Use Needles, Not Guns

OREGON CASES Now ear this! A new study finds piercing the cartilage can result in infections that are hard to treat, and even disfigurement

Planning a piercing through cartilege on your ear? Be a careful consumer. A number of youngsters were left permanently disfigured by ear piercings gone wrong. Don't give in to spontaneous impulses to get another hole--make sure the piercer is rigorous about sterility precautions and uses a needle instead of a piercing gun. From the article:

"Almost all the cases developed after relatively blunt studs were driven through the cartilage with spring-loaded piercing guns, instead of using the preferred needle-piercing method."