Tragus piercing

Tragus piercing
Location	Tragus
Jewelry	Barbell, captive bead ring
Healing	12 to 52 weeks (3 to 12 months)

A tragus piercing is the perforation of the tragus, which projects immediately in front of the ear canal, for the purpose of inserting and wearing a piece of jewelry. The piercing itself is usually made with a small gauge hollow piercing needle, and typical jewelry would be a small diameter captive bead ring or small gauge post style piercing jewelry. A related piercing is known as the antitragus piercing.

History

The tragus piercing has no ties to any ancient culture and was first established around the time of the rook and daith piercings in the 1980's. The name comes from the medical term of the flap of skin that is pierced.The popularity of tragus piercings began to increase around 2005, according to a BBC report. ^[1]

Jewelry

Barbells, captive bead rings and flat-backed earring studs are the most common types of jewelry worn in tragus piercings.^[2]

Process

The hollow, low-gauge needle used for the piercing can be either straight or curved, depending on the piercer's preference. Tragus piercings are generally not very painful, due to the small number of nerve endings in the tragus, but the sound made may be uncomfortable due to its proximity to the eardrum.^[3][4] Most tragus piercings will take between 3 and 6 months to heal, however some might take up to 12 months to be fully healed.

References

1. "What's that in Scarlett's ear?". BBC News. 21 December 2005. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
2. Tragus Piercing Information Guide
3. "Top 10 Types of ear Piercing". Top 10 Always. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
4. Tragus Piercing - A guide