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14 types of ear piercings and how to rock them

Wanting to take the plunge and get your ears pierced, but not sure where to start? We’ve got the lowdown on everything you need to know, with a little help from the experts.

Harper's Bazaar India

Never underestimate the power of earrings to transform an outfit. You need only look at the most chic of celebrities — Zoë Kravitz, Beyoncé, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Moss — to see the edge they can give to an ensemble, stepping things up and allowing an extra opportunity for bling.

More and more, multiple piercings are becoming something of a style statement — again, just look to the previously mentioned celebs for inspiration. If you’re interested in the idea of a constellation of studs, hoops, huggies and more peppered across your ear from cartilage to lobe, you’re going to need to know a little more detail about the various placements — as well as their healing times and suitability for your ear shape.

BAZAAR turned to Sarah Munro, creative director and co-founder of Australian jewellery label SARAH & SEBASTIAN, to shed a little light on the topic for your convenience. In addition to offering fine earrings to adorn yourself with, they offer piercing services at their Paddington and Melbourne City boutiques, as well as at the MECCA Flagship in Sydney.

“SARAH & SEBASTIAN piercing appointments are tailored uniquely to you, and our expert piercers provide advice throughout the service on every aspect from styling, to lifestyle considerations and aftercare,” explains Munro. “The most stylish piercings are piercings conducted safely and precisely, embellished with 18-karat gold fine internally threaded jewellery and precious stones.”

What is an ear piercing chart?

An ear piercing chart simply depicts all the different types of piercings you can get — where they’re located, and what they’re called. The most common piercings are lobe and cartilage piercings, but not every piercing studio will accommodate every type of piercing.

“At SARAH & SEBASTIAN, we can conduct most ear piercings including lobes, helix (outer ear cartilage), flat or conch (inner ear placements) and tragus (the small area of cartilage that partially covers your ear canal). Our piercers love to experiment with these piercings and create, constellations or snakebites where piercings are stacked closely together,” explains Munro. “We now also offer nose piercings and are looking to introduce daith piercings (a hoop that hugs the cartilage on the inside of your ear), rook piercings (the ridge of cartilage in your upper ear) and navel piercings towards the end of the year. We are perfectionists when it comes to our piercing jewellery and are currently working on specific jewellery for these placements.”

Some studios offer a service where they can map out a design or constellation of piercings for your ear. In the world of SARAH & SEBASTIAN, this is “Ear Alchemy”, which Munro describes as “the magical process of transformation through the combination of anatomy specific piercings and our 18-karat gold fine jewellery”.

“We use the phrase to refer to the styling aspect of our luxury piercing service which involves experimenting with your personal style and discovering your unique ear anatomy,” she adds.

What ear piercing should I get?

It’s all about personal preference, as well as the unique shape of your own ear — not every piercing or piercing arrangement will be suitable to your anatomy. If you’re after something simple, a lobe piercing is always a great place to start: they’re generally the least painful and have the quickest healing time.

If you’re happy to deal with the longer healing times that come with earrings around the cartilage areas of your ears — they do offer a beautiful pay-off — consider helix, conch, auricle and other such piercings. And if you’re after that stunning Zoë Kravitz effect with multiple planned out piercings, it’s best to go to the experts and curate your design together.

“In ‘Ear Alchemy’ appointments, our expert piercers will begin by examining your ears and detailing your unique anatomy,” says Munro. “They will then recommend ideal placements to complement the contours of your ears. This placement discussion considers the jewellery you might have your eye on, or pieces that will accentuate your new piercing. If you’re unsure of what piercing to get, that’s ok, our talented team of professional piercers will guide you and ensure you love your ‘Ear Alchemy’ project.”

What are the different types of ear piercings?

Lobe piercing

image: INSTAGRAM / @MARIATASH

Healing time: 3—6 months

Lobe piercings are the most common ear piercing — they are situated in the soft and fleshy region of the ear called the lobule. Depending on the size and shape of your lobes — everyone’s are different! — you can get one or multiple piercings in this zone.

Helix piercing

image: INSTAGRAM / @MARIATASH

Healing time: 6—12 months

You might have heard these colloquially referred to as “cartilage piercings” — but a helix piercing is one occurring on the upper outer cartilage of the ear, from the side as pictured to further along the top edge of the ear.

Conch piercing

image: INSTAGRAM / @MARIATASH

Healing time: 6—12 months

The conch is the inner cup of your ear — that bit of cartilage that somewhat resembles a conch shell (that’s how it gets its name). It’s quite a versatile area for piercings, as you can get multiple studs, or a cuff like this that hugs around the ear.

Tragus piercing

image: INSTAGRAM / @MARIATASH

Healing time: 12—18 months

The tragus piercing is located on the small bit of cartilage that partially covers your ear canal. It’s an ideal spot for mini studs or hoops.

Rook piercing

image: INSTAGRAM / @MARIATASH

Healing time: 6—18 months

The rook piercing goes through the inner edge of the highest ridge on your ear. It’s a good spot for a hoop, or a bar during the healing process.

Daith piercing

image: INSTAGRAM / @MARIATASH

Healing time: 6—18 months

The daith piercing occurs on the ridge below the rook, and hugs the cartilage on the inside of your ear.

High lobe piercing

image: INSTAGRAM / @MARIATASH

Healing time: 3—6 months

Just as the name states, a high lobe piercing is located higher up than your standard lobe (but lower than the auricle, more on that below).

Industrial piercing

image: INSTAGRAM / @MARIATASH

Healing time: 9—12 months

Industrial piercings are a striking look — they’re basically a straight barbell that connects one cartilage piercing to another on the upper part of the ear. Since they’re two piercings in one, they can be harder to heal.

Snug piercing

image: INSTAGRAM / @MARIATASH

Healing time: 4—6 months

A snug piercing is located in that next ridge of cartilage inwards of the helix, between the helix and the inner conch.

Anti-tragus piercing

image: INSTAGRAM / @MARIATASH

Healing time: 6—12 months

Located opposite the ear canal in the small curved area above your earlobe, and adjacent to the tragus, is the anti-tragus piercing. It’s a great spot for micro studs and hoops.

Forward helix piercing

image: INSTAGRAM / @MARIATASH

Healing time: 4—6 months

The forward helix piercing is above the tragus, on the bit of your helix at the front of your ear. As a large-ish area, it’s suitable for multiple piercings.

Flat piercing

image: INSTAGRAM / @MARIATASH

Healing time: 6—12 months

Not quite a rook and not quite a helix, the flat piercing — as the name implies — is located in the flat area of cartilage below the upper rim of the ear.

Auricle piercing

image: INSTAGRAM / @MARIATASH

Healing time: 3—9 months

You can think of an auricle piercing as somewhere between a helix and a high lobe, and a step outwards from a snug. Auricles are placed in the fold between your helix (outer fold) and earlobe.

Orbital piercing

image: INSTAGRAM / @MARIATASH

Healing time: 3—12 months (depending on location)

There’s a lot of incorrectly named orbital piercings out there — no, it’s not just a hoop going through your conch. An orbital piercing is a combination of two piercings connected by one hoop. They’re common on the lobe and auricle area, but can be placed just about anywhere on the ear with room for two piercings side-by-side.

Which ear piercings hurt the most?

While it depends on the amount of pain you can personally withstand, generally, lobe piercings hurt the least, and cartilage can be considered a little more painful.

“As everyone’s threshold for pain is different and can vary anatomically from ear to ear, it’s difficult to comment on what piercing is more painful than another,” says Munro.

“However generally, piercings conducted using needles are less painful and traumatic than those with a piercing gun and most people find that lobe piercings are more manageable to receive and look after.”

How long does it take for a pierced ear to heal?

It depends on the location of the piercing, as well as your own body’s healing processes. Depending on the location, you can expect a piercing to take anywhere between three to 18 months to fully heal, with lobe piercings being the quickest and cartilage taking the longest.

“Some piercings can take up to a year to heal, so the best way to achieve your desired look is to build it up over time,” Munro says.

How many piercings can I have in a single session?

Generally, it’s not recommended to get more than four piercings in a single sitting though — while a single piercing can be bearable, getting a lot in one go can be a bit of a strain on your pain tolerance and can cause a lot of swelling that would make the recovery process somewhat uncomfortable.

“Our piercers can perform up to three piercings per appointment, which is our limit to ensure your body isn’t overwhelmed and can support the healing process,” Munro says.

This piece originally appeared in Harper's Bazaar Australia

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