Every Kind of Ear Piercing
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Ears and Ear Piercing
No one knows how the idea of decorating or piercing the ears first started, but different cultures all over the planet took up the practice. Ear piercing ranges from simple holes made to allow for thin wires that hold larger ear jewelry to enlarging the piercings and jewelry in imitation of traditional tribal practices of South Pacific and African cultures. In some cultures, ear piercing is done in infancy or childhood, and in others it is permitted alongside rites of passage or when a certain advancement towards or into adulthood happens.
With globalization, people have become aware of the many variations in ear piercing styles and practices and modern Western piercing fans now take influence and inspiration from within and outside their own cultures.
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Ear Piercing Locations
More Common Types of Ear Piercings
Now that mainstream piercing has moved well beyond the lower ear lobe, you can see a lot of different types of ear piercings in people's ear now. Here are some of the most popular.
Lobes - This area of softer tissue at the bottom of the ear is the most-commonly pierced area and the easier to heal. One variation you see now is stretched lobes, where the piercings have been enlarged to allow a much thicker gauge of jewelry.
Anti-tragus - It's still pretty rare, but a few folks have pierced this distinct piece of cartilage adjacent the tragus.
Tragus - this small chunk of cartilage is just forward of the opening of the ear and handles a piercing fairly well, however, it can be hard to heal for user's of ear bud-style ear phones.
Daith - The name for this unusually-placed piercing comes from the Hebrew word for “wisdom."
Conch - Piercing the shell of the ear can be complicated and requires advanced piercing/medical training.
Rook - This name specifically refers to piercings in this one particular ear ridge. People without this fold in their ears can't get this piercing.
Helix - Tends to refer to the rim piecings at the top of the ear. Piercing all along the ear rim has grown a lot in popularity in Western culture.
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More About Ear Piercings
- Ear-volution
the care, feeding, and growth of an ear piercing collection - Stretching Ear Piercings
Some cultures practiced the stretching or enlargement of body piercings. Done slowly, this can be a different way of exploring piercing. - Ear Cartilage
Ear cartilage piercings are like exotic plants. There is a vast array of exciting possibilities as far as location, angles, connections, and jewelry options. They look great to own. But the extreme sensitivity and slow regeneration of ear cartilage m - Ear Scalpelling..
Holy Miss Moly, I got my ears scalpelled today! That was quite an experience, and quite frankly, I hope to never experience it again. - Earring - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An earring is a piece of jewelry that is worn on the ear. They are worn by both sexes, although until recently in western cultures, they were more typically worn by women. - Body Piercing Videos
These videos showcase a variety of body piercing modifications, from ear and eyebrow piercing to tongues studs and navel rings. See corset piercings close up, watch how hook suspensions are done, and be amazed by a belly dancer with pierced wings! - Fakir Intensives Body Piercing and Branding Intensives
Fakir's Body Piercing and Branding Intensives are the ONLY COMPREHENSIVE courses of instruction available today for those who would prepare themselves to do skilled, safe, aesthetically pleasing, and sophisticated body piercing and branding.
See an Industrial Ear Piercing
Industrials and Orbits
An "industrial" piecing is in fact two piercings, placed and spaced in such a way that a single barbell can be worn going through both holes. Piercings can be done separately or at the same time, but lining up the distance and angle of the piercings for comfort and to reduce healing stress (so the jewelry isn't torqued) are key. When this same style of piercing is done so that a captured or fixed bead ring passes through both piercings, they are often called "orbits."
Shrinking or Closing Ear Piercings
Reversing the process of ear piercing, that is to say reducing or closing a hole made in the ear, can sometimes be a tricky and/or costly process. For the most part, regular-sized ear piercings will just shrink and close if you stop wearing jewelry.
With enlarged piercings, how much the hole will shrink will depend on how big the holes were stretched, how long the body modification has existed and how elastic the individual's skin and ear tissue are. People with more elastic-like ear tissue sometimes find that larger piercings don't close down all the way or even stay fairly large.
Ear tissue is a bit different from other skin and tears or rips along the edges of the ear will not heal back together without being repaired by a plastic surgeon. So if an earring is accidentally torn out, or if you have very large stretched piercings, you may need to get medical attention if you wish to have your earlobe look much like it did before being pierced. For something like ear scalpelling, where a large chunk was cut out, plastic surgery with dermal reconstruction is the only course of action.
About the Pain of Ear Piercings
Please note, I can NOT answer questions about how much ear piercings might or might not hurt. Pain is "subjective" which means it seems different to each invididual person. Some people think ear piercings are painful, some don't think they are very painful at all.
If you are afraid it's going to hurt too much, DON'T GET PIERCED!
Be aware that taking aspirin will not make it hurt less, but it does thin the blood which WILL make you bleed a lot more. The same thing happens when you are drunk. Being intoxicated in any way during body modification procedures is an extremely bad idea.
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Let's 'Ear From You!
hey ive got my nose peirced and my cartlidge and both lobe peircings and im thinking about getting my helix/rim peirced is that just the same as the cartlidge but a little lower down ?
Jdibbs, you sure can. I've got both of mine pierced and it sounds a lot like having somebody crunch into an apple right next to your ear.
I want to get my tragus peirced. I heard that you can hear it pop. is that true?
Steph, asking anyone else how you might or might not be able to handle pain is rather pointless, as the perception of pain is entirely SUBJECTIVE, which means only you know how things are for you. I have no idea if you will find the experience too painful or not...
I want to get my Industrial but im affriad that i cant take the pain... i already have my nose pierced and i have had the regular piercing up there.. do you think that i will be able to handle the pain?
Isabela, cartilage ear piercings don't have as generous a blood flow to the tissues as lower ear lobes, so they can be fussier and take longer. You can't really hurry up the healing.
i pierced my cartilage by myself 2 months ago, and i have a bump on the back of my ear. Anything i can do to make it heal faster??
please help :]
Cartilage is NOT like soft ear tissue and takes a lot longer to heal. Make sure when you clean it and shower you are getting all the soap out of it and try not to sleep on it.
hi. i had my cartilage pierced a week and 3 days ago. the while cartilage area is still swollen. i'm worried
Grim, that will depend on the headphones and if they press on the piercing or not. Infection is most often determined by how well you take care of a healing piercing or not.
I want to get an Industrial piercing. Will wearing headphones (the kind tha cover the whole ear, not the bud kind) bug it alot? and does it get infected easily?
Jordyn, pain is subjective, so it may or may not hurt more from your point of view. Cartilage does not have as substantial a blood flow as ear lobes, so they can take longer to heal.
i just got my ear lobes pierced, and it didnt hurt much at all. now i want to get my cartilage pierced, but i heard that i hurts alot more and takes longer to heal. is that true?
Great hub. I guess I'm a little old-fashioned - I only have one piercing per ear and no where else.
If your immune system is tired from fighting off an infection, it's easier to get another one. But the biggest thing you need to do is not go swimming in pools (chlorine) or the ocean (bacteria) while the piercings are healing. Those types of water are bad for fresh piercings.
I got my cartilage pierced in mid may. I feel as if its finally healing. I went to the beach two weeks after I got it periced, I went to the beach every weekend for 3 weeks and on the 4 weekend i came to discover that my pericing was probably infected. I went back down the beach 3 weeks ago and once I came home I found my pericing was most definatly infected, I had a disgusting bump on the back which was filled with puss. My ear still hurts when i lay on it, I have to fold my pillow in a way so i can sleep on that side. But I finally feel as if its healing. I'm waiting for it to heal then i will get my tragus pierced shortly after. I'm really excited. Anyone have any suggestions if i should wait a while after my cartilage piercings heals?
The rook hurt the same as the conch pericing for me. It's just a little bit of a thicker cartilage so maybe it will have a bit more pain. But the pain ends quickly, or for me it did. I guess it all depends on your pain threshhold. Pinch the area with your nails as hard as you can and give yourself an idea of what you can handle.
As for the tragus interferring with earphones that are inserted, I found that the pericing helped keep the buds in place.
My rook didn't bother me at all, and I'm not aware of any risks associated with a tragus piercing. I've even heard they help with headaches. I have both of mine done, and I've never had any problems. However, they are a bit of a bother if you are wearing earphones. It can make your ear sensitive.
I don't have a rook, so I can't comment on how those feel, but if you wear earbud-style headphones a LOT, you might want to not get your tragus pierced, as those can interfere with wearing that type of headphone.
i have my 1st and 2nd holes, my belly button, cartilidge and daith pierced..i have considered both my rook and tragus..how badly does a rook usually hurt compared to these? also what are the risks with piercing your tragus?
morbid cupcakes, if the piercer spaced the industrial too tightly, or if the barbell was too short, it might cause your ear to fold in somewhat.
Is it true that industrials can malform your ear to make it look elf like? (0.o-i dont want elf ears)
Shelly, I have had my conch peirced twice. With both I experienced very little pain. The second time around I was given this H2Ocean spray that really cut the healing process down. I was able to sleep comfortably on this side after only 2 weeks. Do you have this? If not, you should look it up. It may help you with the healing process so the pain fades sooner.
Shelly, the ear conch is a serious piece of cartilage and it's full of nerves. I don't know why you thought this wouldn't hurt. There often is a delay between the actual piecing and the swelling and side effects that come with it for many body piercings.
Hi! I got my right conch pierced 4 days ago and I really love it! (I have a ball closure ring in it). The day I got it done and the day after, it felt absolutely fine, no tenderness or anything. BUT, since then, its been hurting like hell the whole time! I know these type of piercings can take ages to settle down (like maybe 6-12 months) but is it normal for it to be stinging/ throbbing the entire time? Also, I seem to be having more pain around the outer ear rim, near where the ring lies, rather than the actual pierced hole itself! my friend said maybe it was just displaced pain but I'm not sure. Does anyone have any experience of this?
Shauna, the main problem with industrials is that they put a lot of pressure on the holes, and it's that friction and tension that causes the scar tissue to form. You can try putting tea tree oil on them and see if that reduces them.
Hello,
I got my industrial done about 2 monthes ago. And I still have bumps on both sides of the piercing. Is there anything that I can do to make them go away?
Thanks.
Fascinating and well-done, Relache! I'm old fashioned and have just two "regular" earlobe piercings in each ear, but as an earring addict I understand why people take ear art to these levels. However, as a fairly squeamish person, I don't think I will be one of those people. Thanks for this great lens!
Rena
I have 3 in each lower lobe;I;ve had a helix and rook in my right; and a tragus and a conch in my left ear. My mother had always been so anti-body decoration. had me convinced when I got preggers with #1 that I had to take them out. That they were not appropriate for Christian mothers to have. So I took them out and have regretted it ever since. I loved those things. But ya know, Christians can have piercings too. I have seen no scripture that condemns this. I don't see why or how they could be wrong and I want to go have a few re-done...
Mayfair, I have heard of just a handful of folks like you in all my years of being pierced and giving out piercing advice. Clearly, you've got a metal sensitivity and your tissues just aren't amenable to keeping a piercing. I've had stretched lobes for almost 20 years but if I take out the large jewelry, they still start to shrink up on me, something that's not that common. Most people I've talked to who have reactions similar to yours give up having pierced ears, as they find it a hassle. It's just how your body is genetically. I do have one suggestion if you have to take out regular earrings again, which is to use some monofilament line to keep the piercings open. That's the nylon string used in weed whackers, and it should be non-reactive and it's not metal (whch is why hospitals make you take stuff out for surgery). Also, if you've never tried wearing jewelry of niobium or titanium, you might want to try it, as that should be non-reactive to your skin too.
I just have one hole in each ear. I would love to get get another hole in both but even after 30 years I still have problems with my piercings. If I leave my earrings out for more than about 2 or 3 days it takes me forever to get them back in. It's like the holes have started to grow together again. About 2 years ago, I have to remove my earrings for a surgery I was having. I left my earrings out for 2 months because I kept forgetting about putting them back in. I swear I re-pierced at least part of both ears because I had to push and push and push. I finally found the studs used to pierce my ears with that had sharp points on them and used them and finally got them in but my ears were a bloody mess. The holes get infected very easily. I can only wear 14 kt. gold or above earrings or else I get contact dermatitis. This is true for necklaces and rings, and bracelets as well. I thought after so long piercings were permanent but mine still are not after 30 years. Anybody have any ideas why this is? It just seems crazy to me.
Elliott, you seem to be very confused. All ear piercings are unisex...well, unless you are born without ears.
CAN MEN/BOYS HAVE THERE DAITH PIERED OR IS IT UNISEX ?
I love my virgin earlobes! I find natural ears very sexy. But I can understand that body modification is something that one does for one's self; not for how it will look to others. BTW, excellent research and information!
Definately agreed. The pain is all in your head really. I've found that the more nervous and anxious one is, it tends to hurt more because the blood is pumping. But, piercings tend to look more painful than they are to get... Most of them anyway.
When you think how many people have pierced ears, it's pretty easy to see that it's just your own fears of the unknown and not really a painful procedure at all.
Nice Information but I think painful.
nice...i have two ear piercing in my both ears..just thinking to add more after i read this....
Crazy I had a few regular ear piercings and what they are calling a helix but all the others are crazy. But I have to admit that the tregus peircing looks nice on "some" people
I love piercings, but I heal so badly that they really aren't a good idea for me. I had my tragus pierced and loved the look. Felt like someone hit me in the side of the head with a bat for the rest of the day. But it wouldn't heal and scar tissue started building up. So I took it out. I guess I'll just have to settle for tats :)
Whitney, I'm going to guess that since the icon is of a female head, and the profile shows hubs on hair care, that Charley is a girl.
Relache- I do agree with the location difference. I didn't even think to look where he was from.
I've not heard of a logarth yet. Can you tell me where that one is located on the ear? BTW, I totally second you on the "don't do cartilage in both at once" concept.
I've got both conch, lobes were stretched, a couple helix, rook and even one you don't have on there, i do believe called a logarth. I love my ear piercings, but still recommend to most people to only get one cartilidge piercing done at a time. Also if you get both ears done at the same time it can present some problems with sleeping!
Whitney, you are in Georgia, and Charley is in California. There's a huge difference in attitudes about body art when you compare the South and the West Coast.
True Charley- but none of the corporate business in my area (AFLAC, TSYS, Synovous, and several banks) will hire someone with multiple piercings. If they do, the piercings must be removed on exception of one.
i think i have been brainwashed by my mother that told me ever since i can remember that "if you get any more piercings than the two you have now, nobody will EVER hire you!" Funny how i walked into work today at a bank and my manager had about 5 earrings in each ear. times are a changing..
Wow, that is a lot of earrings.
Ah... I'm slightly OCD, so things have to be even. I tend to get ear piercings in pairs. The only thing I got alone was my industrial, but it was with the intent to get the other side done. I tend to just use horseshoes in my lobes, because something always happens with my CBRs so that the ball pops out, and I can't ever get it back in. The only CBRs that I have that I can manuever easily are acrylic, but my boyfriend wears one in his PA, and he lost one of the balls. So, I can't wear them anymore as I only have 1 ball.
working
relache says:
2 months ago
Matthews, almost the entire rim of the ear is cartilage with the exception of the soft lobes at the bottom.