Piercing Ear Lobe

A new ear piercing is an open wound that can take several weeks to fully heal. During that time, any bacteria that enter the wound can lead to infection. Taking good care of your piercing is key to preventing infection.

An ear piercing is a hole through your earlobe or the cartilage in your middle or upper ear. Ear piercing infections may be red, swollen, sore, warm, itchy or tender. Sometimes, piercings ooze blood or white, yellow or green pus.

A new piercing is an open wound that can take several weeks to fully heal. During that time, any bacteria that enter the wound can lead to infection.

Types Of Ear Piercings, From Lobes To Cartilage

Your upper ear is cartilage, a thick, stiff tissue with less blood flow. Piercings in your upper ear are more likely to become infected, and infections in your upper ear are sometimes serious.

Millions of people get their ears pierced every year, and most of them have no serious complications. Mild irritation and infections are common, however, for new piercings. In most cases, infections aren’t serious and clear up quickly.

Some pain and redness are part of the normal healing process for pierced ears. It can be easy to confuse those with signs of infection.

Ridgeland Earlobe Repair

If there’s a bump on the back of the ear piercing, it’s not necessarily infected. Small bumps called granulomas can sometimes form around the piercing. These bumps are trapped fluid that you can treat by compressing them with warm water.

If bacteria get into a new piercing, it can lead to infection. You may expose your new piercing to harmful bacteria by:

Many things can increase your risk of getting an infection from an ear piercing. Certain health conditions can affect your body’s immune system and your ability to fight infection. These conditions include:

Lower Lobe Piercing: Everything You Need To Know

Upper ear piercings are more likely to get infected. Left untreated, these infections can lead to a condition known as perichondritis. An infection can also spread into your body (systemic infection).

If you see signs of an infected cartilage piercing, you should contact a healthcare provider. The provider can assess the severity of the infection.

A healthcare provider can tell you what to do for an infected ear piercing. They may recommend a variety of treatments to help heal an infected ear piercing. Ear piercing infection treatment may include:

Ear Piercings: From Lobe To Tragus

With good care, most infections clear up within a few days. If your infected ear piercing isn’t improving, you should see a healthcare provider.

Getting your ears pierced is most often a safe, simple procedure. Be sure to go to an experienced piercer who practices proper hygiene. Keep your new piercings clean, and don’t remove your earrings until your piercings have healed completely. Be patient — by preventing an infection now, you can enjoy your healthy piercings for years to come.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. PolicyWe are proud to present our collection of piercing jewellery crafted in recycled 18ct and 9ct solid gold and perfect for any ear piercing placement.

I'm A Piercer And Here Are The Pain Levels For The Most Popular Ear Piercings… Your Lobe Is A Piece Of Cake

Our 18ct solid gold pieces are individually handcrafted with ethically sourced diamonds in our London workshop for a collection of truly exceptional pieces.

The Daith refers to the cartilage fold located just above the ear canal. This piercing placement is best suited to clicker hoops. The healing time is 6 to 12 months.

The tragus is found on the small bit of cartilage in front of the ear canal. This piercing placement is ideal for tiny rings and studs. The healing time is 6 to 12 months.

We're Ear For You! Labelled Ear Piercings.

The Flat is the top part of the ear, situated next to the Rook and under the Helix. The healing time is 6 to 12 months.

One of the most popular piercing placements, the Lobe is found on the lower part of the ear and does not pierce the cartilage. The Upper Lobe section is found slightly above the Lobe and it's great for rings and studs. The healing time of both areas is 2 to 4 months. Healing times can vary for Upper Lobe can sometimes be longer.

The Helix placement refers to the upper part of cartilage on the edge of the outside of your ear. The healing time is 2 to 4 months.

Top Ear Piercing Types & Your Guide To Each One

The Forward Helix is placed on the frontmost part of cartilage on the outside edge of the ear, just above the tragus. The healing time is 6 to 12 months.

The rook placement is in the fold of the upper ear cartilage. Due to the fold the piercing must be performed in a vertical position. For this reason, this piercing lends itself best to small hoops or externally threaded curved studs. The healing time is 2 to 4 months.

The Conch is found in the middle part of the inner ear. This area is great for hoops across the inner and outer ear or for subtle and dainty studs. The healing time is 6 to 12 months.

Ear Piercing Guide & Chart

Each piece of our 18ct solid gold cartilage jewellery is handcrafted by our skilled jewellers in our London workshop. Made with recycled gold and ethically sourced diamonds, these piercings are hypoallergenic and suitable for any cartilage piercing as a special addition to your perfectly curated ear stack.

Our 9ct solid gold cartilage jewellery offers luxurious and carefully crafted piercing jewellery at a more accessible price point. Browse our range of studs and hoops to elevate your earring stack. Our piercing collection is hypoallergenic and suitable to wear in healed cartilage piercings and to be pierced with.

At Maya Magal we work exclusively with conflict-free gemstones in line with global regulations such as the Kimberly Process. Maya and our Studio Design Manager Nathan work with our suppliers to individually handpick each gemstone.

Cartilage Vs. Earlobe Ear Piercing: What's Right For You?

Internally threaded studs feature a small screw on the back of the stud which fits into the matching internal screw thread on the earring’s back post. This is ideal for piercing as it is more secure than a traditional butterfly back. Additionally, the flat back means the back post is comfortable for wear in any piercing placement.

To open an internally threaded stud simply screw out the removable stud. Then take the back post and put it through your piercing from the back of your ear so a small section appears through the front of your piercing. Once it's through, take the stud and screw it into the back post until secure.

All Clicker Hoops from the Cartilage Jewellery Collection have a hinged clasp that features a clicker closure. To ensure security, the clasp on one end clicks between two ports on the other side. When secured correctly, it makes a signature click sound, responsible for the name of the hoop.

Why Are Lobe Piercings So Popular?

Clicker hoops are simple to put on and take off. To put them on, first pull very gently to open the clicker, then carefully push the pointed end through the piercing. Once through press both open ends of the hoop together until you hear the “click” sound.

At Maya Magal we use 9ct and 18ct solid gold for our piercing jewellery. Our Piercing Collection is made for piercings with hypoallergenic materials and comfortable and safe closure systems. Browse our range of studs and hoops available for different cartilage piercing placements.

Our Cartilage Collection is crafted with 18ct or 9ct solid gold, a hypoallergenic material safe for all healed piercings. If you’re considering being pierced with our jewellery, we recommend one of our internally threaded studs with a 7mm back post. Studs are the safest alternative for new piercings as they are less likely to get caught and will stay in place while your piercing heals. While some piercers may offer to pierce with a hoop, for the best experience we recommend our hoops only for healed piercings. In some cases you may need assistance from a piercer to fit your new jewellery even in a healed piercing. While our sales stylists are not qualified to help with this, we are happy to point you in the direction of a piercing studio who can.

Ear Lobe Piercings

Absolutely! The Cartilage collection can be used in your existing piercings. Piercing jewellery is a great option for cartilage piercings since you don’t plan to remove them and they fit comfortably and securely.

In general, studs are recommended for healing piercings. Hoops and dangling jewellery pieces do not always stay in place and can complicate the healing process. You can change to a different piece after 2 to 4 months if your piercing is in the lobe and after 6 to 12 months for cartilage piercings. We always recommend getting in touch with a professional piercer for further advice.

Cleaning your piercing jewellery on a regular basis is crucial to preventing bacteria buildup and the risk of infection. Wash your jewellery gently in lukewarm water with soap. To avoid infections, make sure all soap residue has been rinsed out. Alcohol and harsh chemicals should not be used since they may damage the metal. Visit our Jewellery Care Guide to learn all details.

The Lobe Piercing: Five Things You Might Not Know

You should only change your piercing jewellery once your piercing is fully healed. Each piercing placement has a different healing time. The