Tragus 101
- lynnloheide
- Jul 4
- 6 min read
We are continuing my 101 series with a personal favorite- the tragus piercing! Tragus is the medical term for the prominent piece of cartilage in front of the opening of the ear, aka the little nub, the bit, and “that piece”. Tragus piercings are super cute, and their placement allows them to be more visible from the front, giving more dimension and visibility to pieces worn here. Like many piercings, these are anatomy-dependent, but it's uncommon not to be able to get a tragus piercing at all. In fact many clients can support multiple tragus piercings or even large and decorative jewelry in this location. I personally adore tragus piercings and think they are beyond cute, but there are some unique considerations for these piercings, so let's get into it. Here is everything you might want to know before getting your tragus pierced!
Anatomy Always
Like most things, tragus piercings are anatomy-dependent. The first element is having enough tissue here to be safely pierced. Yes- some tragus’ are too small to support piercing. However, this is fairly uncommon, and the vast majority of the time a client comes to me concerned their tragus might be too small, it’s actually very piercable!
Now, having enough tissue to pierce is the first step. The second is exact placement, which also often varies according to anatomy. See, tragus’ are a bit like camels….theres one hump traguses and two hump traguses.
On a one hump tragus, placement is most often going to align with the natural high point of the profusion of the tragus. This allows for maximum space for jewelry to be worn and usually is also a placement that would allow a hoop to comfortably tuck into that valley below the tragus. More jewelry options are always a benefit! On two hump tragus’ it can be a bit different. Some folks may line things up with the apex of the larger section, others might go in the middle, there are lots of options to play around! Your piercer should assess your anatomy and discuss with you how it will impact placement and marking and help you decide on the most flattering location.
Another note on placement with these is depth- it can be easy to end up with a tragus that is too shallow or close to the edge of the ridge, which may deal with migration or rejection. It’s also easy to end up too deep with a piercing that almost sits into the tissue of the face, and often may deal with irritation and issues during healing. Depth can be a tricky element of tragus piercings, and extra care should be given to ensure yours is placed at an appropriate depth.
Initial Jewelry
A straight stud is going to be the best choice for a tragus piercing initially, especially with a flat backing for comfort. For most folks, going slightly more conservative for healing is going to make healing easier. Smaller and simpler ends are going to be easier to heal with than really large and decorative pieces. That said, some of the larger pieces can totally still be used initially, but clients should understand they will be a little bit more work to heal with and a little bit more cleaning. If you have the time and confidence to do that extra work, then larger ends can totally be used!
I unfortunately see many people get their tragus pierced with a curved barbell, and this is not appropriate jewelry for initial healing here. The curve will want to hang forward or back and put pressure on the channel of the piercing. The curve can also rotate inward to the ear canal and cause issues.
Likewise, I do not suggest hoops for initial tragus piercings. Not only do they have to be massive to allow for swelling and healing, but they are very prone to getting caught and snagged and moving around a ton, causing irritation. These are definitely piercings that heal best in a straight piece of jewelry.
Initial jewelry for most piercings will be a little longer to allow for swelling and healing. Once that swelling goes down, oftentimes clients can come back in for a downsize or a smaller bar. You can read more about downsizing here. I personally find that tragus piercings can often stay swollen a but longer than your standard helix or flat piercing, and it's not uncommon for clients to take longer to be ready to downsize these. It’s still a good idea to follow up with your piercer around 1-2 months to see how things are healing, but don’t be alarmed if there's still some swelling, and downsizing isn’t possible yet. That’s very normal with this placement, and as long as things are healing well, that’s what matters!
Healing Expectations
Tragus piercings, when pierced correctly and downsized when needed, are often a fairly easy heal! Tucked in closer to your face, they don’t get caught or snagged as often as helix piercings can. Cleaning the backs of these can be tricky as they are impossible to see, but asking a friend or family member to check for you every now and again is usually enough to keep up with cleaning and doing a good job. For this reason, some piercers opt to start with ball backs for easier cleaning, but some clients find the sensation of a bead on the back unpleasant and may prefer flat back styles. Either way, if you find yourself struggling to keep things clean back there, a trip to your piercer to see how things are going is never a bad plan!
The main issues I see tragus have are from accidentally snagging them or accidentally sleeping on them. Obviously, accidents happen, and we can’t control how we sleep, but getting this piercing on the side you don’t sleep on and using travel pillows or ear pillows while sleeping can help. Tragus’ can be prone to migration, especially if they are slept on. It’s very, very important to avoid sleeping on them initially and to downsize them once they are ready. I do find that starting these slightly thicker at 16 or 14g helps to avoid that migration, although 18g can still be safely used.
Healing usually takes around 6-9 months for flats, as most cartilage piercings do. Things like not downsizing or setbacks during the healing process can make these take as long as a year to fully heal. It’s important to wait for these to be fully healed, especially if your goal jewelry is super decorative and fancy, or hoops. Sometimes, you need to wait a bit longer than the healing process if your goal is a very large piece or ring, to give the piercing extra time to stabilize and relax before wearing these styles. If you try wearing these very large pieces too soon, you may experience some discomfort, irritation, or even migration.
Headphones
Of course, one of the biggest questions with tragus piercings is what about in-ear headphones or earbuds? And I am happy to report that you can totally still wear your earbuds with a tragus- once it’s fully healed. Now, these do take 6-9 months to fully heal, so that does mean a decent length of time without wearing buds. I know that can be a struggle for some folks, but I promise its worth it. Rock just a single one, or invest in some overeats for the months while you are healing, and your tragus will thank you.
Once fully healed, wearing both properly sized jewelry and properly fitted earbuds will make all the difference for comfort. If your jewelry in your tragus has not been downsized, you may find it uncomfortable to wear earbuds, or they may not feel secure. Wearing a piece that snugly fit to your ear with a flat back is going to make all the difference to your headphones fitting correctly. And likewise, experiment with different ear pieces on your buds. You may find that with the presence of the piercing, you need to wear larger or smaller attachments for a comfortable fit, so don’t hesitate to try different things out. While it may take a bit of trial and error, once you find your perfect fit of jewelry and earbud, it’s super comfortable!
Anxiety Cure?
I’m unsure where this rumor started, but somewhere along the way, people started claiming various ear piercings work for different medical conditions. I’ve heard that tragus piercings cure anxiety, help with weight loss, and even help people quit smoking?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no medical evidence that any piercing cures any ailment, but particularly not tragus piercings. I have my tragus pierced and I still have the anxiety of a creature being hunted for sport at the grocery store. This is, sadly, just a rumor. If you want a tragus piercing because you like the look of it or the cool jewelry, go for it! But if you are getting it for some form of medical cure….it’s a commitment piercing that can take months to heal with diligent care and cleaning, and I have not seen any evidence it works for anything more than looking cool.
Tragus piercings are fun, versatile piercings that add a unique pop of interest to any ear. These piercings are a perfect addition whether you have many piercings already or just your lobes, and are worth the healing process. While earbuds and headphones can pose a challenge to healing, it's only temporary, and it's so worth it for such a cool end result. If you’ve been considering getting your tragus pierced, I say go for it! Happy healing!
