The 16 Types of Ear Piercings: How to Choose Based on Pain and Placement (2024)

By

Reviewed by

Professional Piercer

• Janeese Brooks is the Head of Piercing at Stone and Strand. She frequently runs the Piercings Y’all pop-up events and is based in New York City.
• Rachel Nazarian, MD, of Schweiger Dermatology Group is a board-certified dermatologist.

Standard Lobe

• Pain Level: 1/10
• Healing time: 6-8 Weeks
  

Ah, the classic, standard lobe piercing. Brooks says, "We all know and love a good lobe piercing.I encourage these constantly.The easiest part of the ear to heal is the lobe.The least painful is the lobe, too—just a one or two out of 10."

"You can change the jewelry after three months of heal time," says Brooks. She continues, "Generally, people have enough space to do something unique with their piercing placements, too.Design and aesthetics are a huge part of my heart so I’ve been having a good time helping clients get a creative look that suits them and their lifestyle."

Daith

• Pain Level: 5/10
• Healing time: 6-9 months

Found in a slightly awkward position—the hoop that hugs the cartilage on the inside of your ear—the daith requires a skilled piercer.

"There are multiple reports of this type of piercing being useful and successful when other medical and non-medical modalities have failed," says Nazarian. "The only location that has shown potential real science for supporting a medical use is piercing of the daith. Some studies have shown that piercing the daith may modulate pain receptors that send signals to the brain and relieve migraines and chronic headaches."

As it's placed on cartilage, you'll feel a dull pressure when getting the daith pierced. As with any new piercing, it is not encouraged to sleep on it until it's fully healed; however, compared to some outer-ear piercings, sleeping on a daith piercing within a couple of months is pretty common.

Helix

• Pain Level: 4/10
• Healing time: 6 months to 1 year

Helix piercings—piercings that are placed anywhere on the upper outer cartilage of the ear—are often the first choice when moving from the lobe. But as confirmed by Brooks, this "trending flat piercing" has become even more popular now, and piercers and clients are experimenting with multiple helix piercings on one ear.

"This is what we all want, basic or not, these cartilage piercingsare super cute and typically land on the edge or middle of the ear for most.This area allows for personalized placements and unique styles.I try to encourage going beyond just the little hoop here," advises Brooks.

Forward Helix

• Pain Level: 5/10
• Healing time: 3-9 months

Another cartilage piercing, a forward helix is also placed on the upper ear above the tragus. These piercings are a bit more tricky than your typical helix piercing as the piercing must be lined up perfectly with your ear and will likely hurt more than a standard lobe piercing. Depending on the experience of your piercer, a needle or machine may be used.

Tragus

• Pain Level: 5/10
• Healing time: 6-9 months

The tragus, that tiny flap partially covering the ear canal, can add detail to any curated ear, especially when it's adorned with a pretty stud or snug hoop.

According to Brooks, "These little guys are hard to heal as well mostly because no one wants to give up earbuds during their commute.Because the tragus is there to protect the outer part of your ear canal, piercing through it, your post is going to be blocking where your earbuds go.Each time you take them in and out, it’ll irritate this piercing.It’s not impossible to heal, but I do warn my clients that if you're a 'picker' or a 'fidgeter' like myself, it may not be for you."

Anti-tragus

• Pain Level: 6/10
• Healing time: 9 months to 1 year

Another piercing specific to your anatomy, an anti-tragus piercing sits directly opposite from the traditional tragus hump, above the earlobe. If your tragus is not prominent enough to be pierced, some piercers may decline to perform the task rather than work against the shape of your ear. In terms of jewelry, a curved barbell or ball closure ring are the best options for this piercing.

Conch

• Pain Level: 4/10
• Healing time: 3-9 months

The conch, located in the middle portion of your ear cartilage, gets its moniker from its resemblance to the spiral shell of the same name. It's pretty versatile and can be pierced with a stud for a subtle effect, a double stud (if you're feeling brave), or even a cuff that can hug its way around the edge of your ear.

Inner Conch

• Pain Level: 6/10
• Healing time: 3-9 months

The inner conch is pierced through the middle shell of the ear, which is the thickest piece of cartilage on the ear. This piercing is closest to the ear canal, so during the healing process, you'll want to avoid wearing earbuds for quite some time, as they may irritate your new piercing.

Outer Conch

• Pain Level: 6/10
• Healing time: 3-9 months

Similar to the inner conch, the outer conch is also pierced through the same area of cartilage of the ear, but the lower part. If you're a side sleeper, sleep on the opposite side of your new piercing until fully healed.

Industrial

• Pain Level: 6/10
• Healing time: 9 months to 1 year

The industrial piercing is essentially, "a straight barbell connecting one cartilage piercing to another on the upper ear," describes Brooks.

"They are difficult to heal as a result of being two cartilage piercings instead of one.Since the two are also connected they have a tendency to get irritated quickly and often stay that way,"says Brooks. You'll also need to be especially cognizant of aftercare: "Be so careful of your hair and glasses resting on this.Sleeping on it is always a big no-no," Brooks warns.

Whether you should consider an industrial piercing, Brooks advises, "I typically will steer clients away from this piercingfor no other reason than most people don’t keep them because of how long they take to heal."

High-Lobe

• Pain Level: 2/10
• Healing time: 6-8 weeks

The high-lobe piercing is a fun way to spice up the lobe. They're especially good for making a feature out of a poorly-placed piercing you may have done earlier. Thanks to the lobe being so fleshy, the level of piercing pain is considerably low. While healing time is relatively quick that doesn't mean you should be lackadaisical when it comes to aftercare. You should always be following your piercer's instructions for post-care and maintenance.

Rook

• Pain Level: 6/10
• Healing time: 3-10 months

One of the more unusual inner-ear piercings, a rook piercing inserts in the inner cartilage, above the daith and between the inner conch and the forward helix.

As a cartilage piercing, the rook doesn’t pierce as easily as say, the lobe. Because of that, you may feel a sharp pain and pressure at first, to be followed by a more general throbbing. And because of how thick the rook cartilage is—it is a fold of cartilage, after all,—it may hurt more than a helix or tragus piercing.

Auricle / Mid-Helix

• Pain Level: 3/10
• Healing time: 3-9 months

Located on the outer portion of the ear between the lobe and the helix, an auricle—also called "mid-helix" piercing is worn about halfway up the ear across from the tragus. Hoops and studs work well for this type of piercing and since the cartilage is relatively thin for the area, the pain is on the lower end of the scale.

Snug

• Pain Level: 9/10
• Healing time: 4-6 months

Pierced horizontally through the inner rim of cartilage above the anti-tragus, the snug piercinggets its name from the "hug" in the folds of your ears. A snug piercing is also referred to as an anti-helix piercing and is considered the most painful of cartilage piercings. Only small jewelry like a small hoop or curved barbells will work here because of the tight placement.

Orbital

• Pain Level: 4/10
• Healing time: eight to ten weeks

"Orbital" piercings have become a bit of a misnomer. To be technically accurate, an orbital uses a ring to connect two piercings, such as the first and second hole lobe piercings or two cartilage—like this. piercings. However, orbital piercings have also come to mean a ring piercing through the conch piercing, which is what is pictured above. Popular placement is in the lobe or helix. This type of piercing is similar to an industrial piercing, as it connects two different piercings. However, an orbital is pierced with a ring rather than a barbell, which gives the illusion that the piercing is, well, orbiting the ear.

Stacked Lobe

• Pain Level: 2/10
• Healing time: 6-8 weeks

A stacked lobe piercing is pierced directly above the traditional lobe piercing, creating a vertical "stack." Because it's a lobe piercing, the pain and healing time are fairly minimal, so it's a great way to modernize your earscape without the pain and healing time of a cartilage piercing.

1. "Caring for Pierced Ears.” https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/skin-care-basics/tattoos/caring-for-pierced-ears

2. Infected ear piercings: causes, symptoms, treatment, prevention. Cleveland Clinic.