Types of Ear Piercings and the Multiple Names for the Same Piercings
Lobe Piercings
Standard lobe piercings are the most common type of ear piercings, which pierce through your earlobe from front to back.
However, transverse lobe piercings go through your skin horizontally using a barbell. Transverse lobe piercings don’t involve cartilage. Therefore, they are typically more pain-free than other kinds of piercings.
Rim Piercings
Rim piercings are another common type of ear piercing that you can find on the rim of the cartilage near the outside of the ear.
Also known as an auricle piercing, rim piercings are typically done in conjunction with one or more lobe piercing, but can complement whatever piercings you already have with ease.
Industrial Piercings
Sometimes referred to as a scaffold, bar or construction piercing, an industrial piercing is a double perforation of the upper ear cartilage.
The most popular type of industrial piercing is through the anti-helix and helix, using a long pierce of barbel jewelry to connect the two.
Helix Piercings
A helix piercing generally sits at the top of your ear cartilage. There’s plenty of room in this area, so double and triple helix piercings are quite common.
Conversely, Forward helix piercings are in the outer rim of your ear at the top of the rim just above the tragus, just below the typical helix piercing.
Snug Piercings
One of the most distinctive ear piercings is the snug piercing. It is in the inner cartilage area part-way down the ear’s outer rim.
The snug piercing is the adjacent, inner ear counterpart of helix piercing. Consequently, it is also called an anti-helix piercing.
Daith Piercings
Positioned at the end of the helix on the innermost part of the cartilage near to the tragus is the daith piercing.
Interestingly, some people find this piercing to offer them relief from severe headaches and migraines.
Tragus Piercings
The tragus piercing sits just above your ear canal. The size varies greatly from individual to individual, but it is typically only big enough for one piercing, whether it is a stud or a hoop.
The anti-tragus piercing is performed just above the lobe piercing. It is fairly similar to the tragus piercing in regard to its characteristics, despite its name.
Rook Piercings
There’s a ridge just above the daith referred to as a rook. Typically, people use a curved barbell or hoop for the rook piercing.
Rook piercings are on two different cartilages, more specifically, the cartilage fold on the upper inner ear.
Conch Piercings
A conch piercing is done in the middle section of your ear. The name of this piercing comes from this part of the ear’s resemblance to conch shells that you can find on ocean coasts.
There are two types of conch piercings: inner conch piercing and outer conch piercing. The inner conch is more popular of the two.
Orbital Piercings
While similar to the industrial piercing, the orbital piercing does not connect the holes horizontally but rather from front. Typically, people prefer a hoop piece of jewelry to pass through both.
Orbital piercings can be in a lots of places, but people commonly have them in the helix or the lobe.
These are just a few of the most common types of ear piercings. Contact us at with the link below for more information or to get your ear pierced today!
