Piercing / Ear piercing / Forward Helix
Forward Helix piercing
The Forward Helix piercing sits on the front edge of the ear, where the rim meets the side of the head. It is worn with a small stud or ring, and is often done in a row of two or three. The cartilage there is thin, so jewellery size and placement have to be judged carefully. We do Forward Helix piercings regularly and with real expertise, which is what lets us deliver consistent results and keep our clients happy. Our piercers work to the highest hygiene standards so that every piercing is safe and trouble-free.
Forward Helix piercing price
The price at our studio consists of the piercing service and the price of the jewellery. Some piercings also need downsizing once healed, in which case you only pay for the new jewellery.
Pain level of a Forward Helix piercing
Contraindications for a Forward Helix piercing
Taking medication (if so, with your doctor's approval)
A lifestyle that won't allow proper aftercare
Skin conditions
Dermatitis or other inflammation in the area to be pierced
A tendency to form keloid scars
Hepatitis
HIV
Diabetes and insulin dependence
Circulatory disorders or poor blood clotting
Allergic reactions
Epilepsy
Hormone therapy, oncological conditions
Pregnancy or breastfeeding
Menstruation can be a contraindication, though if your period isn't heavy some piercings are certainly possible.
If you've recently had any surgery in the ear area, talk to your doctor before deciding on a piercing.
Ignoring contraindications can have a negative effect on your health.
Preparing for a Forward Helix piercing
Before your appointment:
Get a good night's sleep
Eat something, even if it's light
Wear clothes you wouldn't mind getting a drop of blood on — it usually doesn't happen, but it can
The Forward Helix piercing procedure
When you arrive at the studio you'll fill in a consent form, which also covers the contraindications for a Forward Helix piercing and the aftercare that follows. No contraindications and following our aftercare routine are two of the key conditions for the piercing to heal well.
Next you'll talk it through with the piercer. You'll agree on the placement and on the jewellery — both the piece we fit straight away and, if relevant, what you'll wear later.
The piercer sets up the workstation. The chosen jewellery and the needle are sterilised for around 10 minutes. During that time you can ask anything you want and go over the details.
After sterilisation the piercer marks the exact spot, disinfects the skin, and within a few seconds you have your new Forward Helix piercing.
The piercer then cleans the piercing, photographs it if you're happy for us to, covers it with a plaster and runs through the aftercare with you once more.
Forward Helix piercing healing time
Full healing of a Forward Helix piercing usually takes 5 to 9 months, sometimes longer. Fully healed means the piercing channel is completely lined with new skin.
The Forward Helix piercing healing process
The piercing almost always swells, so we fit a longer bar first and swap it for a shorter one after roughly 1–2 months. Otherwise you risk catching the jewellery and traumatising the channel.
Sometimes several downsizes are needed during healing, so if the bar starts to feel too long or gets in your way, just ask us to shorten it.
When downsizing, you pay only for the jewellery at current prices — the service is free during the initial healing.
Forward Helix piercing aftercare
Sterile saline solution: you'll need a sterile saline solution, available from us or from a pharmacy as sterile sea water for infants' daily nasal hygiene. Do not use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or antiseptics on the piercing (only if genuinely necessary, for a limited time, as instructed).
How often: clean the piercing 2–3 times a day with clean hands, using a cotton bud, cotton pad or gauze.
Removing crusts: harder crusts of lymph and blood plasma form around a fresh piercing. Don't pick them off — soften them first, then remove them gently.
Keep the jewellery still: don't move the jewellery while cleaning, as it disrupts healing. Never take it out to clean it. Don't touch it with unwashed or undisinfected hands. Keep the piercing away from hands, hair, underwear and clothing.
Protection from damage: if you aren't sure the piercing is safe from knocks, cover it with a plaster. With an unhealed piercing you must not visit swimming pools, saunas or any public bathing spots, natural ones included.
Physical activity: during healing, avoid strenuous exercise that makes you sweat heavily or risks injuring the fresh piercing. Sweat, together with the substances it carries and the dirt that sticks to it, can lead to infection and inflammation. You can train safely with a piercing, but carefully. After exercise, rinse the piercing with clean water and treat it with saline.
If something goes wrong: if the piercing burns, hurts or discharges pus, contact the studio immediately. Call us for urgent cases; for less urgent ones, write and attach a photo taken in good light so the problem is visible. Be very careful when photographing a piercing.
Immunity: a piercing is mechanical damage to the skin, so good immunity plays a large role in healing. Look after it: enough sleep, rest, good food and walks in fresh air. Alcohol, drugs and smoking weaken immunity and slow healing down.
Downsizing: some piercings need the bar shortened after roughly 6–12 weeks, sometimes more than once. If the piercing is ours, you don't pay for the service — only for the jewellery.
Restrictions after a Forward Helix piercing
Don't sleep on the side with the fresh Forward Helix piercing.
If you have no other option, get a travel pillow, put a clean cover on it and rest your ear in the hole while you sleep so nothing presses on the piercing.
Alternatively, roll a large towel into a doughnut shape and sleep on that.
For at least one month, avoid saunas, solariums, swimming pools, the sea and any public bathing spots.
Be careful and avoid any movement or pressure that could traumatise the fresh piercing.
Put clothes on and take them off carefully.
Don't touch the piercing with your hands.
Remember that dirt and physical trauma are the worst enemies of a fresh piercing.
Watch out for your hair getting tangled around the jewellery.
Don't take the jewellery out, twist it or move it — a Forward Helix piercing needs to be left alone.
Forward Helix piercing problems
After a Forward Helix piercing, problems ranging from minor to serious can appear. If you notice anything wrong, contact the studio straight away.
Warning signs include (on their own or in combination):
Discharge.
An unpleasant smell.
Excessive sensitivity or pain.
Heavy swelling.
Erythema — redness.
The piercing and surrounding skin feel hot to the touch.
Bumps or pimples forming next to the puncture site.
Swelling of the whole cartilage rather than just the puncture site, marked pain and redness.
Swollen lymph nodes in the neck or behind the ears.
— and any other unusual or uncomfortable symptoms.
Forward Helix piercing gallery
