Standard Lobe

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

Ah, the classic, standard lobe piercing. Stone and Strand head of piercing Janeese 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,” Brooks tells us. “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. This piercing is often sought after by those who have chronic headaches and migraines, although you can get it purely for aesthetic reasons, as well.

“There are multiple reports of this type of piercing being useful and successful when other medical and non-medical modalities have failed,” says board-certified dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, MD. “The only location that has shown potential real science for supporting a medical use is piercing of the daith. Some studies have shown that it 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 ideal 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—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 piercings are super cute and typically land on the edge or middle of the ear for most,” Brooks says. “This area allows for personalized placements and unique styles. I try to encourage going beyond just the little hoop here.”

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, as they must be lined up perfectly with your ear and will likely hurt more than a standard piercing. Your piercer will advise you on whether this one works for your anatomy—especially if you’re considering two or three, which is popular for this placement.

Tragus

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

The tragus (aka 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. Still, you’ll want to go in prepared for the complexities of the healing process.

“These are hard to heal as well mostly because no one wants to give up earbuds during their commute,” Brooks says. “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 work against the shape of your ear, and this can be a cool alternative. 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 or a double stud (if you’re feeling brave). Once it’s healed, you can swap it if you’d like for a cuff that hugs 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 thickest piece of cartilage in your ear. However, unlike the inner conch, the outer conch sits lower. 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,” Brooks says. “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.”

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.  “I typically will steer clients away from this piercing for 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 already have. Thanks to the lobe being so fleshy, the level of piercing pain is considerably low.

While the 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: 6-10 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.

Faux Rook

• Pain Level: 5-6/10
• Healing Time: 6-10 months

If you love the look of a rook piercing but don’t have the anatomy to make it work, a faux rook may be your best bet. Rather than traveling through that inner fold of cartilage vertically, this piercing goes through to the back at roughly the same spot as the top of a traditional rook piercing. Overall, the experience is similar due to being on the same part of the ear, but the resulting appearance is different.

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 a “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.

Snakebite

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

While the snakebite is also a name for a facial piercing, in terms of ears, it refers to two piercings placed side-by-side. This type of piercing is especially popular along the mid-to-high helix, but many get a set on other parts of their ear, as well. The pain level and healing time should be similar, but may both be a bit higher if you’re getting both piercings at once.

Hidden Helix

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

A hidden helix piercing sits inside the top fold of the ear. Most often, the jewelry used features a curved bar tucked out of sight, allowing for chains with gems and charms to alluringly dangle—seemingly out of nowhere.

Snug

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

Pierced horizontally through the inner rim of cartilage above the anti-tragus, the snug piercing gets 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 piercings—like this. However, orbital piercings have also come to mean a ring piercing through the conch piercing, as pictured above.

The most 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 a traditional lobe piercing, creating a vertical “stack.” Because it’s still on the lobe, 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.

Transverse Lobe

• Pain Level: 6/10
• Healing time: 2-10 months

If you’re looking for something edgier than the traditional lobe piercing, you’ll find it in the transverse lobe piercing. With a transverse piercing, the jewelry is threaded from side to side rather than from front to back as with traditional piercings. These are usually done with a barbell, which will result in two balls appearing on either side of your lobe.