The tragus piercings go on the tiny piece of cartilage on the outside of your ear canal. It’s about a medium on the pain scale since it's a thicker piece of cartilage, and can take up to eight months to heal. This is best for people who want to experiment outside the box of the usual lobe and helix piercings and want to try our small, cute options.

Pain: Low - Medium
Healing: 6 – 12 months
Popularity: Growing
Jewelry: Studs, Hoops

The rook piercing is located on the folded part of the upper inside of your ear. Since this is a very sensitive area, you’ll feel a lot of pressure while getting it done and will likely feel a lot of pain while it heals for up to 12 months. It’s definitely for people who want to take risks and stand out from the crowd!

Pain: Medium
Healing: 6 – 12 months
Popularity: Low
Jewelry: Hoops, Curved Barbells 

A conch piercing means a piercing in any part of the cartilage in the flat parts of the center of your ear. This piercing comes in two types: inner and outer, depending on where you want to place your earring. Be warned that this one is more painful than the previous options since it has to go through thicker cartilage. Since it’s a bit of a hidden piercing, it makes it clear you're a mysterious individual with your own style—it works well with hoops and studs.

Pain: High
Healing: 6 – 12 months
Popularity: Growing
Jewelry: Hoops, Studs 

A slightly more painful area, the auricle is located midway between your lob and the top of your ear (the helix). This area is popular with people who want to start experimenting outside the classic areas. Hoop earrings are often a good fit for this area as they can loop around to catch the eye both from the front and the back. The healing time is slightly longer, sometimes going up to 12 months, so be sure to take proper care!

Pain: Medium
Healing: 6 – 12 months
Popularity: Growing
Jewelry: Hoops, Studs

The helix piercing is on the upper rim of the ear, sometimes also called a cartilage piercing. Similar to a conch piercing, it does hurt more but it does offer a variety of locations to choose from. The healing time is at least six months, but that can change depending on the helix location you pick.If you were to go for a double or triple helix piercing, the healing time may be slightly longer than the usual 6 months, but the versatility of this area makes it all worth it!

Pain: Low - Medium
Healing: 6 – 12 months
Popularity: High
Jewelry: Hoops, Studs 

The anti-tragus piercing is located in the middle cartilage in the ridge between the inner and outer ear. It can be very painful at the time since it requires pressure to get through the thicker area of cartilage and can take up to a year to heal. Because of this, it’s not the most popular piercing, but it still has its charm due to its uniqueness. This is ideal for experienced people who are familiar with the piercing process and want to try something really daring and different.

Pain: Medium
Healing: 9 – 12 months
Popularity: Low
Jewelry: Hoops, Curved Barbells

The daith piercing is more painful since it goes through the innermost cartilage of the ear. It can take a while to heal, lasting anywhere from 9 to 12 months, depending on how well you take care of it. Some people even claim it helps with migraines—see my other blog post for details!

Pain: Medium – High
Healing: 9–12 months
Popularity: Low
Jewelry: Hoops, Curved Barbells

This is a more painful piercing since it’s two separate piercings in sensitive cartilage. Make this choice carefully since the healing time can be up to 12 months. Not all ear shapes will work with this style—check with your piercer first. Since this style is two piercings in one, after it’s fully healed, you can treat it as two helix piercings on those days when you’re not feeling the more common barbell look. 

Pain: High
Healing: 9 - 12 months
Popularity: Medium
Jewelry: Industrial barbell, double chain earring

Whatever your style is, make an educated choice!