If you’re hoping to get a popular form of body modification that’s both trendy and stylish, you can’t go wrong with a tragus piercing. Tragus piercings are a type of ear piercing that has grown in popularity in the body jewelry world over the last few decades. They look amazing alongside other ear piercings and are perfect for creating your own constellation piercing with other types of jewelry. In this guide, we’re going to tell you everything about getting your cartilage pierced. We will also highlight the different tragus piercing jewelry styles, tragus piercing pain, and all the types of jewelry and jewelry materials that are available for this type of piercing. Whether this is your first body piercing or you’re already a body jewelry connoisseur, this guide is sure to help you decide whether or not a tragus piercing is right for you!
Before we get started, we want to mention that everyone’s body is different, so we recommend always speaking to a piercing professional about the pain level of a tragus piercing before making any final decisions. Thinking about moving on from your standard lobe piercing? Hoping to add another ear cartilage piercing to your curation? Getting a tragus earring might be exactly what you need!
Tragus Piercing Types
Anti-Tragus Piercing
Anti-Tragus Piercing Location:
Anti-tragus piercings are located on the opposite side of the tragus, just above your ear lobe.
Anti-Tragus Piercing Process:
For an anti-tragus piercing, your piercer will disinfect the area before inserting a sterilized piercing needle through the anti-tragus.
Anti-Tragus Piercing Healing Time:
About 3 – 9 months.
Recommended Jewelry:
Double Tragus Piercing
Double Tragus Piercing Location:
The double tragus piercing is located in the same spot as a standard single tragus piercing on the flap of cartilage that covers up the ear canal.
Double Tragus Piercing Process:
The process for getting a double tragus piercing is very similar to a standard tragus piercing. The main difference between the two is that a double tragus piercing will require two separate piercings. Just like with any tragus piercing, you can expect your piercer to clean the area to avoid the risk of infection before making the piercing with a sterilized needle.
Double Tragus Piercing Healing Time:
About 3-6 months.
Recommended Jewelry:
Tragus Piercing
Tragus Piercing Location:
A standard tragus piercing rests on the tiny flap of cartilage (cartilage fold) that covers your ear canal.
Tragus Piercing Process:
Your piercer will likely mark the location with a pen or marker to be sure they place it in just the right spot. After marking the spot and properly disinfecting the area, the piercer will then slide a sterilized needle through the cartilage flap before inserting the piece of body jewelry.
Tragus Piercing Healing Time:
About 3 – 6 months.
Recommended Jewelry:
Vertical Tragus Piercing
Vertical Tragus Piercing Location:
The vertical tragus piercing is located in the same spot as a traditional tragus piercing, sitting directly on the flap of the cartilage covering the ear canal. The difference with this piercing is that it will rest vertically instead of horizontally.
Vertical Tragus Piercing Process:
The vertical tragus piercing process is similar to the standard tragus piercing. Expect your piercer to mark the spot and disinfect the area before inserting a sterilized needle followed by the body jewelry you selected for your piercing. This piercing may cause more pain than a tragus piercing because you are creating two holes for the piercing to go through as opposed to one.
Vertical Tragus Piercing Healing Time:
Around 6 – 8 weeks.
Recommended Jewelry:
Tragus Piercing Healing Times, Tragus Piercing Aftercare Tips, and More
How long do tragus piercings take to heal?
The healing process for tragus piercings or any body piercing will always vary depending on the individual and the types of jewelry you select. A professional piercer will always be able to give you some sort of idea of how long piercings take to heal but at the end of the day, it comes down to your body’s chemical makeup. Speaking to a professional piercer about healing times and proper piercing aftercare before making a final decision is crucial for keeping your piercing healthy. You want to make sure you are taking all the proper precautions to help prevent yourself from getting a tragus piercing scar or an infection. When getting pierced for the first time your piercer will be sure to tell you all the do’s and don’ts of how to take care of your new bling.
Does getting a tragus piercing hurt?
Everyone is different, so exactly how much or how little a tragus piercing hurts depends on how much you can tolerate different pain levels. The amount of tragus piercing pain you experience will also depend on exactly what type of tragus piercing you get. For example, jewelry styles like a stud tragus-piercing may hurt less than a curved barbell tragus piercing because you only have to pierce the skin once for a stud as opposed to twice for a captive bead ring. Speaking to a piercing professional is the best way to get an idea of what kind of pain level you may experience.
How much do tragus piercings cost?
It depends on where you live and which piercing shop you’ll be attending. There are different types of cartilage piercings (conch piercings, daith piercings, helix piercings, rook piercings, etc.) which could cost more than a standard lobe piercing.
How should I clean my tragus piercing?
To be sure your body doesn’t reject your new tragus piercing during the healing process and that it heals properly, it’s important that you take the aftercare process seriously and practice good hygiene. We recommend using H2Ocean aftercare spray or a saline solution to keep the area clean. Always be sure to speak to your piercing professional about the proper steps to take during the piercing healing process to ensure your tragus piercing heals properly. To clean your tragus piercing jewelry, we recommend using warm soapy water, and always washing your hands prior to touching your piercing and piercing jewelry.
For more information on how to keep your new piercing clean check out our cleaning guide.
How do you give yourself a tragus piercing?
We don’t recommend trying to give yourself a tragus piercing. Always seek out the help of a professional piercer whenever undergoing a new type of body modification. For more piercing info, professional piercing shops will typically have more information on their website about how to set up an appointment.
Why shouldn’t I get a tragus piercing?
Before you commit to getting any type of body piercing, it is important to consider all the factors that come along with it. Any piercing you get on your body needs proper cleaning and piercing aftercare to help prevent scarring or infection. Being fully committed to the cleaning and aftercare phase of getting a piercing is crucial for keeping your tragus piercing healthy. We highly recommend speaking to a professional piercer to learn as much as possible before making a final decision on whether or not a body piercing is right for you. They’ll be sure to answer any questions or concerns you may have and be sure to give you the best chance of avoiding rejection from the piercing you select. If you want to learn more about ear piercings, check out our blog.
Can I wear headphones with my tragus piercing?
You may experience some pain and discomfort immediately after getting your tragus pierced, but once your piercing is completely healed you’ll be able to wear headphones and earbuds as normal. Talk to a piercing professional for directions on how to manage pain during the healing process.
Tragus Piercing Jewelry
How much do tragus piercings cost?
The price of your tragus piercing will change depending on where you get your piercing done and the type of body jewelry you select. It is likely that any piece of body jewelry that features higher quality jewelry materials (surgical steel, titanium jewelry, etc.) will cost more. Our best piece of advice would be to check in with your local piercing shop and see what kind of prices they have to offer in terms of types of jewelry and body piercings.
What are the best jewelry care tips?
For jewelry care tips, aftercare tips, and more, check out How to Care for Your Body Jewelry & Body Piercings.
What’s the most common type of tragus jewelry?
The most common type of tragus earring and ear cartilage jewelry is probably the cartilage stud. These flat-back earrings are beautiful and come in a wide variety of styles. Other types of tragus cartilage earrings include straight barbell earrings, cartilage hoops, and curved barbells.
When can I change my tragus jewelry?
It’s very important that you do not switch out your tragus piercing jewelry until it has completely healed. This is to prevent any chance of scarring or infection. Once the healing process is complete you can begin to experiment with other jewelry types, tragus jewelry, and cartilage earrings like captive bead rings, barbells, studs, and more!
What if my tragus piercing gets infected or I have an allergic reaction?
Before committing to any type of body piercing, it’s important that you go over the risks of allergies and infections with a piercing professional. We also suggest speaking with a healthcare professional to be sure you don’t have an allergy to certain types of metals or jewelry materials commonly found in certain body jewelry types. If you begin to feel any pain or your piercing becomes red or inflamed, we suggest removing it and contacting a professional immediately.
To avoid infection, make sure to follow your piercing care guidelines throughout the healing process and be sure to not remove your jewelry until the allotted time has passed.
Learn More About Body Piercings and Body Jewelry
Did you enjoy our tragus piercing guide? Check out the Inspo Spot for more information on ear cartilage piercings. We have guides on conch piercings, daith piercings, helix piercings, rook piercings, and more! Spencer’s is here to teach you everything there is to know about ear piercings.
Want info on other types of body piercings? Read our lip piercing, nipple piercing, nose piercing, and face piercing guides!
Now that you have all the info you need about tragus cartilage piercings, it’s time to go shopping! We can’t wait to see what types of jewelry you pick out. Still not so sure about getting a body piercing? No worries! Check out the rest of our body piercing guides at The Inspo Spot for more piercing ideas, piercing info, piercing FAQs, and inspiration on what kind of piercing will be best for you!
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