Want a Tragus Piercing? Here’s Everything You Need to Know About It

Nowadays, having a piercing on just your earlobe isn’t enough.

From septum piercings to various cartilage piercings, everyone seems to be going under the needle (or piercing gun). And for those of you who want that cool tragus piercing that you’ve been seeing on Instagram, then you’ve come to the right place for information.

Here’s everything ENTITY knows about tragus piercing pain, healing and aftercare.

So… will a tragus piercing hurt?

Photo via Instagram/@samytattoopiercing

For starters, the “tragus” is the small cartilage flap located right outside your ear canal. Sure, it’s useful because it helps collect sound from behind you. But it also looks really cool with an earring on it.

Luckily for you, this one won’t be too painful to get.

Because the tragus doesn’t have many nerves in it, tragus piercings are pretty low on the pain scale. If you’ve already survived other cartilage piercings, the tragus piercing will be no problem for you.

But of course, you still should keep in mind that everyone has a different pain threshold. So the pain is obviously subjective. For the most part though, tragus piercings are the least intimidating of all the possible ear cartilage piercings.

What is the healing process like and how can you make sure your tragus piercing heals properly?

As is the case with any other piercing, it’s important to take care of it since infected piercings aren’t fun.

Thankfully, caring for it isn’t all that hard. In fact, tragus piercing aftercare is very similar to that of a regular ear lobe or cartilage piercing. Basically, make sure your hands are clean and clean the piercing with a saline solution. You can even put the solution on a Q-Tip and clean it with that.

You can turn the jewelry a little bit to help the solution get to the hole, but make sure to be gentle with the area. And unless you’re cleaning it, avoid playing with the earring or moving it around. This could irritate it.

Clean it for about six to eight weeks – or however long your piercer instructs you to. And depending on the person, it could take about two to four month to completely heal.

How much does a tragus piercing cost?

Make sure you get your tragus piercing done by a professional. Because the tragus is thick and somewhat hard, piercing it requires extra pressure from the piercer. So don’t try this at home.

Instead, research a good local piercer and go there. Tragus piercings in the United States range from around $30 to $50, depending on where you get it done and what kind of tragus jewelry you choose.

What kind of jewelry can you use for your tragus piercing?

Photo via Instagram/@djowmartins

And because the tragus isn’t easily irritated by things like brushing, blow-drying or wearing headphones, you can pretty much choose any type of earring.

• Studs: Studs can give you a sophisticated look and are perfect for those who want a more minimal earring on their tragus.
• Rings: Obviously, rings are a little more obvious than studs. Most people prefer these because it comes in a variety of styles. There are beaded rings, barbell rings and plain rings.
• Barbells: Barbell earrings for your tragus look a little like tongue rings, just smaller. These are perfect for those who want to showcase a more edgy look since they’re very eye-catching.

But regardless of the earring you choose, tragus piercings are very low-maintenance and super worth the time you take to pierce it.