going to do is trap in any kind of infection that may be inside. Tea tree oil helps with keloids and so does chamomile tea hot compresses, although don't do these on a fresh piercing - only a healed one.

You may be safe. If the piercing has healed, it is unlikely that further along the line one is suddenly going to sprout up, unless you severely irritate it - so remember not to play with it!