Piercing 101: A Complete Guide to Tragus Piercings

Curated piercing is a hot trend right now, especially among celebrities. Part of these artful piercings is tragus piercings, and now all your friends are thinking about getting them, too.

That sounds like a cool idea. You've been wanting to add another piercing to your collection. But wait, what is a tragus?

Among all the weirdly named parts of our bodies, the tragus certainly does not sound like it's located where it is. Location is also a huge factor in determining if the piercing will hurt and whether you'll like the look on yourself.

To help you decide if getting a tragus piercing is the right move for you, we've put together this comprehensive beginner's guide to tragus piercings. Read on to see if you can handle it!

What Is a Tragus Piercing?

When it comes to piercings, it's all about location. For tragus piercings, tuck back your hair.

The tragus is the piece of cartilage that juts out in front of your ear canal, closest to your face. The tragus is crucial to holding your earbuds in place and you can wiggle it back and forth. If you push it back, it can cover your ear canal for protection.

A tragus piercing can be a hoop or stud that goes all the way through that piece of cartilage. Because this section of the ear has the thickest cartilage, many people find getting a tragus piercing to be intimidating.

Do Tragus Piercings Hurt?

Let's put it this way: it's not the easiest piercing you'll ever get. On the bright side, it's also not the most painful. As always, it will depend on your pain tolerance and your expectations.

The consensus is that tragus piercings land on a pain scale of about 5 out of 10. Professional piercers usually say that it's about a 3, but most people don't have a lot of piercing experience against which to compare the pain. If you've only ever gotten earlobe piercings, be aware that this piercing will be much different.

Piercing through cartilage is a different process than piercing through flesh. The flesh has more blood flow and a lot more give, so piercing can be quicker and safer. Cartilage is harder to push a needle through, so you'll experience a lot more pressure and a slightly longer experience.

Luckily, the brunt of the pain happens immediately during the piercing. Most people report that they forget about the pain seconds after the process. The healing process does not have any real lingering pain.

Are Tragus Piercings Dangerous?

While getting your tragus pierced is just like getting any other part of your ear cartilage pierced, it is important to understand the risks. For the most part, people experience successful piercing and healing processes as long as they go to reputable piercers and follow the rules for healing.

Worst case scenario, there are some minor risks to tragus piercings. Because the tragus is cartilage, it has much less blood flow than other parts of the body. Access to blood flow is what allows parts of our body to heal and fight infection, so the tragus is more likely to get infected.

With a longer healing process than earlobe piercings, scarring and other complications are also more likely. Some people experience piercing rejection or keloids.

People who don't take care of their piercings, regardless of location, can experience infections. If left to fester, these infections can spread to the rest of the body and cause major problems.

Overall, however, there have been no major issues caused by tragus piercings. There is an urban legend that tragus piercings could hit an important nerve, but there is no documentation that this is true or has ever happened.

While it's not always in your control how your body reacts to the piercing, there are some precautions you can take to make success more likely.

What Is the Tragus Piercing Process?

If you're worried about getting your tragus pierced, it can help to know the details of the procedure. To put your mind at ease, here is a list of the steps the piercer will take to give you your new piercing.

First, the piercer will clean the tragus with a medical-grade disinfectant and purified water. This will ensure that any dirt, makeup, and bacteria are removed from the area. Then, they'll mark where the piercing will go with a pen or marker.

Once they've marked your tragus, they'll ask you to check the placement. Make sure you like where the piercing is going before it's too late. They can always redraw.

When you're both ready, the piercer will push a sterilized needle through the marking until it has gone through to the other side. Some piercers use clamps to keep the area still or have a receiving tube on the other side.

The piercer will then insert the jewelry you've chosen into the new hole and then stop the bleeding. For a tragus piercing, there shouldn't be too much blood.

Once the bleeding has stopped, the piercer will clean the area again with disinfectant and water.

How to Take Care of a Tragus Ear Piercing

The most important part of deciding on a piercing and preparing for your appointment is learning how to take care of the piercing ahead of time. That's because the biggest issues with piercings stem from either going to inexperienced piercers or not following instructions for the healing process.

To make sure that you have a smooth piercing experience and can enjoy your tragus piercing for years to come, make sure you follow this advice.

Avoid Inexperienced Piercers

A tragus piercing is not a piercing you can get at just any piercing kiosk in the mall. In fact, don't get piercings at malls ever. The safest and most successful way to get and enjoy your piercings is to get them done by professional experienced piercers.

The best way to find professional experienced piercers is to look for tattoo and piercing shops. These salons are run by people who have dedicated their careers to body modifications and know the correct way to get the job done. They'll also know a lot more about the healing process for all different kinds of piercings, not just earlobes.

The biggest red flag is the dreaded piercing gun. If you see one of those anywhere, turn around and walk away. Piercing guns might seem like a more desirable option to those who are scared of needles, but they're unsafe, especially for cartilage.

Manually piercing you with a needle is the best way to get the most precise and clean piercing. When it comes to the tragus, having a piercing gun that close to your eardrum is unsafe anyway.

Choose the Right Jewelry

Be aware of any allergies you have to metals or jewelry. Many people are allergic to nickel and copper, even in the smallest amounts. Nickel and copper are common metals mixed with gold and silver, so you might react to low-quality jewelry even if it says it's gold or silver.

Try to invest in high-quality jewelry or medical-grade metals for your initial piercing. Otherwise, you'll have to remove it and risk losing the piercing.

It's also important to consider the shape of the jewelry. Piercing studs are highly recommended because they are easier to clean and not as likely to form unsightly scarring. Tragus barbells are even better because they give a lot of room to clean the skin.

Hoops are not recommended for new piercings, as they're easy to snag and pull and move around a lot easier.

Do's and Don'ts of Aftercare

Once you've gotten your tragus pierced, you'll need to start taking care of it immediately. The piercer should tell you about the process and give you the necessary resources, but it's good to research on your own as well.

The first step to taking care of your piercing is to avoid touching it as much as possible. Our hands, especially our fingers and nails, are extremely dirty. We can easily introduce bacteria and unwanted elements into our piercings and cause an infection.

Unfortunately, this also includes any devices and accessories that normally come in contact with your ear for the first 4 to 8 weeks. Avoid talking on the phone with that ear, and do not use earbuds or earphones. Not only do these things carry a lot of bacteria, but they'll also rub the area and cause issues.

Sleeping can also pose a problem after piercing. Avoid sleeping on that side, or try using a travel pillow to keep your ear suspended while you sleep.

Make sure you shower and wash your hair the morning before the piercing as well because you shouldn't use any shampoo or soap near the new piercing for the first 24 hours. You should also avoid using any creams, powders, and lotions near the piercing.

Altogether, the piercing should never be submerged in water for the first three weeks. Do not swim or take a bath since minerals, products, and bacteria in the water can enter the piercing.

Finally, do not remove the piercing. The tragus piercing will take three months to fully heal. Only after the piercing has fully healed should you remove the piercing or change it out for another.

Of course, if your body is rejecting the piercing or it has become infected, it's a good idea to remove the jewelry and let the body heal. This might mean that you'll need to get the piercing done again after it is fully healed.

Cleaning the Piercing

To clean the piercing, you must use warm clean water. For soap, you must use gentle and unscented soap. You shouldn't use any alcohol-based cleaners.

Cleaning should be the only time you handle your piercing. Make sure to wash your hands thoroughly before you start.

Piercings will crust over as part of the healing process, which can sometimes be uncomfortable. You can gently rinse this off with only the water and soaps you use to clean the piercing.

After the first day, you can begin soaking the piercing in a saline solution at least once a day. When drying, you should not rub and scrape in any way. Use a clean cloth or paper towel and dab the area dry.

Tragus Piercing Healing Stages

Tragus piercings fully heal between 6 to 12 months. Here are the stages of healing:

1. Hemostasis - clotting process to stop bleeding for the first few minutes after the piercing
2. Inflammatory - white blood cells kill off bacteria and remove debris and redness, swelling, and drainage begin
3. Proliferative - the body begins trying to tighten and close the hole that was made by the piercing
4. Maturation - the skin within the piercing hole closes up and heals fully

During the first three phases, you mustn't mess with the piercing or remove the jewelry. Doing so can damage the tissue that is still fragile and start your healing process all over again. When you do remove the jewelry, it's still possible that your body will attempt to close the hole for a few years after the initial piercing.

While certain signs can mean infection, rejection, or other issues, some common symptoms are normal parts of the healing process. While the most painful part of the process is the actual piercing, expect to feel discomfort in the area for the first few weeks.

The area will likely be red, warm, and sensitive. Soaking with saline solution, cleaning the area regularly, and avoiding any other contact with the piercing will help minimize discomfort and speed up the healing process.

It's normal for the area to crust over a bit, much like how scabs begin to form. However, if you notice a blister or bump in the area, you should get it checked by a doctor. It might be normal scarring or irritation, but it could also be an infection.

Definite signs of an infection are if you notice a smell, fever, or discharge.

You should also make sure you aren't having an allergic reaction to the piercing, as you could be allergic to the metal and need to remove it.

Tragus Piercing Cost

In the U.S., the piercing of the tragus itself is usually between $30 to $50. The real cost comes in with the jewelry, which can be much more than that. Expect to pay around $100 or more for high-quality piercing jewelry. Even more than that if you'd like diamonds.

Decorate Yourself With a Tragus Piercing

Adding tragus piercings to your collection is an artsy and beautiful choice. You can add sparkle with a small diamond stud or get fancy with much more complex jewelry. You can also get it as part of a larger ear curation process with multiple piercings.

At Body Pierce Jewelry, we have every kind of body jewelry you could ever need. When it comes to tragus piercings, we can medical-grade jewelry that will stay beautiful and not irritate your ear.

Start shopping our collection, or look for more advice on our blog!