CONCH PIERCING GUIDE
what is a conch piercing?
A conch piercing is the ultimate way to spice up your ear and elevate your everyday style! It seamlessly integrates into any ear stack, allowing for full customisation to match your desired aesthetic.
The conch piercing got its name as the area of cartilage that is being pierced is likened to the shape of the spiral of a conch shell. It is located in the middle of your ear just above where the soft ear lobe turns into harder cartilage.
In this guide we are going to talk about what a conch piercing is, the types of conch piercings, the cost, the process, aftercare and styling tips.
Inner Conch Piercing
An inner conch piercing is located in the middle of the conch, closer to the typical location of a daith piercing and is typically styled with a stud. Because of the location of this piercing, it is important to note that the healing time for this piercing is much longer than others as it goes through a thicker piece of cartilage.
Outer Conch
Positioned on the outer edge of the ear's cartilage, the outer conch piercing offers versatility in its placement, including options for both upper and lower conch areas. This location allows for a diverse selection of earring styles including hoops, and it generally heals more rapidly than an inner conch piercing.
cost of a conch piercing
At Covetear, we don’t charge extra for specialty ear piercings with the cost of your piercing being universal across all piercing types.
We charge per piercing with the price of your jewellery of choice added on top.
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Single
1 Piercing - $60
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Double
2 Piercings - $80
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Curation
3-4 Piercings - $100
Conch piercing procedure
First, your piercer will start with sterilising your ear with a medical-grade alcohol swab. Next, we will mark up the site of the piercing to make sure that you are happy with the placement. Following from this your piercer will then clamp the area using Pennington forceps and insert the piercing needle through.
This process is typically done by one of our qualified piercers with an 18-gauge piercing needle and not a piercing gun, as a piercing gun can cause trauma and spread bacteria. A piercing needle allows for increased precision and less trauma as well as the risk of infection to the ear regardless of the piercings location.
Following this, the flat back of the correct sizing will be fitted to your ear and the front of your choice will be screwed in. We have specifically engineered our piercing jewellery to be safe and stylish so that you can use them whilst your piercing is healing and after.
And just like that, your new piercing is ready to go!
Pain and healing time
Pain Guide: 7/10
A conch piercing is a little spicier than your average cartilage piercing as the piercing goes through a thicker area of cartilage in the ear.
The healing time for a conch piercing is between 3 to 6 months. For the first 72 hours localised swelling, redness, a warm pulsing sensation and a small amount of bleeding are all completely normal.
During the 2 to 4 week mark you may still feel some faint pulsing and you can also still expect a fluid-like substance to expel from the ear and form a crust - especially at night as this is when most healing happens. It is extremely important to treat your piercing with care and do not touch it unless you are cleaning the area.
Between the 5 to 12 week mark although you may not be feeling any discomfort it is important to remember that the piercing channel will not be fully healed so we strongly advise that you avoid friction and irritation. Do not twist, push or pull the earring if possible. This is also the stage where it can be considered to downsize your post to promote faster healing.
The three month mark and beyond is where you must be patient and where most piercings are known to cause trouble. Although you may think that the piercing is fully healed and go ahead and change your jewellery early, it can cause infection and keloid style scarring if changed too early. That is why our number 1 recommendation is to choose a piece of jewellery that you love for your initial piercing, downsize your post at the right time and wait the full recommended period before changing your stack. For a conch piercing it is recommended that you wait a minimum of 9 months before you change your piercing jewellery over.
If you remove your jewellery from your piercing with out replacing it your piercings can close over in just a few hours so it is essential that you keep jewellery in the piercing at all times.
Aftercare
The aftercare for a conch piercing is fairly simple and easy. Our simple-to-follow tips have been developed in line with professional piercing and healthcare standards, ensuring your piercings heal as easily and quickly as possible. We offer unlimited, complimentary Aftercare Appointments to help you achieve optimum healing time by providing expert advice on demand. There are 4 essential steps to cleaning your new piercing.
The first and most important piece of care advice is DO NOT TOUCH. If you must touch the piercing, wash your hands. Never, ever, touch your new piercing with unwashed hands.
Second, we use the NeilMed™ piercing aftercare spray which does all the work for you! By aiming the pressurised can at a distance of 3cm - 6cm from the affected area, it is able to clean away any dirt or unwanted objects from the area without irritation. Spray both the front and the back of the piercing and then using a cotton tip, remove any discharge or dried blood.
The third step is to gently pat dry the entire area. For this, we suggest avoiding the use of toilet paper, cotton buds, Q-Tips and cotton wool on and around the newly pierced area(s) as the material from the fibres can irritate the skin and cause infection. Make sure the area is completely dry. Moisture can encourage bacteria to grow, and negatively affect your healing process.
Lastly, we recommend cleaning your piercings twice a day for at least 6-8 weeks, then this can be reduced to once daily.
Pro-tip; when washing your hair, if you have access to a removable shower head, hold it near your piercing and allow the water to wash over the piercing lightly to remove any build-up of product. Any built-up shampoo or conditioner will increase the risk of infection and irritation so ensuring its removal is essential before spraying the piercing with the aftercare spray!
is your piercing infected?
Here's what to do - The serious stuff
The success rate of piercing healing is very dependent on you, and how committed you are to your aftercare. If you neglect aftercare and interfere with your fresh piercing (playing with it and touching it) then the likelihood of complications is going to be much higher and your piercing is going to take much longer to heal.
If you experience sudden swelling that you feel is outside of ‘normal’ post-piercing healing, you must contact us immediately for professional advice. Piercing infections can become serious, very quickly. Do not delay seeking assistance. We are contactable 7 days a week for piercing aftercare advice - however we are not medical professionals, and as such, our recommendation will always be to see a doctor if there is any chance you have a bacterial infection.
Things to watch out for are the sudden onset of excessive swelling, excessive bleeding, discharge of bright yellow, green, or dark fluids. and/or red stripes coming from the piercing site. These symptoms are indicative of serious problems. Fever, upset stomach, dizziness, or vomiting may also be signs of infection.
TIME TO STYLE!
A conch piercing is a unique piercing to style as there are so many options depending on your personal style and the location of the piercing. You can go for something to channel your inner rebel like our 14K Solid Gold Diamond Bolt Earring or make it a little more timeless with our 14K Solid Gold Diamond Petit Solitaire Earring. With options to suit every taste, finding your perfect piece is easy! Browse through some of our favourites below.
Unsure on what jewellery to add into your Conch piercing? Well, we have plenty of options that will work wonderfully! Check out our Conch Piercing Collection for our favourites.
Conch Collection
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Diamond Petit Solitaire Earring
14 Karat Yellow Gold / Lab-Grown Diamond / Single or PairRegular price $140.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Diamond Petit Solitaire Earring
14 Karat White Gold / Lab-Grown Diamond / Single or PairRegular price $145.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Piccolo Diamond Earring
14 Karat Yellow Gold / Lab-Grown Diamond / Single or PairRegular price $125.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Diamond Petit Duo Earring
14 Karat White Gold / Lab-Grown Diamond / Single or PairRegular price $200.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Piccolo Diamond Earring
14 Karat White Gold / Lab-Grown Diamond / Single or PairRegular price $130.00Regular priceUnit price per
WANT MORE?
Looking to get some more piercings but not sure where to start? Here are our favourite piercing combos for a conch piercing!
piercing and styling appointments
Ready to commit to your next piercing? Book in at one of our locations and one of our expert piercers will help you to achieve your new look! If you're not totally confident in the pieces you're after, that's ok! You can book in for either our deluxe piercing experience or ear curation experience where our experts will work with you to create a bespoke design with the highest level of artistry.