Auricle Piercings Are Your Shortcut to the Perfect Ear Stack

Image Source: Getty/Edward Berthelot / Contributor

As with any other type of body art, deciding where to get a new piercing can be tricky. There is the classic ear piercing on your lobe, and then there is the always popular cartilage area. If you’re looking for something that’s different and sits in between the two, consider an auricle piercing.

“An auricle piercing is placed at the midpoint along the helix,” senior manager of content and community at Studs, Jenn Lee, tells POPSUGAR. “We refer to it as the midi-helix or ‘midi.'” Perfect for someone who wants a more laid-back look, this location is easy to hide but still has a bit of personality because of its nontraditional placement.

If you’re considering the look, Lee breaks down everything you need to know about the piercing, from how much it costs to the best material to use, ahead.

What Is an Auricle Piercing?

Image Source: Courtesy of Studs
Auricles are located in the area between the top of your ear and your upper lobe. It is essentially another term for a type of helix, but they don’t have to be single-lobe piercings. “You can consider a snakebite piercing in this area, which is two piercings placed close together to pack a punch and draw attention to your ears,” Lee says. “When they are healed, you can use different types of jewelry like chains or huggies to really customize your look.”

Do Auricle Piercings Hurt?

How much any piercing hurts depends on each person’s individual pain tolerance. Still, if you are particularly sensitive to pain, you can discuss using lidocaine to help numb the area before you get it done. Additionally, if you do want to switch out your jewelry, wait approximately six to eight weeks at minimum before switching. Though it won’t be completely healed just yet (that happens a little after the two-month mark), it will be much less painful.

How Much Do Auricle Piercings Cost?

When getting an auricle piercing done, make sure that only implant-grade jewelry is used. “At Studs, the tops and flatback posts are constructed with titanium, solid 14K, or 18K gold,” Lee says. Additionally, the titanium used should be ASTM F-136 compliant, meaning that it will be truly hypoallergenic.

Costs for this type of material may vary, depending on everything from the experience level of your piercer to the material used, but at Studs, you will pay for the price of the jewelry as well as the piercing, which can total anywhere from $65 to $165.

Auricle Piercing Risks

You should approach an auricle piercing as you would any other: keep it clean and avoid putting any pressure on the area. Still, there are certain factors to consider before getting one. “Ear-piercing placements are ultimately determined by an individual’s unique ear anatomy,” Lee says. “But in some cases, the client’s lifestyle matters too.”

Some areas may not work based on your ear makeup, but in terms of lifestyle, you have to consider things like how you sleep, whether or not you wear helmets or hats that cover your ear every day, or even if you play contact sports that may cause you to hit your ear. All of this could impact your healing process and potentially cause infections.

Auricle Piercing Aftercare

As with any new piercing, make sure that you are cleaning your auricle every single day post-appointment with clean hands. “Spray the front and back of your piercing with sterile saline solution two to three times a day,” Lee says. Do note that you actually can overdo it with the saline solution (too much can end up causing the piercing to become irritated and impede your healing process), so stick to that number to be on the safe side.

You should also avoid using harsh soaps or soaps with dyes or fragrances when cleaning the piercing; and moving, rotating, or removing jewelry is not necessary during cleaning or rinsing. Other than to clean it, avoid touching your piercing as much as possible.