Tragus Piercing FAQ + Piercing Video

Tragus Piercing Questions

The tragus piercing – as we discussed in our post on all of the kinds of ear piercings – is located on the round cartilage flap right outside of the ear canal, partially covering it. It’s hard to miss, it’s usually the first thing you feel when you go to reach your ear! 

The Anti-Tragus Piercing

The anti-tragus is the lesser known sister piercing of the tragus. It sits on the major ear fold opposite the oval flap of cartilage that holds the tragus. It’s important to be sized for an anti-tragus piercing before committing to an anti-tragus as sometimes the section of ear where it sits is too small to be pierced.  

Tragus Piercing Jewelry

Almost any kind of piercing jewelry can be used in a healed tragus piercing. But most commonly used as tragus piercing jewelry are curved barbells, studs and small hoops are worn.

Studs are perfect for a simple, understated look and are great if you’re worried your ear is growing too crowded with piercing. This is a major problem for a healing tragus piercing as it might mean rubbing against other piercings and even catching on them too. Studs can help deal with.

Opting for a small hoop means choosing from a huge array of jewelry styles! 

Before Getting Pierced & Aftercare

As with any ear piercing it’s important to have well cleaned ears. This will help a lot with healing and further aftercare. Clean the ear intended to be pierced for at least five days beforehand. Using a saline solution is heavily recommended and will help decrease the amount of bacteria on the ear site.

Follow your piercer’s routine instructions on aftercare and follow up if any issues with the piercing arise.

During healing be aware of what you place on or near the site of your piercing. This can include pillow slips, phones, and even your hair/hair styling products! Keep these things clean and when it comes to styling products, keep the piercing clear of them entirely.

On Actually Piercing the Tragus

After positioning you in the best place to be pierced and of which you feel comfortable, your piercer will place something inside your ear like a cotton bud that will protect it during the procedure.

Tragus piercings are done on a section of cartilage that is often small but hard. A 16 gauge needle is most common.

Due to the solid structure of the tragus and anti-tragus, a pressure will be felt when being pierced, but due to the lack of nerves in this part of the ear little pain will be present. Of course, this depends on how your own body reacts and your pain tolerance.

As with most cartilage ear piercings when being pierced it is not unusual to hear a loud pop.

Healing generally takes 6-18 weeks.

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Disclaimer

This article is intended to let you know the basics of a tragus piercing. Always follow up with your piercer when getting pierced and ask as many clarifying questions as you can! It’s always important to speak to a professional, qualified expert before getting pierced and if any issues arise afterwards.

Do you have a tragus piercing? Let us know all about your experience!