The tragus is the little flap that covers the entrance of the ear canal. Today, people are undergoing tragus piercing so that they can wear jewelry on it. A small gauge hollow piercing needle is used for this purpose. It is only logical to wear small sized jewelry in the form of a ring, stud, or barbell. The concept of tragus piercing started in the year 2005, and has been gathering a lot of popularity. This style of piercing has been reported to be more popular than belly-button piercing.
Does Tragus Piercing hurt?
When the piercing is done by as professional, it does not hurt at all. The person being pierced will only feel the pressure as the professional positions that needle, but will not feel the actual needle going into the tragus. The needle-gun, perform the piercing in a fraction of a second, and the client does not feel any pain. It is important that the tragus is kept clean to avoid infection. There are some people who have said that they develop pain a few days after the piercing is done. This is mostly attributed t some degree of infection in the newly pierced tragus. Keeping the puncture would clean will help alleviate infection, and you may only experience slight soreness, as the wound heals.
What kind of jewelry should you use for your tragus piercing?
There are various types of jewelry that can be used for this purpose. The jewelry comes in various sizes, so you should consult a tragus piercing expert who will tell you length you require. The internet provides clients with a vast array of piercing jewelry in terms of colors, materials, types, forms, and designs. The names commonly used are Flesh tunnels, ripple bars, barbells, spikes, labrets, rings, etc. However, rings and studs are the most popular, and they are available in many designs. If you are allergic to any kind of metal, then you should ensure that you use rings of other materials. It is possible to get rings made of acrylic.
Tragus Piercing Cost
The cost of tragus piercing varies widely depending on a number of factors.
- Location – depending on where you live, you will pay differing prices for this procedure. In the UK, you may pay between £20 and £30. If you live in the United States of America, you may be charged a fee of between $30 and 445. In Europe, the cost will vary between €30 and €40. In Australia, your €30 and €40 may cost you A$35 to A$40.
- Type of Jewelry used – Some piercing studios will add a little cost when they use barbell jewelry for piercing compared to captive bead ring jewelry. The difference in cost is about 5 units of the currency used in the country where you are getting the tragus piercing. You will also find a difference of price when the studio uses internally threaded jewelry as opposed to externally threaded jewelry. The internal threaded jewelry comes at a higher price than that of externally threaded jewelry. The difference in price has to do with the difficulty of making internal threaded jewelry. There is a lot more machining and labor involved with internal threaded jewelry and this is the reason why they are more costly. However, professional tragus piercing studios recommend that you use internal threaded jewelry for the first piercing, and then you can change after the puncture wound has healed. The reason for this is very simple; the internal threaded jewelry has a smooth shaft and will not damage or irritate the skin around the puncture. Eternally threaded jewelry can then be worn after the wound has healed.
- Additional costs – After your tragus piercing, it is highly recommended that you buy some sterilizing solution to clean the piercing to avoid infection of the puncture wound. You may opt to buy the cleaning solution at the piercing studio, or you may buy it at a pharmacist.
These three factors affect the total cost of tragus piercing.
Infection of tragus piercing
After tragus piercing, there are some people who develop infection in the puncture wound. The risk of infection is quite high given that the tragus gathers a lot of dirt, and the wax found in the which traps bacteria. It is therefore advised that you take good care of the piercing to avoid infection. Here are some of the reasons that may cause the tragus piercing to get infected.
Poor aftercare – Improper care and neglect has been cited as the main cause of infection after tragus piercing. The piercing should be cleaned every three to four hours every day, with a cleaning solution containing sea salt. You must also observe proper hygiene so the wound does not get infected.
Too much care – On the other hand, excessive cleaning after you have undergone tragus piercing can lead to infection. Too much cleaning will cause irritation to the wound, leading to inflammation and finally infection.
Going to an amateur studio – Going for tragus piercing from a professional cannot be understated since he or she knows how to do the procedure seamlessly, and observes good hygiene in cleaning the tools, and keeping the studio clean.
Tragus piercing healing time
Tragus piercing will heal much faster as the puncture wound does not get infected. The average period ranges from 3 to 6 months. If the wound is infected, it will take longer to heal and there have been reports of healing time taking up to 2 years, in an infected tragus.
Type of jewelry
Tragus piercing should only be conducted using specific jewelry. If you use other types of jewelry then the piercing will end up getting infected. Jewelry made out of poor material will irritate the skin, leading to infection. It is important that you use platinum, titanium, silver, or gold jewelry for this procedure. If you cannot afford these, then look for jewelry made of non-corrosive materials. Get the right size of jewelry since over-tight jewelry will cause discomfort, causing you to keep touching the wound, thereby causing infection.
Tragus Piercing Pictures
