Orbital Piercing Information & Aftercare Guide
If you’re looking for a unique and versatile piercing, consider an orbital piercing. This guide covers everything you need to know before you get one, including placement, the healing process, jewelry options, and aftercare.
What Is An Orbital Piercing?
In the simplest of terms, an orbital piercing connects two piercings with a hoop. It is like an industrial piercing in that the name describes a type of piercing rather than a particular placement, like helix or tragus.
Placement Options
Since an orbital is a type of piercing, many different placement options exist. Traditionally, orbital piercings were pierced through cartilage in various arrangements, including:
- Conch to flat
- Helix to helix
- Tragus to tragus (if large enough)
- Helix to rook
- Tragus to conch
- Double orbital piercing
However, earlobe orbitals have become increasingly popular and create a one-of-a-kind look.
One thing to consider when deciding on placement is to ensure the piercing isn’t pushing tissue together or pulling it apart. If the piercing is doing either of these, it won’t be able to heal correctly. An experienced piercer will determine placement based on the curvature of the jewelry and your ear's anatomy.
Orbital Piercing Jewelry Options
By definition, an orbital piercing is two piercings joined by a ring. Therefore, the only orbital piercing jewelry options are rings! However, this doesn’t mean there’s a lack of variety.
When you first get pierced, stick with a captive bead ring and or a labret in each piercing. Once the piercing is fully healed, you can switch to a seamless ring or clicker. This will prevent the slight chance that the healing piercing will close around the gap or opening in the ring. Additionally, a hinged or segment ring can get bacteria trapped in the opening, which could cause an infection.
How Much Does It Hurt?
An orbital piercing hurts more than a standard lobe piercing because it involves two holes rather than one. The placement can sometimes mean less room for your piercer to work with, which can also cause the jewelry insertion process to sting a bit. Another factor that affects how much it hurts is where you choose to get it. An orbital piercing in the earlobe won’t hurt as much as one through cartilage. You can even use a pre-existing lobe piercing to start an orbital piercing so it will hurt less.
How Much Does It Cost?
Prices for orbital piercings will vary from piercer to piercer and shop to shop. On average, the needle or service fee will cost between $50 and up. The jewelry will be a separate charge. It’s also customary to tip your piercer at least 20%.
How Long Does It Take to Heal?
Orbital piercings in the cartilage take one to two years to fully heal. One reason why they take so long is due to the swelling. There’s not a lot of room for the extra swelling because of the jewelry.
They are more likely to be bumped or irritated, and because of the exposed ring on the front and back of the ear, they are more susceptible to getting caught in a towel or while brushing your hair.
Much like the placement affects how painful the piercing will be, it also affects how difficult the healing process will be. Earlobe orbital piercings are less challenging to heal than those along the outer cartilage rim and don’t take nearly as long.
While it may be tempting to heal an orbital piercing as two separate piercings and join them with a ring later, this is not recommended. So much of the piercing placement takes the jewelry, distance, and angle between piercings into consideration. Trying to force two piercings together with jewelry when they weren’t meant to be paired can make the piercing extremely difficult to heal.
Proper Aftercare For An Orbital Piercing
Proper aftercare is vital for an orbital piercing to heal with minimal issues.
Do ✅
- Clean the piercing twice daily with a saline solution spray, such as NeilMed’s. During this time, you can use a paper towel to cleanse the jewelry of “crusties” or crusted lymphatic drainage. This drainage is normal. Do not be alarmed if you see whitish fluid oozing from your piercing. It’s not an infection.
- Avoid sleeping on the piercing. Instead, use a donut or airplane pillow with your ear in the center. The pillow will prevent you from sleeping directly on the new piercing.
- Clean your hands before you touch your piercing by washing them with warm water and antimicrobial soap.
- Avoid wearing headphones or putting pressure on the piercing.
Don’t ❌
- Swim in a public body of water (pools, oceans, lakes, hot tubs, spas), as this can introduce unwanted bacteria into your healing piercing and cause an infection.
- Touch your piercing.
Orbital Piercing FAQ
What’s The Difference Between a Conch Vs. Orbital Piercing? Although a conch piercing and an orbital piercing may look similar because they both have hoop jewelry, they are different. A conch piercing is a specific cartilage piercing that goes through the bowl of the ear. It is one piercing.
An orbital piercing is a type of piercing that connects two holes with a singular hoop. Read our blog to learn more about conch and orbital piercing differences.