Ear piercings are practically the coolest way to achieve a stylish and debonair look. They help in sharpening your features and making you look cooler than anyone in the room. However, it might seem too casual and incongruent for a professional scenario. Therefore, here’s a complete guide on the types of earrings you can wear as per the occasion and what you can do to take care of them.

However, be it any kind of piercing, it is always going to be painful to a certain degree. Ear piercings will be painful for only a second or two and the area is going to be a bit tender for about a week or so. Not only that, in comparison to extremely painful nipple piercings, ear piercings are still better.

Different Types of Ear Piercings

There are a plethora of ear piercings and therefore, we have listed down 14 popular ones for you. You can pick any of these as per your personality.

1. Helix

It is the hole in the upper cartilage of your ear. Helix ear piercing is considered to be a stylish kind of piercing.

2. Industrial

These are two auricle holes that are connected by one piece of jewellery in the ear. This piercing is also known as Scaffold piercing, which requires extraordinary post-care.

3. Auricle

This is the type of upper ear piercing found in the rim of the cartilage, especially near your outer ear.

4. Forward Helix

In this, you have forward-facing cartilage near the inner side of the ear.

5. Snug

Here, the piercing is done vertically, in the cartilage area of the ear. Snug piercing is also known as anti-helix piercing, but a bit more painful.

6. Rook

In this type of middle ear piercings, the piercing has been done vertically, puncturing the thick wrinkle inside the ear. This is the hardest kind of ear piercing which requires perforation of the inner cartilage. The rook piercing is considered to give you a rugged and debonair masculine look.

7. Orbital

For this, two cartilage holes are required, to link one piece of jewellery.

8. Daith

In this ear piercing, you are required to create one hole in the inner ear cartilage. As the cartilage of your inner ear is being pierced, the risk of infections and pain is increased.

9. Conch

This is in the form of a cup-shaped piercing, which requires to be punctured in the inner or outer cartilage.

10. Tragus

Tragus is the part of your inner ear that helps in holding your earphones. This piercing involves creating a hole in the cartilage, specifically in the center of your ear.

11. Antitragus

This is exactly opposite to the tragus, wherein you create a hole in the inner ear. This piercing is a little less painful than the tragus one and even less intimidating.

12. Earlobe

This is a common name for piercing the lower part of your lobe. Lobe piercing is the most popular kind of piercing which comes with the lowest risk of injury.

13. Upper Lobe

Upper lobe piercings, as the name suggests, is piercing in the upper part of the lobe.

14. Transverse Lobe

Here, you pass a horizontal piercing through the lower part of the earlobe.

What to do once you get your Piercings done

After getting the piercings done, it will take about two to six weeks for your piercings to be healed. Moreover, to avoid any infections or any other complications, it is better to use an unscented bacterial soap two times a day and a saltwater solution two to four times a day.

Precautionary steps to follow when you are done with your piercings:

• Do not touch your piercings or jewellery with unwashed hands as they carry germs and bacteria, which could lead to unsolicited infections or complications.
• Do not be careless while changing your shirt, talking to someone on phone or while combing your hair.
• Take utmost care while sleeping as you cannot sleep on the side of your pierced ear. You have to sleep on the other side, due to the pressure on your head.
• Moreover, do not use hydrogen peroxide and alcohol on ear piercings as this might cause some reactions or irritations near the piercings.
• For the piercing to completely heal, you will require some air to pass through it. If you apply any cream, gel, or ointment on it, it will block the oxygen supply, which could also hinder the healing process.

What happens when the Piercing is infected

If you feel that your piercing has been infected, your first instinct will be to take the ear cuffs out. Do not follow that instinct. If you have an infection, discuss with the person who did the piercing. Taking the earrings out will only complicate the issues.

Infection is generally caused when you have not taken proper care of your piercing or skipped one of the steps mentioned above. Under such circumstances, it can lead to the spread of bacteria and fungus, and even complicate the situation.

Once you find out the infection is spread or is about to spread, follow these steps:

• Keep the infected area away from fluids like water, saliva or even sweat.
• Do not let any object, that is water, helmet, sunglasses, earphones, come in contact with the infected area.
• Don’t use any kind of cosmetics or hair sprays.
• Deal with stress effectively, do not smoke, or do drugs, and avoid drinking alcohol.

When can you show off your piercings

The thing is that ear piercings can be worn whenever you want to wear them, that is, at your discretion. However, there are certain occasions and functions in which you can wear it so you can make it more visible.

First things first, generally ear piercings should not be worn in formal settings and somber events like someone’s funerals, as they seem too casual and chill for the occasions. However, if you are invited to a beach party or homecoming events, the ear piercings are definitely to be worn and their flex is appreciated.