I somehow managed to get to 18 without any piercings, mainly because I have an anxiety disorder that prevented me.
Now its more manageble and I really want regular lobe piercings and a helix on my right ear, quite high up (some where between a regular and a forward)

I'm definitely getting it done with a needle and cbr (probarbly 16 gauge) and know exactly how to take care of it :-)

But I also happen to be a huge wimp, feaked out over the tb jab and used to get fillings without novocain (quite a few years ago though) becase I had a bad experience with a dentist lol I wouldn't know how I delt with injections now as my dentist uses a numbing gel before the needle

Anyway, what sort of pain should I expect anything its comparable to?
Also what does the healing pain feel like?

And please no answers that say a gun is better it ISN'T

Well, I've only got my nose pierced with the needle so I can't say how much it would hurt for the piercings that you want but for me, the clamp they used to hold my nose hurt more than the needle going through. And I found that bactracin gets rid of the pain pretty well and it prevents infection.

I forgot to add that the needle didn't hurt me at all, but then again, that was my nose. I got my ears pierced when I was 4 so I don't remember if it hurt or not

Thanks ill keep that in mind!

I am 18 and have 10 piercings. Not a freak, I just happen to like them. I've got my cartilage pierced once in one ear and twice in the other, my nose, tragus, bellybutton, etc.. I don't recommend this to people who can't tolerate pain, and everyone winces when I tell them anyway, but I did both my nose and all three cartilage by myself. I just took a stud (like you get your regular ear lobes pierced with) and pushed them through. My nose hurt a little after but not as I did it, and my cartilage was the same. Because you don't have as many nerves at the top of your ear you shouldn't feel as much pain as other places. I got my tragus done with a needle and the girl I went to wasn't the best but if she had done it like she was supposed to I wouldn't have felt hardly anything, so NEEDLES ARE NOT BAD! GOOD LUCK!!

I forgot to add... as long as you keep it clean while it's healing and turn the earring or bar or whatever you put up there, it shouldn't get infected. Even if it gets infected it hurts something like a big red sore zit (for lack of better example). Plus the pain getting it done? If the piercer is good, it will feel kind hot, as in there's blood up there and it's just pumping kind of fast, and be kind of numb after. It should NOT gush blood though. It sounds disgusting though, I'll warn you. If they do it fast, however, you probably will not hear a thing!

Also I forgot to add that I suffer from panic attacks and emetaphobia(fear of vomiting) would this be a problem?

Bring a friend with you so you have someone to distract you. I brought one of my friends just because it was my first piercing in 21 years. Lol. It helped because she has her medusa pierced and her anti eyebrow and she's got snakebites.