Trimix Piercing

A trimix piercing combines a helix, rook, and anti-helix piercing; this method uses 3 venous catheters which are then immediately connected by a ball closure ring.

This is a new method which is similar to an orbital piercing, the difference being that an orbital piercing uses 2 piercings, and a trimix uses 3.

Origins:

Unlike many other piercings, the trimix piercing method comes from Europe, not the USA.

The first piercer to employ this method was Marc-André Stingel from the Vienna Piercing Studio.

He got his inspiration for this method while doing a UFO piercing, and his model Mary was immediately enthusiastic about trying it.

The piercing’s name is a tribute to a good friend of Stingel’s, Philippe Kloos, a renowned deep-sea diver who died while diving.

TRIMIX is the name of a particular mixture of gases carried in several tanks and used in extreme diving.

TRI is a prefix from the ancient Greek meaning “three”, which completes the meaning of the name as the combination of three piercings.

Piercing procedure:

A piercing procedure should only be executed by an experienced piercer, since the spaces between the individual ear cartilage piercings needs to match the ball closure ring seamlessly.

This method requires three venous catheters in which the three successive angles have to be perfectly aligned.

Prior to inserting the piercing jewelry, the catheters need to be cut to a certain size in order to thread the ring through without complications.

A dermal punch is not an option here, since it would not allow the ring to be used directly as a first application.

Alternatively one could start with three barbells, and once they’ve healed connect them with a ring.

Healing and care:

As with all ear cartilage piercings, the healing of a Trimix piercing requires patience.

The Trimix piercing can take between 8 and 16 months to heal completely, rarely longer.

Like other external piercings, in the first three weeks it should be cleaned with ProntoLind spray twice a day, and then coated with ProntoLind gel.

It is important to wash your hands before touching the pierced area and the jewelry itself. By caring for the piercing in the correct manner and with the proper materials, you can do a great deal to prevent the onset of proud flesh.

Dangers:

As with nearly all forms of piercing, one hears horrible fabricated stories of facial paralysis and loss of hearing. It should be noted that there is no empirical evidence substantiating such reports, and no clinical record of them either.