18 cute and popular types of ear piercings: A guide to where they are and how much they hurt

Planning on getting pierced but want to do a lil research ahead of time? A wise move, IMO, and you've come to the right place. There are *a lot* of different ear piercings out there, so first things first, you'll want to decide where exactly you want to accessorise. We're talking specifically ear placements in this article, but other areas of your body (like your nose) are also an option. Of course, deciding where to get pierced will likely be informed by how much it's going to cost, how much it's going to hurt and if it will look hella cute. So, before you head to your fave jewellery brand's piercing studio or pop-up ‘earring bar’ to get permanently pierced, we've got the lowdown on everything you need to know. For starters, ear piercings are all grouped under three main categories: Lobe piercings: standard lobe piercing, upper lobe piercing, stacked lobe piercing, pre-lobe piercing, transverse lobe piercing Outer ear piercings: tragus piercing, snug piercing, helix piercing, forward helix piercing, auricle piercing, industrial piercing Inner ear piercings: anti-tragus piercing, flat helix piercing, hidden helix piercing, rook piercing, daith piercing, conch piercing, snonch piercing, orbital piercing If you get confused with all of the ‘forward’, ‘outer’ and ‘anti’ terminology, it might be worth referring to the chart below for a handy view: Types of ear piercings Standard lobe piercing Cost: £10-25 Pain Threshold: 2/10 You know this one, the classic piercing we all got when we were in primary school. If you're wanting to create a curated earring stack, getting two or three standard lobe studs could be a good place to start, as well as introducing a mix of hoops and studs (once your new holes have properly healed, of course). The closer to your cartilage you get and the piercings are called upper lobe piercings. Stacked lobe piercing Cost: £10-25 Pain Threshold: 3/10 Rather than building up your earscape with a series of piercings travelling backwards along your outer ear, a stacked lobe piercing introduces multiple piercings at varying heights on your lobes in vertical, diagonal or triangular alignment, depending on how many piercings you're introducing to the stack. Laura Bond recommends opting for tiny labret studs in a stacked lobe piercing for optimum comfort due to the small surface area. A smaller stud piercing positioned higher than your traditional first lobe piercing and right next to where your lobe meets the side of your face is called a pre-lobe piercing. Transverse lobe piercing Cost: £15-25 Pain Threshold: 3/10 Instead of piercing through the lobe front to back like a standard lobe piercing, the transverse lobe piercing goes through the skin horizontally using a barbell. This kind of piercing doesn't involve cartilage, so in general is more pain-free than other kinds of piercings. Helix piercing Cost: £25-40 Pain Threshold: 4/10 Any piercing in the outer cartilage rim of the upper part of the ear is referred to as a helix piercing. Two piercings placed one under the other in this area are called a double helix piercing. You can wear a stud or a hoop in any helix piercing. Forward helix piercing Cost: £25-40 Pain Threshold: 5/10 A forward helix piercing is made in the outer rim of your ear (the helix) at the top of the rim just above the tragus. It can often be quite painful as it is made through the cartilage in your ear. You can also get a double or a triple forward helix piercing, and wear either a stud or a hoop in this piercing. Flat piercing Cost: £30-35 Pain threshold: 7/10 The flat piercing is a cartilage piercing positioned at the top part of your ear, in the middle part of flat skin away from the ridge for you to place a stud in. We're creeping higher up the pain scale with this one, and the recovery period is usually 3-10 months, but it can look *so* pretty depending on your choice of jewellery. Tragus piercing Cost: £25-40 Pain Threshold: 6/10 The tragus is the inner piece of cartilage, sort of triangle-shaped, that sits over the ear canal directly above your lobe. This popular piercing can look great with studs, hoops and in combination with lots of other jewellery. Anti-tragus piercing Cost: £30-40 Pain Threshold: 7/10 The anti-tragus is the little bit of raised cartilage next to your lobe and opposite your tragus, fitted with a vertical gold huggie hoop in the snap below. Depending on your pain threshold, this piercing can be pretty painful both during the process and in the recovery time afterwards. Rook piercing Cost: £30-40 Pain Threshold: 7/10 Follow the anti-helix round from the snug to the other end of the cartilage rim and this is where you'll find a rook piercing. You can rock this piercing with a hoop or barbell, whatever you prefer the look of. Daith piercing Cost: £25-45 Pain Threshold: 6/10 The daith piercing is positioned on the innermost part of the cartilage, near the tragus. It looks great fitted with a hoop to fill the hollow gap in the centre of your ear. Unfortunately, this piercing isn't suitable for everyone. Depending on your ear anatomy, you may not have enough space or a suitably shaped daith cartilage to allow for a safe and effective piercing, so definitely chat to your piercer first if you're thinking about adding this to your earscape. Conch piercing Cost: £30-40 Pain Threshold: 8/10 The conch is the sunken-in dip in the middle of your ear. Depending on the placing, you could wear a hoop or opt for a simple stud, so it's worth thinking about this before the needle gets involved. An inner conch piercing is located at the most sunken part of your ear – at the bottom of the bowl, if you like – closer to the ear canal and as such is only suited to studs. An outer conch piercing is situated on the edge of the bowl, closer to the rim of your ear, allowing a hoop to be fitted. Though make sure any hoop jewellery is specifically designed for conch piercings, a standard huggie won't work here. Snug piercing Cost: £30-40 Pain Threshold: 9/10 The snug piercing runs along the anti-helix of the ear – basically the inner ridge of cartilage inside your ear, adjacent to the ear canal – and sits right above the anti-tragus. It's similar to a conch piercing, but positioned through the raised bit of cartilage between the conch and your outer ear. Another key difference is, if you wear a stud rather than a hoop in this piercing, you'll be able to see the ends of the piercing as it requires a barbell fitting. Snonch piercing Cost: £30-40 Pain Threshold: 9/10 Coined the ‘snonch’ piercing for its location between the conch and snug, this piercing is also known as a contra conch piercing. It sits on the upper, outer part of the conch, almost along the edge of raised cartilage. Auricle piercing Cost: £30-40 Pain Threshold: 6/10 An auricle piercing is made on the outer part of the ear, usually halfway up, between the ear lobe and the helix. As it is a cartilage piercing, expect a longer recovery time and more pain than a lobe piercing. It's sometimes also referred to as a helix tail piercing, as it's right at the bottom part of your cartilage above the ear lobe. Orbital piercing Cost: £30-40 Pain Threshold: 7/10 An orbital piercing refers to any piercing where two holes are made in the same part of the ear so that a hooped piece of jewellery can pass through both. While these can be made in lots of places, commonly people have this piercing in the helix or the lobe. Snakebite piercing Cost: £30-40 Pain Threshold: 6/10 (depending on location) Not to be confused with an orbital piercing, a snakebite piercing sees two piercings made relatively close together – but not connected – to punctuate your ear like the fangs of a snake would. You know, if you let a snake get that close to your ear, which we wouldn't recommend... The most common location for this type of piercing is along the mid-helix, but you could get a snakebite piercing at your helix, the forward helix, flat helix or even your conch. Industrial piercing Cost: £30-40 Pain Threshold: 7/10 Rather than a singular piercing, an industrial piercing is usually two (although sometimes more) piercings through the ear cartilage. The most popular kind of industrial piercing is through the helix and forward helix, connected using a long piece of barbell jewellery (or cute arrow). How painful is an ear piercing? Probably the most asked question before the dreaded needle goes through your ear is, “How much is this going to hurt?” Short answer: it all comes down to your individual pain sensitivity level. What you, versus your BFF, considers painful could vary significantly, so there's no real guidebook here. But if you want to minimise pain, there are certain piercing types you might want to avoid. While you shouldn't feel more than a pinch when the needle goes through your ear with lobe piercings, the sensation from cartilage piercings is known to be a little stronger as your cartilage is much thicker than the skin on your ear lobes. You'll likely initially feel a sharp shock before experiencing a duller throbbing pain. Albeit mild, and over in a flash! Make sure whatever piercing you go for, your piercer uses a piercing needle (not the Parent Trap kind). Avoid any places that use piercing guns as needles are a much safer option – not to mention a lot less painful, too! If you're on the squeamish side but desperate to build a curated ear stack, some of the best ways to get through the piercing process are to simply close your eyes (you know, pretend it's not happening), chat to a friend and hold their hand to distract you. It literally takes a second to pierce your ear, so before you know it, you'll have a brand new piercing! What is the most painful ear piercing? Okay, we've already covered that standard lobe piercings are the least painful of the bunch. Helix and tragus piercings are the next step up on the pain scale as these are positioned through thin cartilage. They're considered to give a sharp pinch sensation and result in a longer healing time compared to lobe piercings. Daith and conch piercings go through even thicker cartilage, which generally means more pressure and more pain. And finally, given industrial and constellation piercings require multiple holes, that's just simple maths as more needles equals more pain. According to Authority Tattoo, the level of pain you feel during the procedure also has a lot to do with the experience of the piercer. “If you choose a more experienced professional to handle the piercing, it’s likely to go much more smoothly. They will also have a better technique with the piercing needle to ensure that everything goes right.” Unfortunately, pain doesn't end as soon as the piercing is done. Cartilage piercings may hurt for up to a week afterwards as the inflammation calms down. Because this area of the ear doesn't have as much blood flow, it takes longer to heal, meaning you'll likely feel a little sore for longer. Something else to note with any cartilage piercing is that you are effectively creating a wound in your ear, which typically takes three months at a minimum to heal. This poses a greater risk of infection – AKA further pain – during recovery, so following the aftercare steps for your piercing is crucial to help combat irritation during this time. “If you’re on your period, you may be more sensitive to pain,” says Penny Burrows at Maria Tash, who has pierced Kate Moss and Idris Elba. But, adds Clem Kirchmeier, general manager at Metal Morphosis, “Painkillers shouldn’t be used beforehand as most are blood-thinning.” If you're prone to feeling faint at the sight of a needle, drinking lots of water and “eating one to two hours before” will help, suggests Rhianna Jones, piercer at The Circle. Plus, some yoga breathing during the procedure won't go amiss. *Ommm.* How much does it cost to get your ears pierced? There's no denying multiple piercings have become a definitive trend, with four to six piercings in one ear being the most popular requests. But if you're rocking up to a piercing appt wanting a whole new look (often referred to as ‘ear curation’ or ‘earscaping’) it will cost you a pretty penny. While it depends on where you go, most places will charge between £15-20 for ear lobes and £20-30 for cartilage, not including jewellery. Astrid & Miyu's piercing appointments start at £20 with the cost of piercing jewellery starting at £30, while at Lark and Berry, piercings are complimentary with the purchase of piercing jewellery, styles that are all 14k gold and feature lab-grown diamonds and gemstones from £75. Make sure you do your research and ask any pricing questions *before* you go under the needle. What piercings would look good on my ear? Honestly, this is all up to you, and there's a lot to choose from, so we totally understand the dilemma. Some brands, including Maria Tash, offer virtual styling studios on their website, so you can play around with different designs and placements before taking the plunge. Top piercers at piercing boutiques like Lark & Berry and Laura Bond are also more than happy to offer their expert advice on suitable placements for each customer, too. Try not to let trends dictate what you want to get – these holes are pretty permanent after all. How to style multiple piercings Now you've done all the research and picked which piercing(s) you plan to get, here's handy tips and tricks from stylists on how to achieve the perfect curated ear. Do your research. Go into your piercer the same way you would your hairdresser, armed with research and ideas for how you’d like to look. “I use Instagram and Pinterest as my sources of inspiration,” says multi-pierced influencer Monikh Dale. Rome wasn’t built in a day. You can never have too many piercings but, “We recommend having no more than three done per session,” says Penny at Maria Tash. Speak to your piercer about staggering your appointments based on adequate healing times. Go maximal (not minimal). “Large layered earrings are the next big trend,” says Monikh. “Think gold, layered, shells and dangly, alongside tiny studs.” Get crafty. “I have tiny good-quality gold hoops from Jennifer Fisher and hang little charms or pendants from charity shops or flea markets from them. You can also get single, second-hand earrings and just sterilise them before wearing them. That way, no one will ever have the same ones as you,” says eBay pre-loved stylist Amy Bannerman. If you don’t want to go the whole way, fake it till you make it with cuffs and huggers, which are essentially pretend hoops. “They stay put even when sleeping or showering, and look so realistic. Instant pain-free style!” says Amy. Layer, layer and layer again. “You can sometimes fit a tiny stud into the same hole as a thin hoop so it ends up looking like one earring,” Amy explains. Nifty, eh? Things to know about piercings Why do I get metal allergies? “Allergies to certain metals often lie within the nickel content. We don’t know how or why certain people are more sensitive than others,” says Penny. “At Maria Tash, we only pierce with completely nickel-free gold. Some other studios pierce with titanium, which also has a low nickel content. Never get pierced with silver because it oxidises and increases the risk of infection and allergic reactions.” Rhianna Jones at The Circle says, “We only recommend piercing with implant-grade titanium, which is used in surgical procedures, like knee and hip replacements. Anything of a lower grade isn’t suitable to live in the body.” Dr Emma Wedgeworth, a renowned dermatologist, agrees that surgical-grade titanium is the safest metal to pierce with: “Certain types of stainless steel are made to contain the nickel within the metal, so it is not released into the body. Despite this, personally, I would avoid it for a fresh piercing.” She adds, “If you’ve ever reacted to jewellery, watches or belt buckles, it’s also important to get this assessed before piercing.” What should I do if my piercing gets infected? “Don’t take it out immediately. You might trap the infection in your ear if it heals up,” says Penny. To help avoid this, Clem advises, “Use the right aftercare products, like a pre-made sterile saline solution, don’t touch it, use fresh towels and pillowcases regularly and don’t swim in public pools for a while.” If you’re concerned about an infection, or there doesn’t seem to be any improvement within a couple of days, see your GP. What are keloid scars? Keloid scars are enlarged, raised scars that can be pink, red, skin-coloured or darker than the surrounding skin. They can also continue to grow and might have to be surgically removed. “If you have a bump, nine times out of 10, it’s probably not a keloid bump, but a blood blister,” says Penny. “In which case, treat by doing compresses every day for a few weeks. Just saturate some kitchen roll in a hot cup of chamomile tea.” If you’re still unsure, check with a doctor or piercer. Best earrings to shop now Best piercing shops on a budget • Claire's is not just for hen-do feather boas and an excellent selection of diamanté jewellery, we've relied on them for in-store piercing since our teens. • Superdrug. Quite handy if you’re wanting to get some paracetamol post-pierce, TBH.

18 cute and popular types of ear piercings: A guide to where they are and how much they hurt

Helix, daith, conch, tragus and more – we explain what they all are and how much they hurt.

Related Stories