Gourt Home::Gourt :: Tragus piercing
The tragus piercing is a perforation of the tragus for the purpose of inserting and wearing a piece of jewelry. The tragus is the small piece of thick cartilage that projects immediately in front of the ear canal. The piercing itself is usually made with a small gauge hollow piercing needle, and typical jewelry would be a small diameter captive bead ring or small gauge post style piercing jewelry.
The hollow, low-gauge needed used for the piercing can be either straight or curved, depending on the piercer's preference. Once the needle penetrates the tragus, it is driven into a tiny cork placed immediately behind the tragus to prevent entry into the aural canal.
Application
The pain caused by the piercing and the application of its jewelry varies widely from person to person. The needle is driven through very little skin and thicker cartilage than that found in the helix (another common piercing site), but less than that of the conch. Although the tragus itself has no nerve endings, some piercees describe the procedure as feeling like a "punch in the head." The application of the piercee's chosen jewelry can amplify the pain due to the enclosed space in which the piercer works. Typical tragus piercings use a 16g captive bead ring, though stretching to larger gauge jewelry is not unheard of. Bleeding is typically low when the tragus is pierced due mostly to the lack of flesh on the tragus.
Aftercare
A pierced tragus can take anywhere from two months to one year to fully heal. Like any other external piercing, it should be cleaned several times daily with warm salt water or a pre-mixed saline solution (i.e., contact lens cleaner), and antibacterial or antimicrobial soap. Harsh sterilizers like hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol should be avoided as they promote scarring. Many piercers instead recommend applying tea tree oil to the site with a cotton swab; doing so can also help treat and prevent keloids forming. Tea tree oil can cause alergic reactions; if this occurs use should be stopped.
External links
"Tragus piercing"