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Getting Ears Pierced: What Is Ear Piercings?

Ear piercings are one of the most common kinds of piercings to get and if you are considering joining the millions of people who have their ears pierced, you have come to the right place! Ear piercings are usually done by using a piercing gun, which quickly and precisely inserts a needle and the earring into your ear. As with many different kinds of piercings, piercings on ears come in a range of different types for you to choose from, with many more unique and edgy options for those after something a bit different from the norm. We here at Cleopatra Ink are going to take you through the entire process of when you get an ear piercing, as well as have a look into the different kinds of piercings that you can receive!

Do Ear Piercings Hurt?

The amount of pain that you experience generally depends on where you are getting your ear piercing. While the skin on your lower lobe may be less sore from getting pierced, if you are getting a piercing in your cartilage, you may experience a bit more pain. While ear piercings can be sore, the initial pain generally only lasts for a few seconds, and the build-up before your piercing is often the time when you may feel the most nervous! Getting an ear piercing is often compared with a quick pinch, especially when done on your lower lobe where a piercing gun is usually used. While there may be some initial pain and a bit of discomfort while your piercing heals, it is well worth it!

Are Ear Piercings Harmful?

Ear piercings are pretty harmless when done by the right artist and in a clean environment! One of the main issues that people experience when it comes to ear piercings is when the equipment being used is not sterile, which could then lead to infections. You can avoid this by going to a reputable piercing studio where you will be pierced with fully sterile equipment! You can further avoid the area getting infected by carefully following the aftercare for ear piercing and cleaning the region as regularly as suggested by your piercing artist! Other than this, your ears are considered to be one of the safest places to pierce as very few issues pop up!

Types of Ear Piercings and Piercing Places

If you are looking for a unique type of piercing to get, you may be excited to learn that you can get more than simple lobe piercings! There are many different spots that can be pierced giving you the opportunity to look for one that suits your own unique style. The following are the different ear piercing types that you can look into getting.

Tragus and Antitragus Piercing

Tragus and antitragus ear piercings are growing in popularity as more people look for unique ways to show off their jewelry! If you are wondering where your tragus is, it is the little bit of cartilage that protects your ear canal and sits partially on top of it. This is quite a thick piece of cartilage and most tragus piercings are done with a needle to ensure precision and the correct positioning of the earring. Anti-tragus piercings are on the opposite side of your tragus on the cartilage of your outer ear. Many choose to get both of these styles together as they make for a unique and funky look!

Helix and Front Helix Piercing

Helix ear piercings are one of the more common types of piercings! Your helix refers to an upper ear piercing that is placed in the upper part of your outer ear, with the cartilage being pierced in this region. If you are looking for something edgy and cool, a helix piercing would be a great option to consider! You are able to wear a variety of different earrings in this part of the ear, with many even adorning small hoops as opposed to general studs!

A front helix piercing is placed directly across from your helix on the flap of skin on the inner rim of the ear. These types of ear piercings are often considered to be more unique compared to standard helix piercings as they are harder to get to. What makes them a great choice is that they can be unique in the types of jewelry you wear and you definitely will not see many people with this same kind of style!

Snug Piercing

Snug piercings are considered to be one of the more painful types of piercings as they run through the thickest part of the cartilage on your ear. Snug piercings go through the fold of cartilage that sits right next to the outer cartilage region of your ear and the needle will go directly through the skin on this part of your ear. What makes the snug piercing so unique is that you can actually see both the entrance and exit points when looking at the front of your ear!

Rook Piercing

While a snug piercing goes through the cartilage in your middle ear in the center, a rook piercing goes through the top part of this flap of cartilage. As this piercing also has to go through a double layer of thick cartilage, it is also considered to be quite a sore piercing to get.

Daith Piercing

A daith ear piercing refers to a piercing that enters through the cartilage in the middle of your ear. This process is usually completed with a needle that is hollow and straight, with a straight barbell placed in your ear to begin with. After your piercing has healed, which can take up to nine months, many choose to accessorize with captive bead rings, which are small ring-like pieces of jewelry!

Lobe Piercing

Lobe piercings are one of the most common types of ear piercings, with many getting this style of piercing from a young age! If you are looking for a way to make this type of piercing more unique, you can get more than one lobe piercing and adorn your ear with an array of different jewelry. One of the great things about getting a lobe piercing is that there are so many different options and styles of jewelry to choose from! From simple gold or silver studs to the more extravagant hoop or drop earrings, there are so many options to choose from and so many places where you can purchase these styles of earrings!

Conch Piercing

A conch piercing refers to an inner ear piercing that is made directly through the middle ear and one of the most popular styles to wear with this type of piercing are large studs. These types of ear piercings generally take around four to twelve months to heal as the cartilage that is pierced is quite thick. Many people choose to get this kind of earring if they are looking for something different and unique!

Orbital Piercing

Orbital piercings are unique in the sense that they are two different types of piercings that are connected together by an earring. You can get this style of piercing anywhere on your ear and many choose to connect these two separate lower and side ear piercings using chain-like earrings! This double ear piercing is growing in popularity, with many different kinds of earrings being developed especially for those who have two piercings that they want to connect with one piece of jewelry.

Industrial Piercing

Industrial ear piercings are made up of two separate piercings, but unlike the orbital piercing, the two holes are located at the upper edge of your cartilage. You will usually find that the most common types of jewelry that are worn through these piercings are straight barbells as they tend to show off the area best!

Auricle Piercing

An auricle ear piercing is a helix piercing that is placed further down the cartilage, nearer to the lobe of the ear. As with helix earrings, they are popular due to the fact that you can wear a variety of different styles of earrings!

How To Get Your Ears Pierced?

Now that you have looked into the different types of piercings, you may be wanting to know a bit more about the ear piercing process. There are different ways that piercing artists can pierce ears, though the way that your artist goes about doing the piercing may depend on where you want it done. While lobe piercings can be done by a piercing gun, if you are receiving your piercing through a piece of cartilage they may be using a manual process. Ears pierced with a needle may take a bit longer than the standard piercing gun, but this pain is only for a few seconds!

Before the piercing begins, the artist will clean the area with an antibacterial solution to ensure that no germs or bacteria are present and then move forward to the actual piercing. After the process, you will receive instructions on how to properly care for your new piercing. Be sure to follow these instructions carefully to ensure that you do not get an infection.

Most Painful Ear Piercing Spots

If you are looking to get a unique and different style of ear piercing, you may be interested to know which spots tend to be the sorest. As your lobe is made up of skin and not cartilage, your lobe is generally considered to be the least sore spot when it comes to ear piercings. Snug piercings are generally considered to be the most painful as they are going through the thickest part of your cartilage. Cartilage ear piercings may be more sensitive than others and will probably take much longer to heal compared to other spots. Along with the Snug ear piercings, conch ear piercings are also often considered to be one of the most painful, as this part of your ear also has quite a thick cartilage! While you may be in pain for a few seconds, the overall look of your new piercing will be well worth it, so do not let this scare you!

How To Take Care Of Your Ear Piercing?

As with any kind of ear piercing, looking after the area and ensuring that it heals properly is incredibly important! When you leave the piercing artists after having gotten your ear piercing, you will be given a set of instructions that should be directly followed. Saline solution is often best when it comes to the cleaning of the area as antibacterial ointments can often dry the wound out.

When caring for pierced ears, you should be sure to keep on cleaning the area until it is healed to ensure that no germs or bacteria lead to infection. The time that it takes for a piercing to heal does depend on the type that you get, so be sure to inquire with your piercing artist about this.

Cleaning Ear Piercings

The process of cleaning your piercings will begin the day after you get the piercing done. When it comes to ear piercing care, it is recommended that you gently wash the area with saline solution and clean water. Be sure that the saline solution gets into the hole so that it can keep the wound clean and free of any germs or bacteria. The area may be swelling slightly though this is perfectly normal and, generally, ear piercings take around six weeks to heal, though this does differ depending on the type of piercing that you got!

An important thing to think about when looking after your new piercing is that you should avoid touching the area. While it may be a bit sore and itchy, touching it exposes the germs that may be on your hands. Because of this, we do recommend that you wash your hands prior to applying saline solution!

How Should You Choose The Type Of Ear Piercing You Get?

With so many different options to consider, you may be wondering “How can I possibly choose?”. One of the great things about ear piercings is that you can get more than one kind! The kinds of ear piercings that you pick should be thought about carefully as you want something that is going to match your look and style! Having a look at an ear piercings chart that has exactly where the different piercings are done could help you to decide.

Another thing to consider is the type of jewelry you are hoping to wear in your piercing. While there are a wide variety of different options to choose from, you may notice from our types of ear piercings above that certain piercings best suit different kinds of jewelry. Be sure to take this into consideration when deciding what is best for you! You may also want to think about the ear piercings healing time when looking at which one to get. As the healing times do differ depending on the piercing that you get, you may want something that does not have a long healing period.