Why does my rook piercing still hurt

The rook piercing is a cartilage piercing in the upper ear. It is located above the tragus in the anti-helix. The rook is the ridge that sits between the outer ear and the inner conch. This is one example of how piercing professionals have gotten creative over the years. A rook ear piercing is done on a vertical orientation, this allows both sides of the curved barbell to be shown. Due to the placement of the rook you can get extremely creative with your jewelry. It can be done with a curved barbell or a circular ring.

Most piercers prefer to start with a 16-gauge curved barbell because it has less movement then a ring. It is important that the piercing remains stationary during the healing process. While the piercing is healing leave it alone, avoid touching it, moving it, or rotating it. Try to sleep on the opposite side of the piercing and if you wake up on the piercing be conscious and flip over to the other side. The curved barbell will move less than a ring, a ring is going to move naturally disturbing the healing process.

When you go in for your piercing appointment your piercer will help you pick out a 16 Gauge barbell that is 5/16" in length. When you go back the piercer will clean the ear with an antibacterial/antimicrobial solution. The piercer will mark the spot where the jewelry will be inserted, and have you approve the placement. Once you agree on the placement a piercer will use a hollow needle to pierce through the cartilage of your rook and then insert the jewelry.

Rook Piercing Healing Time

Cartilage piercings take a long time to heal and you want to make sure they are being taken care of for optimal healing. The primary healing stage is 6 months, but the secondary healing process takes between 12 to 18 months. This is when the fistula is considered to be fully healed. During this time, it is important to keep the jewelry as stationary as possible. The jewelry does not need to be moved or rotated while healing. Try to avoid public bodies of water such as; Jacuzzis, pools, lakes, and oceans. These bodies of water all contain bacteria that can enter the piercing and cause infection and other healing problems. If you do go into something like a jacuzzi make sure to go in waist deep, do not submerge you head in the water and open up the ear to the water. Keep the piercing clean and let your body do its job.

Avoid any bottle cleaners such as; Bactine, Neosporin, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Alcohol. These cleaners are all too harsh and can cause more harm than good. They can kill of both the good and bad tissue that is trying to heal. Use your basic sea-salt solution and let your body heal the piercing on its own.

Rook Piercing Pain

A rook ear piercing if done properly should be a very easy piercing to get. The pain should be no more than a quick pinch and then some slight pulling and tugging on the jewelry during insertion. The piercing itself should last no more than a split second. Most people can handle any amount of discomfort for a split second. Make sure you seek out a professional qualified piercer in your area to make sure it is as quick, safe, and easy as possible.

When caring the rook piercing the only suitable cleaner is sea salt. You want to go to your local grocery store or pharmacy and pick up a gallon of distilled water and Non-Iodized Sea Salt. Make sure that you are buying distilled water and not substituting it with any other type of water. Non-Iodized Sea Salt is easy to find, it is pure organic sea salt. If you look at the ingredient list the only ingredient that should be listed is sea salt. When you get home pour four teaspoons of the Non-Iodized Sea Salt into the gallon of distilled water and shake the jug well. When you are ready to clean the piercing pour the solution into a coffee cup or a shot glass. Be sure that you are only using glass or porcelain, paper and plastic products will contaminate the sea salt solution. Put the cup into the microwave for a few seconds.

The goal is to make the solution body temperature or luke warm. If it is in the microwave for too long it will burn both you and your piercing. Everyone has a different microwave, so it may take a few times to get the right temperature. Once you have the correct temperature you want to tilt the cup up to your ear and submerge the ear into the solution for 7 to 15 minutes. Since the rook is in the crevice of the ear it might be difficult to get it completely submerged in your solution. The second-best cleaning method is a compress. This is very similar to a soak, you will take a paper towel and submerge it into the solution that you microwaved. Take the paper towel and hold it up to the piercing for seven to fifteen minutes.

Make sure you are only using paper towels. Q-tips and cotton balls can leave behind fibers that can become stuck in the piercing, which can cause healing complications. After you are done with the soak or the compress rinse the piercing with water and pat it dry with a clean paper towel. Cleaning should take place throughout the entire healing process, once in the morning and once at night.

Jewelry Size

The most common jewelry size is a 16 Gauge, 5/16" and this will leave room to accommodate for some swelling. If the bar is touching the skin and the balls are “dimpling” into the skin, it’s time to have your piercer re-asses the size and put a longer barbell in the piercing. After a few months you can down size the piercing or you can keep it at a 16 Gauge 5/16".

If you downsize your piercer will be able to verify the size of your ear and recommend a specific size that will fit snug to the ear. If you want to insert a captive ring in the piercing it is usually okay to do this when you see your piercer to downsize. Downsizing is for when the piercing is done swelling and is healing well.

Disclaimer: If you have any questions or concerns about your piercing make sure to go to your Professional Piercer or Medical Doctor.

I’m planning to get my rook pierced soon, but I’ve heard some stories of people’s rooks hurting even two years after. I understand it may hurt for the first year or so but will it always hurt? Anyone have experience? Thanks

• Medically reviewed by Dr. Jennifer T. Haley, M.D., FAAD

Let’s get it out of the way: cartilage piercings always hurt at least a little bit, and rook piercings are no exception.

With a rook piercing, the piercing itself is done in a vertical orientation, allowing both sides of the barbell to be displayed. This gives you the chance to really get creative with your choice of jewelry once your piercing has healed properly.

Compared to other types of body piercings, rook piercings are quite low on the pain scale. However, this type of piercing does go through a fairly thick section of cartilage, so there will be some moderate discomfort.

During the procedure, you can expect to feel sharp pain and pressure. Luckily, your piercer will be using a very fine needle to pierce the rook, which means the piercing should be over very quickly.

After a couple of hours, the sharp pain will dull down into a more general throbbing. This throbbing pain will last for 2-4 days before eventually disappearing.

This may sound terrible, but keep in mind that you’re likely to get used to it and it will be more of a “background pain” before long.

You also are sure to experience some tenderness in the area after the piercing. If you do things such as sleep on that side of your head, you may make the pain a little bit worse than it otherwise would be. Using a good piercing aftercare product can help to soothe the pain and speed up overall healing.

The best aftercare product I’ve personally used is the After Inked Piercing Aftercare Spray. Not only is it vegan, but it’s also completely alcohol and additive-free. The solution works well on all skin types including sensitive skin, and it comes in a generously-sized mist-spraying bottle for easy application. When using it from the very start of the healing process, the spray helps to decrease healing times and aims to eliminate any lingering pain or soreness.

The Procedure

Your experience at the shop will likely be similar to other piercing experiences. You’ll get to pick out your starter jewelry and ask your piercer any questions that you may have.

After this, you’ll go to the piercing room and have the area cleaned while you observe your piercer opening a fresh needle for the piercing and putting on a pair of surgical gloves.

Your piercer will probably talk you through the experience before proceeding to mark the correct spot and checking with you that you’re happy with where the piercing is about to be placed. They’ll then prepare the piercing site by cleaning it with soap or surgical solution.

The procedure itself will be over extremely quickly, and before you know it your piercer will be putting in your starter jewelry (which might also be slightly painful) and giving you your aftercare instructions.

What Factors Can Affect Rook Piercing Pain?

You’ll have a lot of chances to influence the level of pain you feel after a rook piercing. For example, just by ensuring that your ear is in good condition and you’ve had plenty of rest before the piercing is done, you can lower your pain levels.

Some of the factors that change the pain level may seem out of your hands, but you have the chance to choose between some options beforehand. An example is the use of a piercing gun versus a needle.

It’s definitely better to go with a needle for this type of piercing (and all piercings), as there’s less chance of doing real damage to your cartilage that way.

Your piercing professional’s experience level will come into play, as top-notch piercers know how to do the job quickly and properly without making it more painful than it needs to be.

Of course, your mindset will matter, too. If you go into an experience incredibly nervous about the pain, you’ll probably find the whole experience to be pretty bad. Have a positive attitude and you’ll likely breeze through.

Dealing with the Pain

Fortunately, there are a lot of great ways to deal with the pain of rook piercings. A lot of them involve preparing for the piercing itself in a way that will make you feel at ease and take your focus off of the pain itself.

Depending on how you like to relax, listening to music can often be a great choice. Secondly, it’s usually very smart to take a friend or family member that can comfort you, while you are having the procedure done. Make sure to ask your piercing specialist first, of course.

Your mind is a huge contributor to any painful experience and can also help you deal with pain in a much more effective way. Try to think positively and make sure that you’ve learned about the piercing process ahead of time. There’s nothing more unnerving than the unknown, after all!

Before you get your piercing done, make sure that you’ve at least had a snack to eat and tell yourself that many others have gone through exactly what you’re about to go through.

Control your breathing before and during the piercing procedure.

Don’t try to show up to the studio under the influence of drugs or alcohol in order to dull the pain you’ll feel. You may not even be allowed in if you do.

You may be able to use a numbing cream. These products can help to take some of the pain away, although you’ll still likely feel a slight pinch.

One of the most effective piercing numbing products currently on the market is Zensa Numbing Cream, which contains the highest level of Lidocaine allowed by the FDA for over-the-counter use. The feedback left by thousands of customers for this product is nothing short of exceptional.

Just follow the instructions on the packaging, apply shortly before your piercing procedure is due to begin, and look forward to a less painful and more comfortable piercing experience.

Summary

You should now have a much better grasp on what level of pain you might expect with a rook piercing and the factors that contribute to the pain level, as well.

If you’ve had other cartilage piercings before, you probably shouldn’t be too worried about what you’ll experience with a rook piercing. If this is your first piercing, there really isn’t too much to get anxious about, and it’s always worth remembering that the worst of the pain will be over in a flash.