Types of ear piercing
Deciding to get your ears pierced is an exciting and
confusing time - believe me, I've been through it myself.
Once I had decided to get mine done, the next thing to pop
into my mind was, "what about the pain?!" Will it be
terrible, will I immediately regret my decision ? Needless to
say, the pain goes away, and it's not that bad (depending
on which type of ear piercing you decide to go with)
So I think the number 1 question you should be asking yourself is,
"what type of ear piercing do I want?" There are plenty of
options to suit all styles and pain thresholds, so choosing the
right piercing will have a huge impact on your overall
satisfaction when all is said and done. This list will go
through the different types of ear piercings, along with
some pictures to help you decide if it's the right one for
you. Here are the top 10 in descending order:
10. Daith Piercing
Just above the opening of the ear canal is a small ridge of
cartilage, and this is where you might find a daith piercing.
It's a fairly difficult part of the ear to get to in order to
actually pierce it, so curved needles are usually used. Once
the deed is done, though, a wide range of straight and
hooped jewelry can be worn in it. It actually ends up as one
of the more original, cuter ear piercings to look at!
9. Earlobe Gauging
As the earlobe is so soft and fleshy, it's very flexible in
terms of what you can do with it. There is no cartilage in
the lobe, so it's easy to pierce. However, it doesn't stop
there. Once the piercing has healed, it is becoming
increasingly popular to stretch it, creating a much bigger
hole. People have been known to take it to extremes,
stretching their earlobe piercings to such a size that they
could fit jar lids in them. A word of caution for anyone
considering going down this road, though: it does carry its
risks. Stretch it too big, and it's not guaranteed to shrink
back to its original size at a later date. During stretching,
it's not uncommon for the piercing to bleed, and for scar
tissue to form. Then there's always the risk that it could
stretch too far, ripping the hole in the earlobe wide open.
That is certainly not a good look.
8. Anti Tragus Piercing
The anti tragus is on the upper side of the ear lobe, where
it rises up slightly near the opening to the ear canal.
Although it looks really pretty and cool, it's quite tricky to
actually pierce, and it does need extra care when looking
after it. On top of all of that, it's a really painful part of
the ear to get pierced. It might look good, but seeing as I
can't see my own ears, I'd rather leave it to others than
have something like this done myself.
7. Lobe Piercing
This is the vanilla of the ear piercing world. The earlobe is
usually the first place people get pierced when it comes to
their ears. It's soft and fleshy so piercing it is neither
difficult nor painful. Its popularity probably comes from
the fact that just about any type of jewelry can be worn in
it (even things like safety pins!) and it can be stretched.
There's just so much variety when it comes to earlobe
piercings. Getting the lobe pierced is a rite of passage to a
certain extent, but it's not the most original of places.
When the point of piercings is to be original, we clearly
don't think very far when we start out!
6. Rook Piercing
Find your daith, and go upwards slightly. The piece of
cartilage which juts out just above the daith in a big fold is
the rook. It's not for everyone, though, as the fold in the
cartilage is actually an essential aspect of the piercing.
Those whose ears don't have this fold aren't able to get a
rook piercing. For those who can, it is generally considered
to be one of the most painful parts of the ear to get
pierced. Is it worth going through, for something which looks
so unusual?
5. Helix Piercing
Helix piercings are found at the very outside edge of the
ear, near the top, where it starts to form a ridge. It's a
very easy part of the ear to get to, so it's easy to pierce.
Furthermore, as the helix is fairly long, it's possible to have
a whole row of piercings along it, which can create a pretty
cool effect. Being on the outside of the ear with a fairly
thin layer of cartilage, bars, studs, rings and more can be
worn, which is part of the reason why it's so popular. The
helix is one of the most popular parts of the ear to have
pierced, especially amongst teenagers.
4. Conch Piercing
Point your index finger horizontally into your ear, as if
you're going to go digging for earwax, and place your thumb
behind your ear. Squeeze those two fingers together. That
flat bit of ear that you're feeling? That's your conch. And
yes, it is possible to pierce it! It's one of the less common
styles, probably because it is relatively complicated. This is
because of the thick cartilage, so any piercings must be
done by a professional, reputable piercer. However, those
who do take the step and get a conch piercing look pretty
damn cool, as they can sport some fancy jewelry!
3. Anti Helix Piercing
Where the top of the ear curves round in a ridge and joins
the side of the head is where you'll find the anti helix. The
cartilage here is very thin, so it's as painless as sticking a
needle into yourself can be. This type of piercing is also
called the snug, and it looks cute with both barbells or rings.
It's small and delicate enough to look cool, but unusual
enough to make you stand out from the crowd.
2. Tragus Piercing
The tragus is the tiny flap of cartilage at the front of the
ear, which joins to the side of the face, protecting the
opening of the ear canal. It may be small, but that's no
reason not to pierce it! As the cartilage is thick, it's safest
to pierce it using a needle rather than a gun, but after it's
done it's very easy to look after. It isn't painful at all,
although later down the line it may become annoying when
trying to use in-ear headphones, depending on the type of
jewelry worn. It can be worn with barbells or rings, so there
is plenty of variety to be had. That said, as it's so small,
tragus piercings always look elegant. Painless, low
maintenance and fun
1. Industrial Piercing
As if piercing your ear once wasn't enough, why not do it
twice in one go? Imagine drawing a straight line from your
anti helix outwards, and straight through the ridge of
cartilage on the outside edge of your ear. That's what an
industrial piercing is - except it isn't a line, it's a solid bar
of metal. A single, long piece of jewelry is worn through both
holes at the same time. This is a piercing which is much more
noticeable than the others so definitely makes a statement,
but it isn't for the faint-hearted.
Have it at the back of your mind that this things are permanent and are undoable so you have to be sure you really want to do it before going ahead with it. Happy reading.
Deciding to get your ears pierced is an exciting and
confusing time - believe me, I've been through it myself.
Once I had decided to get mine done, the next thing to pop
into my mind was, "what about the pain?!" Will it be
terrible, will I immediately regret my decision ? Needless to
say, the pain goes away, and it's not that bad (depending
on which type of ear piercing you decide to go with)
So I think the number 1 question you should be asking yourself is,
"what type of ear piercing do I want?" There are plenty of
options to suit all styles and pain thresholds, so choosing the
right piercing will have a huge impact on your overall
satisfaction when all is said and done. This list will go
through the different types of ear piercings, along with
some pictures to help you decide if it's the right one for
you. Here are the top 10 in descending order:
10. Daith Piercing
Just above the opening of the ear canal is a small ridge of
cartilage, and this is where you might find a daith piercing.
It's a fairly difficult part of the ear to get to in order to
actually pierce it, so curved needles are usually used. Once
the deed is done, though, a wide range of straight and
hooped jewelry can be worn in it. It actually ends up as one
of the more original, cuter ear piercings to look at!
9. Earlobe Gauging
As the earlobe is so soft and fleshy, it's very flexible in
terms of what you can do with it. There is no cartilage in
the lobe, so it's easy to pierce. However, it doesn't stop
there. Once the piercing has healed, it is becoming
increasingly popular to stretch it, creating a much bigger
hole. People have been known to take it to extremes,
stretching their earlobe piercings to such a size that they
could fit jar lids in them. A word of caution for anyone
considering going down this road, though: it does carry its
risks. Stretch it too big, and it's not guaranteed to shrink
back to its original size at a later date. During stretching,
it's not uncommon for the piercing to bleed, and for scar
tissue to form. Then there's always the risk that it could
stretch too far, ripping the hole in the earlobe wide open.
That is certainly not a good look.
8. Anti Tragus Piercing
The anti tragus is on the upper side of the ear lobe, where
it rises up slightly near the opening to the ear canal.
Although it looks really pretty and cool, it's quite tricky to
actually pierce, and it does need extra care when looking
after it. On top of all of that, it's a really painful part of
the ear to get pierced. It might look good, but seeing as I
can't see my own ears, I'd rather leave it to others than
have something like this done myself.
7. Lobe Piercing
This is the vanilla of the ear piercing world. The earlobe is
usually the first place people get pierced when it comes to
their ears. It's soft and fleshy so piercing it is neither
difficult nor painful. Its popularity probably comes from
the fact that just about any type of jewelry can be worn in
it (even things like safety pins!) and it can be stretched.
There's just so much variety when it comes to earlobe
piercings. Getting the lobe pierced is a rite of passage to a
certain extent, but it's not the most original of places.
When the point of piercings is to be original, we clearly
don't think very far when we start out!
6. Rook Piercing
Find your daith, and go upwards slightly. The piece of
cartilage which juts out just above the daith in a big fold is
the rook. It's not for everyone, though, as the fold in the
cartilage is actually an essential aspect of the piercing.
Those whose ears don't have this fold aren't able to get a
rook piercing. For those who can, it is generally considered
to be one of the most painful parts of the ear to get
pierced. Is it worth going through, for something which looks
so unusual?
5. Helix Piercing
Helix piercings are found at the very outside edge of the
ear, near the top, where it starts to form a ridge. It's a
very easy part of the ear to get to, so it's easy to pierce.
Furthermore, as the helix is fairly long, it's possible to have
a whole row of piercings along it, which can create a pretty
cool effect. Being on the outside of the ear with a fairly
thin layer of cartilage, bars, studs, rings and more can be
worn, which is part of the reason why it's so popular. The
helix is one of the most popular parts of the ear to have
pierced, especially amongst teenagers.
4. Conch Piercing
Point your index finger horizontally into your ear, as if
you're going to go digging for earwax, and place your thumb
behind your ear. Squeeze those two fingers together. That
flat bit of ear that you're feeling? That's your conch. And
yes, it is possible to pierce it! It's one of the less common
styles, probably because it is relatively complicated. This is
because of the thick cartilage, so any piercings must be
done by a professional, reputable piercer. However, those
who do take the step and get a conch piercing look pretty
damn cool, as they can sport some fancy jewelry!
3. Anti Helix Piercing
Where the top of the ear curves round in a ridge and joins
the side of the head is where you'll find the anti helix. The
cartilage here is very thin, so it's as painless as sticking a
needle into yourself can be. This type of piercing is also
called the snug, and it looks cute with both barbells or rings.
It's small and delicate enough to look cool, but unusual
enough to make you stand out from the crowd.
2. Tragus Piercing
The tragus is the tiny flap of cartilage at the front of the
ear, which joins to the side of the face, protecting the
opening of the ear canal. It may be small, but that's no
reason not to pierce it! As the cartilage is thick, it's safest
to pierce it using a needle rather than a gun, but after it's
done it's very easy to look after. It isn't painful at all,
although later down the line it may become annoying when
trying to use in-ear headphones, depending on the type of
jewelry worn. It can be worn with barbells or rings, so there
is plenty of variety to be had. That said, as it's so small,
tragus piercings always look elegant. Painless, low
maintenance and fun
1. Industrial Piercing
As if piercing your ear once wasn't enough, why not do it
twice in one go? Imagine drawing a straight line from your
anti helix outwards, and straight through the ridge of
cartilage on the outside edge of your ear. That's what an
industrial piercing is - except it isn't a line, it's a solid bar
of metal. A single, long piece of jewelry is worn through both
holes at the same time. This is a piercing which is much more
noticeable than the others so definitely makes a statement,
but it isn't for the faint-hearted.
Have it at the back of your mind that this things are permanent and are undoable so you have to be sure you really want to do it before going ahead with it. Happy reading.
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