We will never repeat it too many times  :

Using a gun on cartilages is BAD.

 (other parts of the body, same thing ! BAD BAD BAD !)

Not only because it is unsterile, not only because it make a hole with the jewel itself and break the skin, not only because people who do it don’t have any formations for how to pierce, but because the jewel is NOT adapted to the cartilage !

Lenght is not good. Material is not good (gold, or surgical steel, i’ve never seen titanium!), the ending is not good and compress everything. When the cartilage swell, the jewel is too short.

That’s why body piercers make the hole with a sterilized needle, put a titanium jewel in (labret or barbell with minimum 8mm longer) and preconize proper aftercares. It is NORMAL to have a swelling, that can least some weeks, the jewel has to be long for that !

Do NOT change the jewel after only 3 weeks

Do NOT turn it with unwashed hands ! (mostly of the infections come because you put your fingers on it, or for the girls, with long hair : when you replace your hair behind your ear, be careful, you contaminate your piercing with your fingers !)

Put good material when changing it, cartilage can take more than 6 months to heal properly. Sometimes rings (BCR, segment ring, spirales, horse ring) can make keloids, so put back a straight barbell with long lenght if necessary !

Keloids can be really hard to go away, be patient. 

And never pierce your cartilages, including tragus, with gun piercing. NEVER !

Even if it’s cheaper… 

Missdy

salabodymod: Say NO to Gun Piercing By Lexci Million • Jul 24th, 2006 • Category: ModBlog As a piercer, I’ve always been a huge anti- piercing gun advocate. The main reason stems from the first major incident I ever encountered on my lifelong friend Jaime. When Jaime was 18 years old, she had her upper helix pierced from a friend who took a “course” on how to use a piercing gun. Within a week, Jaime had developed an infection so bad she required emergency medical attention. Her doctors said it was “worse than a staph infection” and likely came from residue of someone else’s tissue left over on the gun despite the machine being “disinfected” between uses. Jaime’s cartilege literally liquefied due to swelling and the infection eating away at it. She had to have an incision sliced down the back of her ear and packed with gauze so the wound could be cleaned and the infection and necrotic tissue could be scraped out. After the infection was brought under control, Jaime underwent plastic surgery to reconstruct the cartilage. The surgeon had to remove cartilage from her ribs and literally carve out the shape of her ear to rebuild it. 1 & 2 - Jaime’s ear at the height of it’s infected state3 - Jaime’s other normal ear4, 5, 6 - Jaime’s ear today after reconstructive surgery.
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salabodymod:

Say NO to Gun Piercing

By Lexci Million • Jul 24th, 2006 • Category: ModBlog

As a piercer, I’ve always been a huge anti- piercing gun advocate. The main reason stems from the first major incident I ever encountered on my lifelong friend Jaime.

When Jaime was 18 years old, she had her upper helix pierced from a friend who took a “course” on how to use a piercing gun.

Within a week, Jaime had developed an infection so bad she required emergency medical attention. Her doctors said it was “worse than a staph infection” and likely came from residue of someone else’s tissue left over on the gun despite the machine being “disinfected” between uses.

Jaime’s cartilege literally liquefied due to swelling and the infection eating away at it. She had to have an incision sliced down the back of her ear and packed with gauze so the wound could be cleaned and the infection and necrotic tissue could be scraped out.

After the infection was brought under control, Jaime underwent plastic surgery to reconstruct the cartilage. The surgeon had to remove cartilage from her ribs and literally carve out the shape of her ear to rebuild it.

1 & 2 - Jaime’s ear at the height of it’s infected state
3 - Jaime’s other normal ear
4, 5, 6 - Jaime’s ear today after reconstructive surgery.