The Ultimate Guide to Tragus Piercings

The first published picture of a tragus piercing appeared in an issue of PFIQ (Piercing Fans International Quarterly) in the 1980s. Since then, it’s only grown in popularity. Many get it as their first piercing aside from the earlobes.

If you’re considering getting your tragus pierced, read our guide to learn about its placement, jewelry, aftercare, benefits, and cost.

What Is a Tragus Piercing?

A tragus piercing is a type of ear cartilage piercing. Tragus is the anatomical name for the small ridge of cartilage that protrudes from your face above your ear canal. A tragus piercing goes through this ridge, and the most common placement is centered, where it sticks out from your face the most.

A double tragus piercing is two piercings centered through the most prominent part of the cartilage ridge.

Additional types of piercings in addition to the standard tragus piercing include:

• Anti tragus
• Surface tragus piercing
• Vertical tragus piercing

How Much Does It Hurt?

Because of the thick cartilage, many think a tragus piercing will be extremely painful. However, its pain level may surprise you. On a scale of 1 to 10, it would fall between a 3 and a 5, depending on your pain tolerance.

Rather than pain, you’ll feel more of the pressure needed to get through the thicker cartilage. Hearing the crunch or pop of the needle going through the tissue can also cause this to hurt more psychosomatically.

Most piercers talk throughout the piercing process to distract you from the noise and pressure. The entire process is over within seconds.

Mythbusting: Health Benefits of Tragus Piercings

Those who practice and partake in acupuncture believe vagus nerve stimulation promotes healing and improved health. Like the daith piercing, many believe that because the tragus is aligned with where the vagus nerve passes through, it can help relieve headaches.

While piercers and migraine sufferers wish this were true, getting a tragus piercing will not help relieve migraines. The best placement for the piercing and jewelry does not guarantee vagus nerve stimulation. Plus, the only evidence of it working is anecdotal.

Similarly, others have reported that their tragus piercings have helped reduce stress and anxiety. This is another instance where no medical evidence supports the claims, but the belief is linked to vagus nerve stimulation.

The tragus ear piercing is for adornment and personal style, not healing. However, if it works for you, that’s a bonus.

How Long Does It Take to Heal?

A tragus piercing can heal fully in an average of three to six months, but it may take up to a year. This is because we all have different habits that impact healing. Wearing earbuds or headphones, sleeping on your piercing, talking on the phone, and using hair products can all get in it and affect how long it takes to heal.

This is why you should consider what side you sleep on, what side you talk on the phone with, and if you tuck your hair when deciding what ear to get pierced.

How Much Does It Cost?

No two shops are alike, therefore prices will range according to shop fees. In general, the total price of a tragus piercing will include the service or needle fee (usually anywhere from $30-80), plus the cost of jewelry. It’s also a nice gesture to tip your piercer. A standard 20% tip is appropriate.

Tragus Jewelry Options

When you first get pierced, the only proper tragus piercing jewelry is a stud or barbell. Hoops and curved barbells are not recommended because they can put a lot of pressure on a healing piercing, which causes irritation.

Another reason why it’s best to get pierced with a barbell or stud as opposed to a hoop or curved barbell is because the jewelry needs to be larger or longer to accommodate for any initial swelling. A hoop will just rotate back and forth, pulling any scabbing into it, and causing irritation. It’s also easier for a larger ring to get caught on clothing, towels, or brushes.

While a tragus piercing can range in size from as small as an 18 gauge to 14 gauge or higher (anatomy permitting), the most common size is a 16 gauge.

It’s important to stay on top of downsizing throughout the healing process. If your piercing can go two whole weeks without swelling, redness, or discharge, you can consider it ready for downsizing. This typically occurs about 4 to 6 weeks into the healing process.

During the downzing, you can switch to the jewelry you want, including hoops. If you’re having trouble picking the type of jewelry you want, you can always get inspiration from celebrities or the top tragus piercing jewelry trends.

Aftercare Routine

To clean your tragus piercing, spray it twice a day with a saline wound spray, such as the kind made by NeilMed or H2Ocean. Pat the area dry with a clean paper towel. Make sure to wash your hands before you clean your piercing.

You shouldn’t touch your piercing either. There’s no need to rotate or twist the jewelry. Doing so can cause irritation as scabs, or crusties, that form will be pulled.

Another thing to be careful of is putting excess pressure on the piercing, especially as it heals. This means you should avoid using earbuds or Airpods and opt for over the ear headphones for the duration of the healing process.

Similarly, you need to avoid sleeping on the piercing as well. The pressure can cause the angle of the piercing to shift, and it will no longer sit perpendicularly. The pressure can also irritate the healing wound. A tip is to buy a round travel pillow to sleep on with your ear in the center of it.

Because of the piercing’s placement, you need to ensure that you keep your ears clean of ear wax buildup. Earwax’s purpose is to keep the ear canal free of bacteria. Therefore, you want to avoid earwax build up. Make sure you’re cleaning your ear canal too.

Speaking of bacteria, routinely wash your pillowcase to avoid getting bacteria from it into the healing piercing wound. You also want to avoid public bodies of water, such as pools, lakes, and jacuzzis.

Lastly, do not put harsh substances on the healing piercing. These substances include: tea tree oil, Bactine, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and Neosporin.

All in all, the tragus is a really cool piercing that highlights your ear’s anatomy. Urban Body Jewerly has plenty of options to fit your personal style, whether its gold, dainty, edgy, or blingy.