Perhaps, every second person around you has ear piercings. Do you want to discover what types of ear piercings are popular nowadays and which one to perform next?
Let’s start with the answer to the question “what is the ear piercing itself?”. Basically, it is a form of ear modification. Ear piercing is a puncture in some part of the external ear. The aim of the procedure is ear decoration with jewelry.
What Are The Types of Ear Piercings?
There are plenty of different ear piercing types. So we organized all of them on a chart. Furthermore, see below ear piercing anatomy image.
Ear piercing names
| Name | What is it | Pain | Healing | Cost |
| Earlobe | A single hole in a lobe (the lowest part of an ear) | 3 of 10 | 4-7 weeks | 20-50$ |
| Helix | A hole in the upper cartilage of an ear | 4 of 10 | 3-6 months | 40-70$ |
| Forward helix | A forward facing puncture in the upper cartilage of an ear | 5 of 10 | 4-6 months | 40-50$ |
| Daith | A hole in the inner ear cartilage | 6 of 10 | 3-6 months | 30-50$ |
| Tragus | A hole in a part of cartilage, in the central part of an ear | 6 of 10 | 3-8 months | 45-75$ |
| Rook | A puncture of the thick wrinkle of the cartilage in the inner ear | 7 of 10 | 3-9 months | 35-60$ |
| Snug | A puncture of the vertical part in the inner cartilage area, above anti-tragus | 7 of 10 | 6-12 months | 35-55$ |
| Conch | An inner or outer puncture of the cartilage in the cup-shaped area | 7 of 10 | 3-9 months | 45-75$ |
| Industrial | Two auricle holes are connected by one piece of jewelry | 7 of 10 | 3-9 months | 40-70$ |
| Transverse Lobe | A horizontal hole through the earlobe | 6 of 10 | 5-10 weeks | 10-60$ |
| Anti tragus | A hole in the inner ear cartilage opposed to tragus | 7 of 10 | 4-9 months | 40-50$ |
| Cartilage | A hole in any area of cartilage | 5 of 10 | 4-8 months | 35-70$ |
| Orbital | Two cartilage holes linked by one piece of jewelry, usually located in the helix area | 7 of 10 | 4-9 months | 30-40$ |
| Auricle | A hole on the rim of the cartilage near the outer ear | 7 of 10 | 3-9 months | 15-30$ |
| Spiral ear | A thick spiral worn in the stretched earlobe | 6 of 10 | 6-8 weeks | 15-60$ |
| Trident | Trident shaped jewelry goes vertically through the entire ear, from lower to upper cartilage | 7 of 10 | 4-8 months | 40-70$ |
| Dermal | Only one visible hole in the ear, a catch-all term for under skin piercing | 6 of 10 | 6-12 weeks | 70– 80$ |
Intrigued? Let’s have a brief overview of different types of ear piercings and its locations!
Earlobe
Earlobe piercing is the most common and easy option. Nevertheless, it gives you comparatively more options in earrings choice. If you have multiple earlobe piercings, use your imagination for various eye-catching combinations!
Ultimate guide on ear lobe piercing.
Helix
Helix piercing allows you to decorate your upper ear. In addition, it does not cause much pain, as it leaves out the nerve endings area. Rings or barbells are a perfect fit for such piercing.
Read more about helix piercing.
Forward Helix
Forward helix is located in the root of a helix. This piercing is quite popular as you can combine it with other types such as industrial or orbital piercings.
Ultimate guide o forward helix piercing.
Daith
Daith is a fresh and original idea for piercing. Even though it is more painful, a shiny barbell in your inner ear would look sophisticated and elegant. It also can help to reduce migraines and anxiety.
Ultimate guide on daith piercing.
Tragus
Tragus is part of cartilage at the entrance to the ear canal. This kind of ear piercing is really popular nowadays, though it requires more time for healing.
Ultimate guide on tragus piercing.
Anti tragus
Anti tragus is located above the classical earlobe piercing location. However, some people don’t have enough space for the puncture there.
Read more about anti-tragus piercing.
Snug
Snug piercing is located in a very shallow place, so only small jewelry should be used there. But you have to be prepared, as it is a really painful procedure. So, we advise having a local anesthetization for this type of piercing.
Learn more about snug piercing.
Rook
Rook is kind of similar to snug piercing. However, it is vertical and located above the tragus. Decoration with a neat bead ring looks catchy indeed!
Learn more about rook piercing.
Conch
Conch piercing got such name because of the obvious analogy with the conch seashells. Bound bead ring, covering inner and outer ear area would look just amazing with it!
All you need to know on conch piercing.
Industrial piercing
Industrial piercing is quite unusual, as a double puncture is connected by a single barbell. It looks gorgeous, as you can experiment here with a range of styles.
Detailed guide on industrial piercing.
Transverse Lobe
Transverse Lobe is an updated version of the traditional lobe piercing. It is performed horizontally and the result depends on the individual characteristics of your earlobe.
Read more about transverse lobe piercing.
Cartilage
Cartilage piercing is a general type of an outer ear puncture. Undeniably, such piercing will add a bit of rock-n-roll to your image. Sounds cool, right?
All you need to know about cartilage piercing.
Orbital
Orbital piercing is another modification of the double puncture. One piece of jewelry links two holes, usually in the helix or the antihelix area.
Learn more about orbital ear piercing.
Auricle
Auricle or rim piercing is usually bound to a lobe or any other jewelry on your ear. So, this type would allow you to try a lot of fantastic combinations!
Detailed guide on auricle piercing.
Spiral
Spiral ear decorates the earlobe and is worn in the stretched ear.
Full guide on spiral ear piercing.
Trident
Trident is a type of industrial piercing. It requires four holes to be properly placed in the ear. Trident jewelry beautifully connects your upper and lower auricle parts.
Learn more about devil’s trident piercing.
Dermal
Dermal piercing generally can be performed in any part of the body, as it goes inside the skin. In the ear area, it is commonly located above the daith at the outer part of the tragus.
Important!
Read about the cost of ear piercing and what influence the price.
Most Painful
Now, you are probably wondering what is the most painful part of the ear to get pierced?
Well, you could guess already. A tougher piercing area would bring more pain.
Therefore, tragus, anti-tragus, conch and, of course, snug/rook piercings would definitely require a lot of patience.
Also, industrial and trident piercings don’t promise to be easy ones. For these types, you would need two or more cartilage punctures at the same time. However, it is quite a quick and effective procedure.
Read more details in guide about most and least painful body piercings.
Least Painful
So, what is the painless then? Obviously, the earlobe one. It is the most traditional type of piercing. The earlobe area is very soft, so even 3-year old kids can go through this piercing procedure easily.
What Ear Piercing Is Coolest To Get?
I would say, each of them is considerably original and unique. However, can you imagine how your friends would react to seeing you with a metallic trident in the ears? Or how exotically a glossy barbel in your daith would look? All types of cartilage piercings look unusual and spectacular.
But the coolest option is to get a creative combination of different types of ear piercings.
Want to get some inspiration? Follow up with some popular and original ear piercing ideas!
Ear Piercing Ideas For Women
- Double forward helix + helix piercing. If you are looking for something romantic and elegant – this option is definitely for you. It would accurately decorate the upper ear part, making you image cool and catchy.
- Helix + auricle + triple earlobe piercing. Such a combination is perfect for adventurous and lively personality. It would cover the entire outer ear with outstanding shiny studs. Also called “gradient style”.
- Daith + industrial. This option is for really brave girls. A glossy barbell combined with rock style arrow would make your look cool and daring. Ready to attract attention? Then it is definitely your combination.
Ideas For Men
Don’t you think only women can look classy with their ears pierced? Sure it’s not true! There are some outstanding piercing ideas exclusively for men. Let’s check them out!
- Tragus + conch + double helix. Such a combo, decorated with mate dark rings, would definitely make you a rock star. Be ready to hit the stage!
- Snug + conch piercing. For this combination, you may use two identical silver straight barbells. This option is the best for minimalism lovers.
- Trident industrial + transverse lobe. This is something really unusual and fresh. If you love radical solutions, this combo would surely work for you. Choose trident and earlobe jewelry in the same color range and metal so that it would look stylish and even provocative.
Want to make a piercing by yourself?
Read the article about how to pierce your own ear.
Healing And Aftercare
Getting any kind of ear piercing is fantastic, but don’t forget about healing and aftercare!
Remember that different ear piercing types require different healing time and aftercare. The least problematic ones are the earlobe, the transverse lobe, and dermal piercings. They heal within several weeks, and you don’t need to wait long to change jewelry. However, cartilage healing time is not that short. It can take up to 9 months.
- Avoid touching the piercing on the first day.
- Clean it at least twice a day using a saline spray. First-time cleaning should be done within 24 hours after the procedure.
- Avoid letting shampoo or soap get into the piercing.
- Do not twist or move the jewelry inside the puncture.
- Do not change the earring until the piercing is completely healed.
- Always follow your piercing master’s instructions!
These are general rules that will help you avoid possible side effects of the procedure. Find more ear piercing aftercare tips in our guide.
Recommended care solution
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See some additional piercing care products we recommend.
Videos we recommend
Learn more about ear piercing aftercare in videos below
All aftercare info is based on Association of Professional Piercers website.
So, just follow them and enjoy your new bright ear style!
