swollen cartilage/tragus piercings

so i got a double helix and a tragus piercing about three weeks ago. they’re both still swollen and don’t hurt unless they’re touched. is this normal? also, i’ve started doing salt water soaks. should that help, and when will the swelling go down? i just soak a piece of cotton and let that sit on the piercings from and back for about 30 minutes.

one more question- i know alcohol isn’t good for piercings but would it be okay to put one or two drops in the saltwater solution? i just feel like they’re not healing quickly enough and need something “stronger” than the saltwater which hasn’t made much noticeable difference. tia!