I have 15 piercings right now (working on getting 3 more in the near future) so I'd say I have lots of experience. I'm writing from the US, I don't know if that will change the perspective on any of this, except the price.
- You can get just about anywhere on your ear pierced, whether it's your first or your 50th. The biggest question is whether it's in cartilage, or just flesh. That will change the feeling, desired size, and healing time. I'm going to answer these as though you want the piercing in just flesh, but if this is not the case, I will answer the questions again for cartilage, if you'd like. You can tell the piercer that you want to be able to fit a "traditional" ear piercing underneath this one, and they will mark it, then let you look at the mark to see if it is where you want it.
- I absolutely think you should go to a studio. Piercing with a gun is not only unsanitary, it can cause far more pain than necessary, cause a lot of scar tissue, and it is more likely to become infected, especially with the jewelry they use. You want to go to someone who will use a single-use, very sharp needle, and then use high quality steel or titanium jewelry (either a ring or a barbell) in the new piercing. What area of Germany are you in, if you're comfortable saying? I know piercing people around the country and might be able to give you an idea of where to look.
- The jewelry for a new piercing should be high quality steel (surgical steel is not necessarily high quality, you're looking for implant grade) or high quality titanium. Both are unlikely to cause an allergic reaction; but if you're worried, titanium is your best bet. It is safe for the large majority of people that use it for piercings.
- How thick the piercing should be will depend on what sort of jewelry you want to wear in it, and what size needles your piercer has. The "traditional" size piercing is 18g; these are the size of earrings you can buy in most shops. But if you find a good piercer, they should have a wide range of jewelry in various sizes, and they can show it to you before you make a decision on what you want.
- Healing time depends on how much you mess with the piercing. Six weeks is a pretty safe bet. As long as it is healing well, you'll be able to do just about anything that doesn't involve direct contact with the open, healing wound. I wouldn't suggest swimming until it is healed, just because it can introduce lots of bacteria to the wound. You would probably be okay, it would just make me nervous, personally.
- My piercer does basic piercings, with titanium jewelry, for $40, and I usually give at least $10 tip. That's in USD. I honestly don't know how much that price differs in other places.
The pain is negligible. The biggest issue, at least for me, is the anxiety, and bracing for the pain that I assume is going to be terrible. The only times I've almost passed out are when I was super tense. Also, piercing through just flesh is surprisingly easy and fast. It will be *deep breath in* *quick poke* *deep breath out* and that's it. The jewelry will feel a little uncomfortable going in, but then that's it. As long as you leave the new piercing alone after that (aside from cleaning), the pain should diminish pretty quickly.
As for infections, you just have to be careful what you let touch it. Nothing dirty; that includes clothing, bedding, hats, hair, hands, pets, etc. Clean it in the shower and one or two other times a day with a saline solution, and otherwise LITHA (leave it the hell alone)!
I am always happy to answer questions, no matter how "beginner", and I know the rest of us are too, so feel free to ask away!
