The “tragus” is referred to as the oval small cartilage flap which is located right outside the ear canal. Piercings made to this portion of the ear are commonly referred to as Tragus Piercings.
Provon Medicated Lotion Soap
This antimicrobial soap can effectively kill germs. It is greatly recommended by the Association of Professional Piercers. Be sure to dilute it first before applying it on your piercing so it can reach the deepest part of your piercings. It can also be used for washing your hands while you are in the healing process.
Tragus Ear Piercing Aftercare Tips
There are three basic tragus piercing healing and aftercare tips to be considered to ensure your piercing heals well and quickly.
- Clean the tragus area twice each day ensure to use saline water solution made of sea salt and NOT table salt to clean the entire ear. Pay special attention to the area closest to the piercing. One thing that can be particularly helpful is soaking the piercing. Place a towel over the shoulder under the ear that has the piercing and soak a cotton ball in the saline solution then remove it, squeezing just a tiny bit of the water out and place it over the piercing. It will trickle into the inner ear so you can prevent this by placing a dry piece of cotton at the opening of the ear canal, to prevent the solution from flowing right into your ear. Rotate the piercing while cleaning the area.
- Do not play with your piercing. Even though your ears might be throbbing you will be heavily inclined to touch the piercing. Please resist all temptation in doing this. The only time you need to be touching that piercing is when you are going to clean it. Very often piercings get infected regardless of how diligent one is with cleaning it because you might insist on playing around with them, thus, transferring bacteria from your hands to the wound. Try not to answer phone calls nor use earphones that irritate the piercing while it is in the healing process. Excess irritation will lead to longer healing time and infection. You can choose to cover the piercing with plastic a band-aid each night before bed so it doesn’t move about and to prevent the balls from coming loose while you sleep.
- Do not use antibiotic ointments. Your piercing needs room to breathe to get better, any oil-based product will prevent this. Avoid cleaning with Betadine®, Hibiciens®, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Dial® or other harsh soaps, as these can damage cells. In the case of piercings, ointments do more harm than good as they will prevent necessary air circulation.
Specifically for the tragus piercing (or any ear piercing) use these tips from the Association of Professional Piercers after you receive your new piercing to increase tragus healing times as much as possible:
- Dress your pillow in a large, clean t-shirt and turn it inside out every night; one clean t-shirt provides four clean surfaces for sleeping.
- Maintain cleanliness of telephonesheadphones, eyeglasses, helmets, hats, and anything that contacts the pierced area.
- Use caution when styling your hair and advise your stylist of a new or healing piercing.
In Case of a Tragus Piercing Infection
Pain and swelling are common up to the first week after you have your piercing done and occasional bleeding will also occur even after this period. This does not mean the piercing is infected. Diligent cleaning will prevent this. However, if you see a yellow pus-like discharge when you clean it or the area becomes green or excessively swollen around the puncture site weeks after your piercing is done, then you have an infection.
The ear is particularly susceptible to infections because of its open position on the body. Sweat, wind-borne bacteria and hair products can lead to horrible infections. This is why the fact that you need to keep up with your piercing aftercare, cannot be stress enough.
If you have an infection clean three times each day instead of two and do cotton soak each time for up to 15 minutes. Change your bedding regularly, and if you are inclined to touch your ear regularly ensure you wash your hands with anti-bacterial or anti-microbial soaps just as often. You might also want to consider removing your earlobe piercing if you have done an anti-tragus piercing. Bacteria from that ring could also infect your new piercing.
Do not attempt to experiment with different tragus rings until your piercing has healed. There are many stylish rings available for piercing, choose one you can live with for up to 18 weeks and get accustomed to its monotony. Experimenting can lead to infections of different tragus rings until your piercing has healed. There are many stylish rings available for piercing, choose one you can live with for up to 18 weeks and get accustomed to its monotony. Experimenting can lead to infections.
For more information about various ear and facial piercings make sure to check out our other piercing models’ posts and articles! Pierce on!
Hello! My name is Emily and I obsessed with piercings (and tattoos) since I was a little girl of 6 years old. I was fortunate enough to make my passion my work after meeting my amazing husband Jeffrey who owned his own tattoo shop. I just recently finished my internships at some of America’s most famous piercing shops and a dream to start something together was born. After falling in love with each other (and each other’s piercings and tattoos) we decided to expand his tattoo shop and I got to manage my own piercing shop in the same space! I’ve never been so happy being able to share my love for piercings through my shop and this blog I started back in 2013. We love to share models and inspiration, so feel free to email me your suggestions, pictures or if you just want to say hi!