What piercings hurt the most

With so many different kinds of ear piercings out there, it's important to do your research before you get pierced so you know exactly what you want, where you want it, how much it's going to cost and, notably, how much it's going to hurt.

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How painful is an ear piercing?
What is the most painful ear piercing?
How much does it cost to get your ears pierced?
What piercings would look good on my ear?
The ultimate ear piercing guide:
Tragus piercing
Rook piercing
Snug piercing
Standard lobe piercing
Transverse lobe piercing
Forward helix piercing
Auricle piercing
Outer conch piercing
Orbital piercing
Things to know about piercings:
Best earrings to shop now:
Best piercing shops on a budget:

But before you head to the salon or as they're known now 'earring bar' to get permanently pierced, we've got the low down on everything you need to know. For starters, these are the three main types of ear piercings you can get:

Lobe piercings: standard lob piercing, transverse lobe piercing
Outer ear piercings: tragus piercing, snug piercing, forward helix piercing, industrial piercing, auricle piercing
Inner ear piercings: anti-tragus piercing, helix piercing, rook piercing, daith piercing, outer conch piercing, orbital piercing

How painful is an ear piercing?

Probably the most asked question before putting that dreaded needle through your ear is, "how much is this going to hurt?" Well, this all depends on your pain sensitivity level, because what you and your BFF consider painful could vary significantly, so there's no real guidebook 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, cartilage piercings are known to be quite painful, initially feeling a sharp shock before experiencing a duller throbbing pain. Take note though that most people consider piercing needles to be less painful than piercing guns, and they're a lot safer too. Huh, the more you know. Parent Trap piercings, anyone?

Some of the best ways to get through the pain are to simply advert your eyes away from the piercer (you know, pretend it's not happening), by chatting to a friend and holding their hand, or if you're alone listen to music in the non-piercing ear to distract you and before you know it, bam, you'll have a brand new piercing!

What is the most painful ear piercing?

While traditional piercings like ear lobes are the least painful, the snug and tragus are considered to hurt the most. But not all cartilage piercings are known to cause the same pain threshold, with upper cartilage piercings such as helix considered to be less painful than the anti-tragus and other inner ear piercings, which have harder tissue.

According to Authority Tattoo, the level of pain 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."

Any cartilage piercings may also hurt for up to a week after the initial piercing, as the inflammation calms down, because this area of the ear doesn't have as much blood flow it takes longer to heal.

Something else to note with any cartilage piercing is that you are effectively creating a wound in your ear which typically takes three months to heal, so it poses a greater risk of infection which can cause pain during recovery.

How much does it cost to get your ears pierced?

There's no denying multiple piercings have become a definitive trend that doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, with four to six piercings in one ear being the most popular requests. But if you're rocking up to the salon to get a whole new look (as expert Maria Tash will tell you 'ear curation') it will cost you a pretty penny. While it depends where you go, most places will charge between £15-20 for ear lobes and £20-30 for cartilage, not including the type of jewellery, which if you're going to get your lobes pierced at Maria Tash, will set you back a bit more.

What piercings would look good on my ear?

Honestly, this is all up to you. But don't let trends dictate what you want to get, remember these holes are permeant, but if you're after the ultimate guide we've got you covered below.

The ultimate ear piercing guide:

We've put together a guide to all of the main ear and cartilage piercings you can get including the helix, tragus and daith piercings - but if you get confused with all of the 'inner rim', 'outer conch' chat, it might be worth referring to the picture below for a handy quick view:

Tragus piercing

The tragus is the inner piece of cartilage 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.

Cost: £20-30.

Pain Threshold: 6/10.

Elliott Wilcox

1. Do your research. Go into your piercing shop 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 (@Monikh).

2. Rome wasn’t built in a day. You can never have too many piercings (within reason) but, “we recommend having no more than three done per session,” says Penny at Maria Tash. So if you’re aiming for six, speak to your piercer about staggering them.

3. Go maximal (not minimal). “Large layered earrings are the next big trend,” says Monikh. “Think gold, layered, shells and dangly, alongside tiny studs.”

4. 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 well before wearing them. That way, no one will ever have the same ones as you,” says Cosmopolitan’s Fashion Director Amy Bannerman.

5. 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.

6. Layer, layer and layer again. “You can sometimes fit a tiny stud into the same hole as a hoop so it ends up looking like one earring,” Amy explains. Nifty, eh?

Things to know about piercings:

We asked piercing industry experts for the ins and outs so you have answers to popular questions like, should I take my earring out if  I get an infection? How do I speed up the healing process? And, can you ever have too many piercings?

What’s better, a piercing gun  or needle? 

“Needles are sterile, single-use and hurt a lot less, whereas a gun is essentially a blunt object punching through your ear at high impact – it’ll always feel sorer,” says Penny Burrows at Maria Tash, who’s pierced Kate Moss and Idris Elba.

Is there anything that can help make the piercing process less painful? 

“If you’re on your period, you may be more sensitive to pain,” says Penny. But, adds Clem Kirchmeier, general manager at Metal Morphosis, “Painkillers shouldn’t be used beforehand as most are blood-thinning.” Rhianna Jones, piercer at The Circle, suggests “eating one to two hours before”. You could also channel your inner zen, as The Circle’s piercers use yoga breathing during the procedure. Ommm.

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 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.