Ear piercing is an excellent way to express your taste and style through the jewelry you choose and the type of piercing you get. The cost of ear piercing differs according to where you have the piercing done, and the body location of the piercing.
You can get piercings done at kiosks in shopping centers, at some beauty and hair salons, at some tattoo parlors, and other places. The following article includes an explanation of piercing locations with a chart to show the common charges for these piercings.
Ear Piercing Types & Cost
#1. Lobe Piercing
Lobe piercing is the most common ear piercing. It is performed on the lobe of the ear and is associated with minimal pain as this section of the ear does not have a lot of nerve endings. This is the least expensive of all piercing types and can be performed at home using a needle, or can be done at stores that sell jewelry, in tattoo shops, in beauty and hair salons, in Dr. Offices, and more.
#2. Conch Piercing
Getting a hole pierced through the center bowl of your ear is called a conch piercing or concha piercing.
Typical lobe piercings take up to 6 weeks to properly heal, where a conch piercing can take as long as nine months to heal.
#3. Daith Piercing
At the upper portion of your ear, the cartilage creates a small fold. A piercing in this area is called a Daith piercing. This type of piercing is normally done using a hollow needle and not a piercing gun because the guns shoot with a great amount of force and can cause damage to the cartilage.
#4. Helix Piercings
The Helix piercing is created at the upper rim of the ear. The piercing is in all actuality a cartilage piercing. It is known to be rather painful and will take about three months to heal.
#5. Tragus Piercing
This piercing is created on the thick section of cartilage that is just outside the opening of your ear canal. It is right beside your head and known to be rather painful and more expensive to have done. The amount of time for healing after one of these piercings can be up to eight months.
#6. Snug Piercing
This is another cartilage puncture that is performed on the rim of the ear in about the center. The pain associated with this type of piercing includes very sharp pressure. This is a pretty thick area of cartilage and like other cartilage piercings you are going to need several months, about six, to heal from this procedure.
#7. Industrial Piercing
The industrial piercing is the most painful and the most expensive piercing to the ear. At the upper portion of the ear, a piercing is established through each side of the ear so a bar can be inserted across the width of the ear. This type of piercing is very painful because the holes are created through cartilage, and the healing time is around nine months.
#8. Orbital Piercing
Orbital piercings are similar to Industrial ones because they have two puncture holes and one piece of jewelry is used to connect them. Normally the jewelry worn after an orbital is a ring rather than a bar-style like is worn after an industrial piercing. These piercings can be created through the ear lobes or through cartilage so the pain can be almost non-existent to the rather extreme.
Ear Piercing Cost by Location
| Piercing | Cost By Area |
| Lobe | Between $25 and $50 |
| Conch | Between $30 and $70 |
| Daith | Between $35 and $70 |
| Helix | Between $30 and $60 |
| Tragus | Between $30 and $60 |
| Snug | Between $30 and $60 |
| Industrial | Between $45 and $80 |
| Orbital | Between $45 and $80 |
The Dangers Associated with Ear Piercing
Ear piercing is not without some risk. When you pierce your ears, you are essentially creating an open wound. An open wound always poses a threat to become a more serious injury. The most common complications from ear piercing are:
Most Common Complications from Ear Piercing
- Abscesses that require oral antibiotics to clear up.
- Allergic reactions caused by the earrings or the ointments used in treatment of the wound.
- Infection that becomes severe and poses threat to the ear and surrounding tissue. This severe type of infection requires medical treatment by a physician.
- Perichondritis is an infection that is seen after cartilage piercing. It requires medical treatment.
- Embedded earrings are usually only seen on the ears of patients who had their piercings done by spring loaded piercing guns. Surgical incisions are required to remove the earring.
- Keloid scarring that requires medical treatment such as Corticosteroid injections or surgical extractions of the scarred tissue. These scars can sometimes be treated with laser therapy.
- Traumatic tearing that requires a suture to close.
Warnings Against Ear Piercing
There are some people that should not get their ears pierced. There are some places you should not get your ears pierced. Learning about these warnings can help you to avoid possible severe infections or problems that are associated with ear piercing.
- Sufferers of autoimmune disorders should NOT get their ears pierced without talking to a doctor. These disorders can prevent the hole on the ear from healing properly.
- People allergic to jewelry and to certain metals should avoid getting their ears pierced. If you do decide to have a piercing then make certain what the jewelry that is used during the procedure is made of to avoid exposure to a metal you are going to react to.
- Cartilage piercings should only be performed by experienced piercing specialist. These piercings offer a higher risk of damage to the area, infection, and intense scarring.
- Piercing guns can expose you to serious diseases like Hepatitis and staph infections. Even if you see the gun being wiped down with an antibacterial cloth you are still at risk of infections and contagions like this being introduced into your body.
- Ear piercing without asking the question of how the equipment is sterilized and what sterile procedures will be taken to protect you can expose you to dangerous and deadly conditions. The piercing specialist should be glad to show you how their equipment is cleaned and sterilized.
- Ear piercing guns can malfunction. When they malfunction, the jewelry being inserted can be embedded and pliers may be needed to pull the jewelry free.
- Whenever you are creating an open wound on the body you are at risk of exposure to germs that normally cannot enter your system because of the protection of the skin. When creating a piercing both the client and the piercing professionals are at risk of being exposed to different contagions. Careful handwashing and sterilization methods must be followed to prevent this from occurring.
- The piercing guns should not be used to puncture cartilage do to the excessive force the gun uses. This force can cause severe and irreparable damage to the ear of the client.
People Also Asked for Ear Piercing
Can you pierce your ears at home?
For many years people have been piercing their own ears at home using a needle to create the puncture through the lobe. You can pierce your lobe in this manner but you should never attempt to do piercing through cartilage like this. If you are placing a hole in the cartilage of your ear you need a professional to do the job to help you prevent serious injury.
How old do you have to be to get your ears pierced?
You can have a child’s ears pierced when they are only six weeks of age. Older children can have their ears pierced but they need consent from a parent or legal guardian prior to the piercing. The consent is intended to stop lawsuits from being filed against the person doing the piercing in the event an infection or complication arises.
Is piercing with a needle more painful than with a piercing gun?
Piercing your ears with a needle is not more painful than piercing with a gun. The biggest difference is the gun shoots the earring into the ear very quickly while the needle is a slower procedure. The injuries associated with ear piercing guns are more severe than the injuries that are associated with simple needle push procedures.
If my ear piercing closes up when can I re-pierce it?
If the hole created during an ear-piercing should grow closed you should never pierce through the hole again. The hole is filled with scar tissue and this is not a good tissue to pierce. You should have future piercings placed in close proximity but not directly through the scar tissue.