Vertical Helix 101
- lynnloheide
- Feb 22
- 8 min read
So we’ve taken a look at classic helix piercings, and their popular variation, forward helix piercings. But of course, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to talk about one of my personal favorite variations on this placement- the vertical helix! These adorable piercings are done along the uppermost portion of the helix ridge, before it curls back down and forward to a forward helix placement. These are, as the name implies, pierced vertically. This placement can bring some unique elements to healing but also allow for some very fun options with jewelry once healed.
Anatomy
For a vertical helix, we are looking for some very specific anatomy in order to make these viable. As we talked about in our Helix 101 blog post, there’s a huge range of helix anatomies. This does unfortunately mean that some ears are not suitable for vertical helix. We want to see an ear with a stable rim of cartilage that has enough space for the post of the earring to tuck underneath it.
If there is not enough of a rim at the top of the ear, if there is no space for the post to rest on the inside, or if this portion of the helix ridge is fused, it’s not possible for us to do this piercing.
When you go in for this piercing your piercer will take a look at your ear, and determine if your ridge is viable for this piercing. And of course, anatomy will also determine the placement of this piercing.
Placement
Your anatomy is the main factor in placement. Some folks have a perfect ear where we can pierce anywhere along the helix ridge, and we can discuss placement and have some fun with it. Others may have a ridge where only one or two spots are viable, and we are limited to those areas for placement.
If you are planning on a vertical helix piercing, understand that placement may be largely impacted by your anatomy, and come to your appointment with realistic expectations for that.
Other factors that can affect placement are future goals for this piercing. Let your piercer know if you are hoping to eventually do multiple helixes like a double or triple, so we can map things out accordingly. Also, if you know your goal jewelry is a dainty hoop and charms, or big bold ends, let us know that as well! What you want to wear in it and how you choose to style it can also impact what placement on your ear will work best.
For example, a triple vertical helix with spikes along the top is one of the most popular variations of this piercing. But accommodating for these large spikes to sit correctly on the ear, in alignment, is quite a lot of work. We need to know that this is the goal so we can mark and place things accordingly. If you know you have a specific goal in mind for these please let us know ahead of time so we can plan for it!
Initial Jewelry
For vertical helix piercings straight barbells or labrets are going to be your best option for initial jewelry. Straight pieces sit perpendicular to the tissue and allow things to rest comfortably for healing. The backing style will be determined by your piercer, and there are pros and cons to both bead backs and flatbacks.
On some folks’ ears, bead backs are easier to keep clean, more comfortable, and can tuck nicely into that space under the helix ridge. Especially if it is quite narrow, the edges of a disc may rub or irritate the cartilage, making a bead more comfortable. On others, flat backs may fit far more comfortably, allow us to work around the structures of the ear better, and are lower profile and create more of a “floating” look some clients prefer. I would trust your piercer to make that call and select the style that’s best for you.
Now one of the bigger factors with initial jewelry is what we put on the top of the piercing. Now in this placement spikes and large fancy ends are some of the most popular styles. But these styles can also be among the most difficult to heal with! Spikes can easily get caught in your hair, get tangled, get bumped and snagged, and just generally make healing more difficult and irritation bumps more common. For this reason, your piercer may encourage you to start with just simple discs and beads to ensure this heals correctly, and then swap you to more decorative ends once fully healed.
The same applies to chains and charms. These pieces are adorable goal pieces for these piercings, but they are so difficult to heal with, so your piercer may suggest waiting to add any dangles till these are more healed.
Healing Expectations
So we understand that there is a range of placements that work for this piercing, almost all determined by anatomy and that different anatomy may be harder or easier to heal. We know what jewelry we might get, and that jewelry choice and style will also likely affect the healing process. But what is that healing process going to look like? And what about those awful bumps people get? Let’s talk about it.
Vertical Helix piercings, like most cartilage, on average take about 6-9 months to heal, up to a year. Some folks, due to anatomy medical conditions, lifestyle, climate, or jewelry choice may find that it takes a full year or even a little longer for this piercing to be fully healed and comfortable. This is pretty normal and if you are someone who is a slower healer when it comes to your vertical helix piercing don’t be discouraged- a lot of us are. Side sleepers, people who wear headsets at work, clients with long sideburns, and folks who are just clumsy and catch and snag things easier are all going to probably have a trickier time healing this.
I have a blog post here that discusses how healing actually occurs in piercings which is very helpful when it comes to helix piercings if you are curious about specifics of the actual healing. I have another here that discusses aftercare methods.
Many clients will have a fairly uneventful healing process for their helix. They’ll get them pierced, probably snag them a few times on pillowcases and shirts and glasses while you adjust to having it there, and then before you know it it’s healed and you are changing it in and out without issue. We love to see it!
But, many clients (myself included) will have a bit of a …bumpier ride.
That’s right- the bump. Almost everyone either has experienced this or knows someone who has- getting a little bump or irritation on your piercing at some point during the healing process. I actually have an entire very in-depth article on these bumps and how and why they happen here that I strongly suggest you read. But, I wanna give you some vertical helix-specific tips in this blog post.
The first is to consider the basics. Are you sleeping on this side? See, we don’t often realize it but the human head weighs about 8-10 lbs. So when we sleep on our healing piercing that’s 8-10 lbs of pressure all night long. That is a ton of pressure and in helix piercings, this can cause irritation, but it can also cause the piercing to migrate. All that pressure usually pushes the vertical helix at an angle when you lay on that side, for hours and hours all night long. Eventually, the jewelry shifts through the skin and begins to lay at that angle. This migration is often permanent and can result in some pretty nasty bumps. Not sleeping on your ear and downsizing it when it's ready to prevent extra length from getting torqued like that can help prevent this migration. My favorite trick is using a travel pillow like folks use at the airport, and putting my ear in the little space. That way I can still side sleep without crushing my poor piercing all night long. One of the most common reasons we see irritation in helixes is from being slept on, and this is the culprit for dozens and dozens of bumps.
The next most common issue is with keeping these clean. The natural crust and secretion that forms of healing piercings is usually fairly easy to clean away. But vertical helixes are tricky for two reasons- the first is that they are hard to see! The tops are easy to spot perched above your ear, but if you have larger helix ridges, it may cover most or all of the post, and crust and debris can build up under that ridge where you can’t easily see it or get to it. The other is the narrow, tight space these rest in. The helix ridge is often very close to the flat, and this small space is full of creases and creases for debris and crust to build up. Combine a tight, tricky-to-clean area with also being hard to see, and many clients struggle with getting and keeping these piercings clean. My favorite trick for this is using a pointy q-tip.
These have fine, delicate pointed ends originally designed for precision makeup cleanup around your eyes. They are more tightly woven than your average q-tip and less likely to leave fibers behind. You can soak them in saline and use them to gently clean around the back of your forward helix. The key word there is gentle- you want to remove that crust and debris, not bash your piercing around with it. Be mindful of the q-tip getting caught or snagged on any ping or gem ends, and try not to disrupt the jewelry too much during cleaning.
Have you caught or snagged this recently? Vertical Helixes are a pretty high-traffic area that can get a good bonk or snag somewhat often- especially tucking our hair back, taking glasses on and off, wearing hats or wigs, and taking shirts off. These can absolutely cause the piercing to become irritated. If you did, and that’s the cause of your bump, then some extra TLC and care & some time, and patience are all this needs to heal right up. What about being sick recently? A cold or the flu? Maybe seasonal allergies, or even seasonal weather change? When you are sick, and your whole body is sick, then your piercing understandably is going to be all grumpy too. Focus on getting yourself feeling better- your piercing can’t recover until you have recovered first!
And then consider some other factors. What jewelry were you pierced with- Did you opt for something ideal for healing like a high-quality implant-grade titanium labret post, or did you get the “one size fits all” piercing gun earring….maybe steel? Did you decide on the extra large spike that gets snagged a bit more often or did you play it safe with something smaller and less likely to catch? As we discussed above some jewelry styles can affect how this piercing heals, and you may be experiencing a bump as a side effect of this jewelry style, material, and quality. (I can’t stress enough how difficult these can be to heal with spikes. Please consider starting with an easier style for healing!)
Perhaps there is an issue with aftercare that could be causing this irritation. Often clients, accidentally, end up getting products like hair spray, gel, or dye into their helix piercings that can cause the piercing to become very irritated. Sometimes it's an external factor like wearing a mask, headphones, or a scarf.
Whatever the cause, if you have a bump or an issue with your piercing it’s important to get back in touch with your piercer so they can help you determine the cause of the irritation and how to treat it. If it’s grumpy because you snagged it, it likely just needs some patience and time to recover. If it’s irritated because you have a low-quality, “one size fits all” butterfly back, you likely need to get better-quality jewelry. And if it's becoming irritated from being slept on, you may need to get a travel pillow and change your routine to allow it to recover. Your piercer's job isn’t over just because they did your piercing- a huge part of our job is then helping you heal that piercing!
There you have it folks, a comprehensive breakdown on all of the things to consider when getting your vertical helix pierced! These anatomy-dependent piercings are super fun, super unique, and I think they are the perfect stand-alone or compliment to an existing setup. I hope this blog post can help you prepare and make some informed choices about placement, jewelry, and aftercare. Happy healing!