Tragus Piercing

What do Scarlett Johnson, Lucy Hale, and Rihanna have in common other than their celebrity status? You’ve guessed it right – they all have ear piercings, i.e. Tragus Piercing. You may have noticed a lot of people with this kind of piercing. As per BBC, it got popular after 2005.

So what is a Tragus Piercing? Let’s find out. 

Tragus of the ear is a small, round, bumpy and a triangle-shaped cartilage in front of the ear canal. Some people have a small tragus which makes it impossible to pierce and because the area is thick, there is a lot of tissue to perforate so it takes time and pressure to pierce it. It is pretty similar to cartilage piercing.

Things to Remember – How to take care of a Tragus Piercing? (Before & After)

• Generally, it doesn’t hurt a lot as there are limited nerve endings around the area.
• If you want your piercing to be done properly, don’t try piercing your own tragus and don’t go to the cheapest place you can find.
• Get it done professionally at a studio as a deformed or infected tragus is not the outcome you are looking for.
• Follow all the instructions of your piercer or it might make it too infected to perform that simple task.
• People usually feel a lot of pressure while the piercer is making the hole. Once it is done, jewelry is inserted inside.

Getting Your Tragus Pierced

1. Your piercer will make you lie on your back to get more stability as you won’t be able to move your head.
2. He will clean the piercing surface.
3. The expert takes out a needle from the piercing kit and sterilizes it.
4. Next, he will insert a cork into your ear canal to keep the Tragus in position. It doesn’t allow anything inside the canal and also catches the needle after it penetrates the tragus. Some piercers use a straight needle while others prefer a curved gauge.
5. Now don’t get alarmed when the piercer applies pressure while making the perforation. Puncturing or piercing the tragus requires some pressure as it is quite thick. It will bleed and it is quite normal.

Where Can I get a Tragus Piercing?

There are earrings, barbells, studs, and bead ring to choose from. Do a little research or ask your friends for advice about the tragus jewelry that would be best to start with. It is important to pick comfortable jewelry as you have to wear it for the initial few weeks till it heals. You can only try changing it after 6 weeks, so better pay attention or you’d be stuck with a jewelry you don’t like.

Size

• Standard Gauge: 16 G, 18 G
• Standard Length: 1/4″ , 5/16″ & 3/8″

Tragus Piercing Healing Time

How long does a tragus piercing take to heal? Complete healing time can take about 6 months to a year and during this time, you should be extra careful. Caring for it won’t just avoid infections, but also make it heal faster. Besides, you can only change your jewelry after it has healed.

How painful is the Tragus Piercing?

Infection is a possibility mainly due to improper aftercare or if done by an inexperienced piercer. Pierced tragus pain and swell up for a few days, but if the pain doesn’t subside, consult a doctor immediately.

Infection & Risks

The piercing bleeds initially and may bleed for more than an hour. But if you find redness or soreness around the pierced area or experience a regular itchy tendency, you should immediately call your doctor or the piercer.

In some cases, a yellow or green liquid gets discharged having a bad smell. People usually panic when they observe it and remove the jewelry. However, it is not a recommended solution to the problem because when you take the jewelry out, the hole closes up and the infection gets trapped inside leading to more problems. The doctor might prescribe an antibiotic cream and ask you to clean the area with salt water. Also, make sure you use clean hands only.

Tragus Piercing Aftercare & Tips

1. How to clean: Do it least twice a day with saline water solution, using cotton. Make sure you are cleaning the area behind and around the Tragus too. Rotate the jewelry very softly while cleaning it, but refrain from touching it with dirty hands or letting anyone else feel it. Wash your hands, preferably with antibacterial soap before changing the jewelry and don’t let anyone whisper or kiss your pierced ear.
2. Infections: It catches infection quickly if it comes in contact with germs or bacteria. Therefore, don’t touch it or play with it no matter how much you feel like.
3. Sleeping Habits: Protect the area and avoid turtlenecks by sleeping on the other side and answer mobile phones from the other ear only. Any injury to the piercing can displace the jewelry or lead to migration.
4. Rejection: Your body might even reject it and the jewelry gets pushed out. Hence ensure you choose the appropriate jewelry after the piercing is done.
5. Change pillow covers: Do this every day for at least the 1st 30 days.
6. Swimming: Say no to swimming as the pool water has chlorine which can cause an infection.
7. Avoid using Earphones during the healing period

Tragus Piercing for Migraines or Other Health Benefits

There is limited evidence if tragus piercing can treat migraine pain or headaches. It is believed, that it is quite similar to Daith piercing which is anecdotal. Some researches believe that there is a connection between piercings and treatments. Both Daith and tragus are approximately at the same pressure points on the year which is a target of acupuncturists for treating migraine pain. Some people even believe that piercing your tragus aids in weight loss, but there is limited proof to substantiate the claims of Tragus piercing benefits. Hence we cannot fully approve Tragus piercing for weight loss.

Tragus piercing photos

Celebrities with Tragus Piercing

It was in 2005 tragus piercing entered the world of pop culture and since then people have come up with varieties of tragus jewelry. Celebrities like Scarlett Johansson were seen wearing tragus jewelry in posters for the highly awaited film known as ‘Scoop’. Girls from around the world went so crazy after seeing the poster that this style of body piercing soon became a huge hit.

At that time belly button piercing (sported by Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears) was the latest trend, however, the introduction of the tragus piercing immediately made it immensely popular. Since then, the popularity of this type of body piercing along with the inception of new jewelry has significantly increased. From something rare, this piercing became the common trend. Apart from Scarlett Johansson, there are some other well-known celebrities who have sported tragus jewelry like Rihanna, Pink, Shenae Grimes and Lucy Hale. They have inspired millions of people around the world.

Choosing the Best Tragus Piercing Jewelry

There are different types of tragus piercing earrings like labrets, barbells, bars, etc. Selecting the right jewelry generally, depends on the piercing size.

1. Measure the diameter from inside and for people choosing barbells, measure the distance between the two balls.
2. In case the piercing is too small, it is always better to choose micro jewelry.
3. Another important factor while choosing tragus jewelry is piercing movement.
4. People have a fascination with changing their jewelry quite often which is why Teflon jewelry is perfect. The advantage with it is that it is flexible and does not hinder the movement.
5. For those who have sensitive skin, stainless steel, titanium, gold or silver jewelry reduces chances of infection to a great extent.
6. It is better to have a jewelry with internal threads instead of external ones as they help in reducing irritation caused by piercing.

Read more about: BACK DIMPLE PIERCING

6 Different Varieties of Jewelry

Change your jewelry once your piercing is 6 weeks old. Start with a simple 16 gauge as barbell ball gets in contact with the ear devices and might hurt you. A gold tragus jewelry is often recommended as they do not cause any irritation or allergy.

Captive Bead Rings

CBR (ball closure rings) are attached to a connection of beads and range from simple and straight designs to ones looking like expensive jewelry. The small CBR’s are difficult to open and requires a ring opener at times.

Small Tragus Studs

Studs have been used by people for a long time even on traditional ear piercings. These types of sophisticated jewelry add a lot of elegance and style to the person flaunting it. Apart from providing a funky look, studs can provide a professional look as well. The best part is that the ear canal remains free making it easier for people to use earplugs and headphones.

Rings

A popular choice for a majority of people sporting tragus piercing, there are different varieties of rings like cubic zirconia, beaded, smooth segmented and circular barbells rings. The most common are the beaded and vertical tragus rings popular among both the genders.

Microdermals

Unlike traditional tragus jewelry, micro dermal are small implants. The main benefit with these unique tragus earrings is that you can implant them in any body part. The curved bar is available in the shape of an ‘L’.

Labret Studs

The bottom part of labret studs consists of flat discs along with straight shaft. The labret studs are available in different styles like a bead, charm, spike, etc. The flat structure of labret studs helps in avoiding rubbing of the skin.

Barbells

With beads attached to both sides, these metal bars have are a popular choice for the younger generation. Introduced by Jim Ward in the 70’s, barbell earrings come in different styles and shapes. Straight barbells have straight shafts whereas curved barbells appear more like half circles. Apart from providing a funky look, these pieces of jewelry are skin-friendly as well.

Tragus Piercing Cost

The cost depends on different factors like location of the parlor, choice of jewelry, etc. An experienced piercer may charge something around $35 – $50. The jewelry price depends on the metal type gold, platinum or silver jewelry.

frequently asked questions

final remarks

Thank you for reading until the end. Hopefully, this guide helped you in your decision rather or not to go ahead with a tragus piercing. Good luck!