Mushi mushi,
Vlog!! Watch? In case you're wondering, this was recorded last Wednesday (a whole six days ago- that's almost a week!) and my piercing is fine. No infected red messiness. Or... rust, for that matter. Thanks very much, Nanna FormSpring.
Added April '12...Hi, Googlers. If you have an infected piercing- cartlidge or otherwise- clean it three times a day, carefully and gently, with a solution of warm, filtered water and rock salt (natural, not idiosed).
If it becomes pussy, really sore, or you feel otherwise unwell- get thee to a doctor for antibiotics. Now.
A special note on tongue piercings- if you think your tongue piercing is even slightly infected, go to a doctor NOW. Infections in your tongue can be extremely dangerous.
Cartilage piercings are not particularly painful and heal very quickly. BUT- you must take very good care of them- an infection can leave a huge scar. And please be pierced professionally- cartilage can be as tough as bone. And as I said, it scars.
And on that note... happy piercing!!
Oh, and you can checks out the story behind the hot piercer dude right here. It's vintage RRSAHM. And Part Two- Lori's Revenge is even more satisfying.
I know, this is a lot of chit-chat for a vlog post. But, hey, not all of you watch them. For those who don't, here's what I'd look like if Nanna FormSpring's (who I'm suspecting may be a good friend of Mrs Winterpepper's) rather cynical predictions were correct.
Oh, yeah. I'm a hottie.
Edit to add- I should have mentioned this in the video- but I've had my tongue, bellybutton, nose and ear lobes and high cartilage pierced...
From most to least painful...
Beauty spot
Bellybutton
Upper ear
Ear lobe
Nose
Tongue
As Glow said, the tongue swelling is intense, but ibuprofen knocks that and other than that, it's almost painless. The piercing itself is painful, but no more than an ear piercing, and the tongue heals extraordinarily quickly.