What to Know Before Getting One of Those Constellation Piercings That Are All Over Instagram

“There are several factors that determine if someone is a good candidate for a constellation piercing, but the most important is the anatomy of an individual’s ear,” Schneider said. “At Rowan, we start each session with a skin and ear assessment by a registered nurse who is also an ear artist, having been trained specifically for piercings.”

Your piercer can help you determine the best placement based on your ear structure and anatomy. Depending on your features, you may not have enough room for multiple piercings in a certain area. They will also take into consideration the possibility of infection and irritation.

Another thing to keep in mind when you’re picking the placement: ears are rarely identical. “Your ears are sisters, not twins – one piercing that works well on one ear may not work on the other. This is something to keep in mind when planning and building your constellation.”

There’s no right or wrong way to do it. “Constellation piercings are unique to the individual,” Schneider said. “The beauty of them is that you can frame and curate your piercing scape to your preference. It really is a personalized approach, with many people opting to decorate piercings differently throughout each ear – the possibilities are endless.”

Before your piercing appointment, try to find some inspiration of what you want your final results to look like. That will help your piercer give you a cluster of piercings that best fit your style.

Middle, lobe, cartilage – the piercings can go wherever. “There is no steadfast rule; the piercing landscape can either decorate the entire ear or be focused more throughout the lobe with piercings clustered closer together,” Schneider said. (That means if you don’t want any piercings on the cartilage of your ear, you don’t have to get them.) Your piercings can be focused just on the lobe or a mix of both. “For example, we recently did a series of three piercings with two on the lobe and one on the upper helix.”

In a word: yes. “Individuals can use their current piercings as their base and build their desired piercing scape from there,” she said. “If this is the approach, we strongly encourage that you wear the ‘anchor’ earrings you plan on featuring in your existing holes as you determine placement for new piercings.”

This is because the size and shape of your “anchor” earrings can affect the desired location of the new piercings.

It largely depends on the individual and the piercing facility you are getting it done at, but Schneider recommends capping the number at four piercings in one day.

“Piercing the ear is essentially a small trauma to your body, and the rate of complications and infections rises with each additional piercing,” she said. “It’s extremely important you don’t overwhelm your system and are diligent about aftercare for a positive outcome.”

The same rules apply for a constellation piercing as they do for any other body piercing, the number-one tip being to never touch it with dirty hands. Some additional best practices Schneider recommends are:

• Do not touch your ears for at least 24 hours following the piercing. Aftercare really starts after that.
• Always wash your hands thoroughly before touching your ears or earrings, and only touch your earrings when cleaning them.
• Clean the piercing two to three times daily with an aftercare solution.
• Make sure to rotate earrings one full twist (360 degrees) while wet.
• Always leave space between the back of your ear and the earring back.
• Make sure to leave in starter studs for six weeks for lobe piercings and six months for cartilage.

“You have to commit to the process,” Schneider said. “What you see on Instagram may not work for you specifically. Attaining your ideal piercing placements is a commitment and may take multiple sessions to achieve your ideal look. Aftercare is crucial, especially when it comes to multiple new piercings.”