My experience and advice with earrings and piercings:

I have 5 piercings. Two on each lobe and one on my upper right ear (helix, or "cartilage piercing"). This decision was something I thought about for around 3 months. When making decisions like this I did what I always do...make a pinterest board! It always starts with a pinterest board. So those of you who actively use pinterest know that when you make boards for these things...it's real. (lol) After thinking about it for 3 months, I introduced the idea to my parents. It took another few weeks from there. So just keep in mind that this is a process.

For those wondering about cost, it was about $70 to get 3 piercings. I did them all in the same day. I went to (and recommend) Arcane Art Tattoo. They use needles for piercings. If you are going to get your cartilage pierced, do NOT use a piercing gun. This can tear through the tissue to harshly and took quickly-increasing your risk for infection and other complications. Needles are the safest for cartilage piercings, and preferable for lobes as well. 

A lot of people ask me how painful it is to get cartilage piercings. On a scale of 1-10 (1 being paper cut, 10 being excruciating) I say it's about a 4. Including recovery and the pierce itself. They did not numb the area at all, so I felt the needle go through. It was pushed halfway through, then the lady told me to take another deep breath and she would push the rest through as I exhaled. This was honestly the most painful part and it was only for a few seconds. The area turned red for a few minutes (which is normal). 

The healing process for the lobes is around 2 weeks. The cartilage will take around 6 months. This sounds long, but it happens in stages. The first month, it will hurt to touch and move, but you won't feel it unless you move it around. It may get puffier than normal, but remember-this is not an infection. It is completely normal and will go down within 6 months. Try to not fidget with it in the first month. You can't sleep on the side of the piercing for the first 2 months. (It will hurt if you try, and it will take longer to heal if you do). After month 3, you are safe to change out the stud, to other studs. Don't bother with putting hoops in until month 4. Hoops are hard to put in and can hurt more if the piercing is still fresh and healing. 

Overall, I absolutely LOVE my piercings! I do not regret it at all, and I hope to get more in the future. I think that multiple earrings make an artistic statement, and I love being able to express myself through this. It shows that you are a creative, artistic, bold, and mysterious person.

*One thing to keep in mind is that these are permanent and can't be taken back, so you should really think it through before getting them done.*

For any of you considering cartilage piercings, I hope this helped you and if you have any questions, drop them in the comments!