Ear Piercing: Types of Ear Piercings

Ear piercing has been a very common form of body piercing since many years and still remains a popular fashion trend. Ear piercing was practiced by different ancient cultures, even by men. There also is a reference to ear piercings in the Holy Bible. Earlier, ear piercing was practiced as a religious custom, but today it is done to make a fashion statement. Some youth have as many as fifteen piercings on one ear and use different types of ear accessories on them. A lot of new types of ear piercings have emerged over the years, with piercing being done at various locations on the ear. Mentioned below are the different ear piercing types and ear piercing names.

Types of Ear Piercings

Before you get your ears pierced, it is essential that you know about the various ear piercing types, their location, suitable jewelry, and the required healing time. Ear piercings can be done on the lobe as well as the cartilage, but piercings on the cartilage will take a longer time to heal as it is done on thick flesh.

Ear Lobe Piercing
The ear lobe is the most common and popular type of ear piercing, and is also the easiest to heal. The ear lobe gets plenty of blood supply, which aids the process of healing. The piercing is usually done at the center of the ear lobe using a 3.2 mm gauge. Ear accessories like barbells and rings can be worn, and ear lobe piercings may take 4 to 6 weeks to heal completely.

Transverse Lobe Piercing
Transverse lobe piercing, also known as horizontal lobe piercing, is done diagonally or horizontally across the length of the ear lobe. A barbell is to be worn after a transverse lobe piercing and it may take 6 to 10 weeks to heal completely.

Rook Piercing
A rook is the thick fold of the ear cartilage located at the uppermost part of the ear, above the tragus. This is one of the types of ear piercings that is difficult to heal and also requires some space for the piercing, which only some people may have. The healing of a rook piercing can take a few months or even a year. Getting a piercing done on the rook can be quite painful since it is quite thick a mass of flesh.

Conch Piercing
The conch piercing is a type of ear cartilage piercing and is of two types - inner conch piercing and outer conch piercing. The inner conch piercing is done at the center of the ear cartilage, adjacent to the ear canal, whereas the outer conch piercing is done a bit farther, towards the outer rim of the ear cartilage. This ear piercing type is easy to heal and ear accessories like barbells, ear closure rings and labret can be worn. It may take around 6-8 weeks to heal completely.

Tragus Piercing
The tragus ear piercing is done on the flap of the cartilage, in front of the ear canal. Since the tragus is a thick fold of flesh, getting your ear pierced at this location could be quite painful and will also take a long time, somewhere between 8 to 16 weeks, to heal.

Anti-tragus Piercing
The anti-tragus piercing is done on the raised fold of the cartilage which is located opposite to the tragus, above the ear lobe. Micro jewelry and ball closure rings are best suited for anti-tragus type of ear piercings. This type of piercing may take anywhere between 8 to 10 weeks to heal completely.

Industrial Piercing
The industrial ear piercing is one of the ear piercing types that is slowly becoming popular. A barbell is used to pierce two holes through upper cartilage to the lower or horizontally through the upper cartilage. This type of ear piercing needs a lot of after care and can take up to an year to heal. The piercing needs to be planned and it would be advisable to get this type of ear piercing done by a professional piercer. Read more on industrial piercing care.

Helix Piercing
The helix type of ear piercing is known to be the second most popular of all the ear piercing types. This type of piercing is done on the upper cartilage of the ear, and studs, cuffs or hoops can be worn to suit the helix piercing. It may take around 6 to 8 months to heal completely.

Daith Piercing
The daith ear piercing is done on the cartilage folding that is closest to the ear canal. There should be enough cartilage for this piercing to be done, and micro jewelry and ball closure rings are best suited for this ear piercing type. It will take around 6 to 8 weeks for this piercing to heal fully.

Dermal Punch Piercing
The dermal punch piercing is done by punching out a round piece of flesh from the ear, leaving a large hole in which the jewelry is put. It is usually done to put large gauge jewelry, which would not be possible with conventional piercings. This type of piercing can be done either on the flat area of the cartilage or on the ear lobe. The healing time required for this ear piercing type will depend on the location of the piercing.

Ear Piercing Care

For any of the ear piercing types, ear piercing care is extremely essential to prevent the closure of the piercings and ear piercing infections. It is essential that you clean the area of the pierced area with saline solution, at least twice a day. You will need to wear appropriate jewelry and also avoid removing it or changing it until the piercing heals fully. You should only touch the piercing and the jewelry after washing your hands properly. This is essential to protect the piercing from getting infected. Read more on ear piercing aftercare.

Ear piercings can be useful to enhance your personality, if they are done by professionals and are well taken care of. It will also be wise to get only one of the ear piercing types done at a time to avoid any complications.