What is a tragus piercing and is it painful?

Fans who've seen celebrities like Lucy Hale and Scarlett Johansson flaunt their tragus piercings have often been piqued by the piercings.

Although several piercing experts have such piercings, people who are new to the world of piercing are unaware of this piercing. Additionally, people who are looking to get a piercing don't always know much about tragus piercings.

The tragus is a tiny piece of cartilage that partially encloses your ear canal, and that is where this piercing is located. The outer ear's anatomy consists of cartilage and skin. While the fleshy lobe has been a popular place to get a piercing in, other parts of the cartilage like the tragus are something that those with piercings seek when they want something different.

The piercing looks incredibly fascinating and interesting, and getting a piercing in this area can be a little more painful than the rest.

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Tragus piercings may not hurt a lot but may cause a pinching sensation

A thin layer of malleable cartilage covers up the tragus of the ear. This means that compared to other parts of the ear, there isn't a lot of dense tissue filled with nerves, and one usually experiences lesser pain in areas that have fewer nerves.

However, since the cartilage is a more challenging place to pierce than fleshy skin, the piercing artist will have to use more pressure to push the needle through. This could be painful, especially if the piercer is inexperienced.

Additionally, every person experiences pain differently when getting a piercing. However, it is also worth noting that the piercing hurts the most as soon as the needle is inserted. This is because the needle penetrates the top layer of the skin and nerves.

As the needle passes through the tragus, one could experience a pinching sensation as well. However, tragus piercings commonly cause minor discomfort, which may fade away soon after the procedure is done.

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The healing time of a tragus piercing and how to take care of it

Tragus piercings usually take around three to six months to heal, but in certain situations, it might even take up to a year to heal. People getting this piercing are advised to take the piercer's suggestions for aftercare to make sure that things keep running well.

For the first few weeks after getting a piercing, one may experience discomfort, redness, or the formation of a yellowish crust around the piercing.

These are some of the dos and don'ts for the aftercare of a tragus piercing:

• To prevent introducing bacteria to the region, don't touch the piercing unless you've cleaned your hands.
• For the first day following the piercing, refrain from using soap, shampoo, or disinfectants in the area.
• For three months, or until the piercing has completely healed, avoid removing or handling the jewelry harshly.
• After cleaning the piercing, do not rub it dry. To avoid damaging the tissue, gently blot it dry with a clean cloth or paper towel.

Since a piercing like this is no different than any other piercings, in terms of the risks they carry, here's what one needs to watch out for:

1) Infection

An infected piercing will hurt. Additionally, you might detect heat, redness, and uncontrollable bleeding. Fever and black or foul-smelling pus are additional possible symptoms of an infected piercing.

2) Bloodborne infections

If one goes to an experienced and skilled piercer, they need not worry about being infected with these. However, if a tragus piercing or any other piercing is performed with a used or unsterilized needle, one can risk contracting diseases like hepatitis B and C, and HIV.

3) Bumps

The possibility of developing lumps and bumps, such as keloids, abscesses, and granulomas, is associated with cartilage piercings.

4) Rejection

Your body may attempt to push the jewelry out of your piercing by treating it as a foreign body, this is referred to as a "rejection." If it occurs, one might notice the hole growing larger or that the skin around it is hardening or flaking.

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Celebrities with tragus piercings

Over the years, several celebrities have flaunted their tragus piercings, and apart from, Lucy Hale and Scarlett Johansson, there others too with similar piercings.

Chloë Grace Moretz, Willow Smith, and even Kehlani have tragus piercings, apart from their other piercings.

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Conclusion

Tragus piercings do hurt a little more than earlobe piercings as more force is utilized to push the needle through the ear cartilage.

However, this discomfort usually goes away within a few minutes. Even if one applies pressure to the area, one might experience some soreness as it heals, but for the most part, individuals find the pain manageable.

However, if one experiences excruciating pain in piercing or the soreness becomes intolerable, seek medical attention. These symptoms may indicate an underlying problem, such as an infection or piercing rejection.