Hey I just pierced my cartilage myself, no pain at all right now.. no swelling.. basically everything went fine.
My first question is..
1.how long until I can take this out without it closing up too fast to put in another piercing
2.I have an 8 gauge bar (also used on my lob) that I was wondering over time, would that even work? Or should I keep it around the 14-10 area?

Thanks!

Ummm you can just put a regular earing in it and wait 12 weeks before changing it and once you finally do take it out don't leave it out longer than 24 hours or it will close

The whole gauge thing,
Mines at a 16 right now.
And I have a 1/2in straight barbell in right both of them.
But whatever floats your boat

Uhm... I've read a lot... about that... right now, mine is only a 18g lol.
Cause I'm scared of stretching it, cause people said that if you stretch it too quickly, you can develop a keloid :|

Wow, this thread is a bit old, but it may help someone else with a similar question.

I personally would not recommend anything bigger than a 12 gauge in your cartilage. If you stretch the piercing too big, it may never heal, and big hole can remain there. It takes a very long time for cartilage piercings to heal as it is. I have a piercing in my cartilage that I've had for about 10 years, haven't had an earring in it, and its still not closed.

**EDIT** - I forgot to add, the one I have that's 10 years old was just a regular 14 gauge. Whatever you do, please be careful and keep the after effects in mind. :)

I know this thread is old but I thought I'd add to it for more information.

I too have had my helix piercing for a long time and decided to gauge it. It is correct to assume that you should go slowly. I started with an ear post and went to a circular barbell of small size. From there I just started increasing the size about every six weeks. I think you can actually go a little faster than that but I'm not entirely sure.

Check the internet thoroughly. You will find different information on different sites.

What started as a post is now up to a 10 gauge and I plan to go up to a 4 gauge. Yes there will be a hole but that's half the fun!

I've been stretching my cartilage for about a month now. Its best for your ears not to go though so much pain, but your going to want to go up a size about every 2 weeks. When you get to size 10 and your ready to stretch up from that take it slowww. Going from a 10 to an 8 ing hurts and its supper bad for your ears. Get some teflon tape and vitamin E oil, olive oil works well too, as lube for the gauge. Your going to have a hell of a time wraping the gauge in tef. Tape but cut the strip in half and work with that. Do a wrap at a time put some lube on that and slide it in there. Its going to take about a month to get the 8 gauge in but trust me it is less painful and so much easier on your body. Take it slow. You'll still have minimal pain but nothing over whelming. Make sure to wrap new tape around your gauge every 2 to 3 days or you could risk getting an infection, and for cartilage that means starting alll over again. That's what happen to mine after I successfully got to a 6 did a week of partying and by the end of that week my ears were swollen and hurting. Now I'm back in the in between of 10 and a 8. wish you luck! Keep them ears clean!

I've been stretching my cartilage for about a month now. Its best for your ears not to go though so much pain, but your going to want to go up a size about every 2 weeks. When you get to size 10 and your ready to stretch up from that take it slowww. Going from a 10 to an 8 ing hurts and its supper bad for your ears. Get some teflon tape and vitamin E oil, olive oil works well too, as lube for the gauge. Your going to have a hell of a time wraping the gauge in tef. Tape but cut the strip in half and work with that. Do a wrap at a time put some lube on that and slide it in there. Its going to take about a month to get the 8 gauge in but trust me it is less painful and so much easier on your body. Take it slow. You'll still have minimal pain but nothing over whelming. Make sure to wrap new tape around your gauge every 2 to 3 days or you could risk getting an infection, and for cartilage that means starting alll over again. That's what happen to mine after I successfully got to a 6 did a week of partying and by the end of that week my ears were swollen and hurting. Now I'm back in the in between of 10 and a 8. wish you luck! Keep them ears clean!