Trident Piercing [25+ Ideas]: Pain Level, Healing Time, Cost, Experience

Want a piercing that matches your devilish side? The trident piercing may be right for you!

Below you’ll find everything you need to know about trident piercings. Details like cost, piercing pain, procedure details and healing time will help you be well informed on your piercing journey. Aftercare product recommendations and a photo gallery will set you up to make the trident piercing all your own.

What is a Trident Piercing?

The trident piercing punctures the cartilage three times along the top curve of the ear, and extends down to one puncture within the bottom cartilage.

Trident jewelry usually consists of one long straight barbell and one large curved barbell to ultimately form a trident shape.

Should You Get a Trident Piercing?

As with any piercing, trident piercings have their risks and rewards. Check out the pros & cons below to see if this piercing is right for you:

Pros

Trident piercings are quite rare and easily noticeable. This eye-catching effect will no doubt have people intrigued.
These piercings offer a ton of jewelry versatility. Use the classic pitchfork design or change it up with different jewelry!

Cons

Trident piercings are more painful than most since they include multiple cartilage piercings in one sitting.
Infection is always a concern with new piercings. However, this concern can be addressed by following proper aftercare guidelines.

Piercing Procedure

The first step to any piercing is finding a reputable piercer. Once you arrive at the shop, your piercer will go over the procedure with you and have you fill out some paperwork beforehand. When you’re both ready, your ear cartilage will be properly cleaned and your piercer will mark the locations of your piercings with a surgical pen. Make sure you like these locations before moving forward!

Your piercer will then secure the marked locations with a clamp and methodically pierce them with hollow needles. The final step will be joining all of them together and threading jewelry through the piercings. As a last step, your piercer will discuss aftercare instructions with you. Make sure to ask any lingering questions before leaving the shop.

Check out the video below to see the procedure in real time:

How Much do Trident Piercings Hurt?

6 out of 10

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The trident piercing ranks at a 6/10 on the pain scale. This ranking is high because a total of four cartilage piercings are involved, and cartilage is harder and thicker than normal skin tissue.

The pain for each individual piercing is relatively quick, but you will most likely experience swelling for a few days after getting pierced. Use ice packs to bring down swelling and take ibuprofen for pain relief to make this phase more pleasant.

Read more about the most & least painful piercings.

Healing And Aftercare

Trident piercings can take up to 6 months to fully heal.

However, proper aftercare technique may speed up your healing time. Follow the guidelines below for a happy and healthy piercing:

Always wash your hands thoroughly before touching your piercing.
Make sure to clean your phone and pillowcase regularly to avoid infection and piercing bumps.
Sleep on your back or opposite side to avoid putting pressure on your new piercing.
Do not attempt to remove your jewelry before healing is complete. Early jewelry removal can cause immediate piercing closure.
Clean your piercing twice per day as described below.

Read more about proper aftercare technique.

How to Clean Your Piercing

Saline solution is an ideal piercing cleaner because it is gentle while removing impurities. Make your own saline solution at home by dissolving 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt in 8 oz of warm water. Pour some solution on a clean pad or towel and hold it on your piercing for a few minutes. This will soothe the piercing and help loosen any debris that may be present. Gently clean off all jewelry ends before discarding the towel. Repeat this procedure once in the morning and once at night for a steadily clean piercing.

Recommended Aftercare Products

Sea salt

This piercing sea salt is ideal for making your own saline solution at home.

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Piercing aftercare spray

Saline spray is a great on-the-go option. Throw it in your bag and clean your piercing anywhere!

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Best Jewelry

It is important to complete your healing time before removing or changing your jewelry. After healing, you can experiment with different colors and shapes of jewelry to see which combination accents your trident piercing the best. Circular barbells or rings can be used in place of the unique trident v shape, or you can split them up at a moments notice and wear them as separate piercings!