Laura Ljaze
Body Piercing

The Anti-tragus piercing is considered a modern piercing with no known ties to ancient culture.  The roots of the Anti-tragus likely emerged in the 90s at the same time as the Rook and Daith piercing. Despite it's popularity, not many people actually know where a anti-tragus piercing is situated, 

Will it hurt? This is a moderately painful piercing due to the thickness of tissue.  This piercing is also dependant on your anatomy.  The piercing procedure itself will include some discomfort and a feeling of pressure as the hole is created as well as soreness after the jewellery is inserted and during the initial healing stages.  Of course, the pain experienced from a Anti-tragus piercing, as with any piercing, will vary between individuals and a variety of other factors. 

Healing? Because the anti-tragus piercing goes through a thick piece of tissue, the healing time is approximately 6-12 months, which is longer than other ear piercings. Infection rates can be slightly higher for the Anti-tragus piercing because of the fact that it is close to the hair and can come into contact with oils, ear wax and dirt from the scalp and the piercing is positioned in a exposed area.  This piercing can be a difficult one to heal as one side is safely tucked in you ear and the other side is in a exposed position prone to knocks and this can cause issues sleeping on this piercing. Good aftercare is so important to heal this piercing well.

When caring for your Anti-tragus piercing, ensure that you:

• Refrain from touching the piercing to allow the tender tissue to heal and to reduce the risk of inflammation and pain.
• Don't use in earphones/buds during healing.  
• Sleep on your back to reduce pressure on your ears.
• Avoid applying lotions, moisturisers, perfumes to the area.
• Avoid swimming until after your piercing has healed.
• Try to keep your hair tied up and away from the piercing wherever possible during initial healing.
• Clean both exit holes of your piercing twice a day.
• You should not remove your jewellery during the healing process. The jewellery must be kept in at all times or you can risk the piercing closing over.
• Regularly remove any build up of ear wax from the opening of the ear canal

You can dramatically reduce your risk of any problems by following this advice.

Jewellery:  There are plenty of jewellery options for your new Anti-tragus, we recommend a curved barbell for the healing, then it can be swapped to a ring or circular barbell once healed. All of Our Titanium Body Jewellery is made from Ti6-Al4-V ELI Medical Grade Titanium, the only grade conforming to ISO 5832-3:1996 and comes from UK suppliers direct, only the best available for our clients. 

DISCLAIMER: Each body is unique and healing times vary considerably. If you have any questions, please contact your Piercer. These guidelines are based on a combination of vast professional experience, common sense, research and extensive clinical practice. This is not to be considered a substitute for medical advice from a doctor.