There are a lot of piercing locations on the ear, but we're going to talk about the tragus piercing here and tell you, everything you need to know about tragus piercings.
So.. Where is the tragus?
The tragus is a little flap of cartilage, found on the inside of your ear - towards your face. It covers the ear canal.
Does a tragus piercing hurt?
We will be honest here and say.. Yep! Tragus piercings do hurt but the pain is just short and sharp! Pain is temporary and beautiful jewels in your piercings are forever, right? (Well.. as long as we don't let them close up anyway!) The tragus is a piece of cartilage and as such will be harder to pierce than soft skin like an earlobe.
How long does a tragus piercing take to heal?
A tragus piercing typically takes three to six months to heal up but we recommend waiting a year before changing jewellery. As with all piercings it is advised not to touch it (other than when cleaning the piercing) or change the jewellery until it has completely healed. It's also worth trying not to sleep on the side of your head where you have had your tragus piercing.
How should I care for my tragus piercing?
As with all piercings you're going to want to keep it clean. It's advised to clean your piercing with a sterile saline solution twice a day, avoid touching it and try to avoid getting soap or shampoo in the piercing, especially in the first few days. We also recommend trying not to apply any pressure to the area, which means sleeping on the opposite side and not using earphones in that ear for at least six to eight weeks.
What type of jewellery can I wear in my tragus piercing?
The good news here is that there is a real variety of jewellery you can wear in a tragus piercing. Most people typically choose a flat back stud or a hoop but you can also go for something like a horsehoe barbell! You can find our range of jewellery suitable for tragus piercings here
What size jewellery can I wear in my tragus piercing?
Whilst we appreciate that not all bodies are the same and sometimes ears are different proportions, generally tragus piercings are done with a 16 gauge needle which is 1.2MM in thickness. the length of stud required will generally depend on the thickness of your tragus, but typically most people will wear a 6MM - 8MM long stud. Hoops are usually 8MM - 10MM in diameter, again depending on the thickness of the cartilage.
If your piercing has started to close up, you may want to look at going to a slightly thinner 18 gauge stud or hoop to help get it through the smaller hole. You can also use a handy piercing taper to help insert your jewellery.
