When I turned 18, I wasn’t focused on getting tattoos like many of my other peers. I wanted piercings. I wanted my ears to be decorated with jewelry, plus a few other locations as well. I’ve now had a total of 11 piercings, with 10 remaining since I took one out due to my own impatience. While it’s not an impressive amount by any means, it’s enough to know about the general disparities in pain levels and healing processes for different piercings. In case you’re debating what your next piercing should be, here’s a review of all of the piercings I have and what my experiences with them were:
1. Navel Piercing
My belly piercing was the very first “real” piercing I got, and it’s still one of my favorites. The actual piercing of it wasn’t too bad, especially in comparison to some of the others I’ve done. The healing process lasted about six months, and it wasn’t pretty. When I went to the doctor to make sure it wasn’t infected, I was told that it was healing beautifully. High-waisted pants were a no-go, unless I was very careful with sitting down and standing up. Once it healed, I was immediately in love. I still have it today, almost six years later, and have had zero problems with it. I still love it just as much as when I first got it!
2. Nose Piercing
The first time I had my nose done, my friend pierced it in my basement with a sewing needle. Needless to say, it did not end well. The second time, I decided to act responsibly and go to a piercing shop. It pinched and made my eyes water, but it was okay. It felt like I needed to sneeze for about an hour after I got it done too. The healing process was pretty much painless, and lasted about two to three months. Due to all of the products I use on my face (e.g. makeup and skin care products), I was nervous about infection or developing a keloid. However, I kept up with the aftercare and it healed great.
3-5. First-Third Lobe Piercings
Lobe piercings are quite easy and relatively painless. My seconds and thirds were not much more painful than my firsts, and the healing process was quite easy. The healing process lasted between two and three months, depending on the lobe piercing, with my thirds taking slightly longer than the other two.
6. Simple Cartilage Piercing
Once again, the first time I had this done, it was by a friend in our teens, but with an actual piercing needle this time. It hurt a lot, especially while healing, so I did eventually take it out. When I got it repierced, it hurt way less. However, I learned the hard way that I had gone to a disreputable place by waking up two mornings later with my hair and pillow soaked with blood. My piercer messed it up, and when I went home, I went to my trusted place and had the jewelry changed to a stud, which would allow for an easier healing process. Once we did that, it healed within about five months. I’m grateful that pain was not something I noticed during this particular experience.
7. Industrial Bar
I have a love/hate relationship with my industrial bar. While yes, it’s easily one of the coolest piercings ever, both the healing process and act of getting it pierced were extremely painful. Plus, after almost three years, it still bothers me. Since it’s two cartilage piercings, it hurts twice as much. Putting the bar in and the general movement of the ear causes a lot of pain. While they say it only takes about nine months to heal, mine took well over a year. My hair would constantly get caught in it, and as a result, yank it. Even now, it recently developed a keloid that’s causing me some discomfort. Yet, with how much I love it, I plan to remain patient and continue to take care of it.
8. Daith Piercing
A daith piercing is commonly known for being somewhat curative for chronic migraines and severe headaches. It stimulates a nerve that helps block pain receptors because of where it’s located. My mom, who has issues with chronic migraines, got it done first, and influenced me to get mine. I don’t have issues with headaches myself, but I liked the look of it as well as the idea of us having a matching earring. It was easily the most painful piercing I’ve had done, as I almost passed out, but the healing process was the easiest (besides my lobes). Since it sits more inside of your ear, it remains protected and isn’t easily accessible to something that could knock or bump it. I’m not sure how long it actually takes to heal, since mine didn’t even bother me after the initial day I got it done.
9. Tragus Piercing
My tragus piercing was rather forgettable when it comes to the actual piercing of it. I don’t necessarily remember it being a rather painful one to have done. However, the healing process was annoying. It lasted for about four months. This one was different though, as it felt like a bee sting every time I knocked it, and that pain would linger. I trained myself to be conscious of it quickly, but things happen and piercings get knocked or pulled. The stinging was an unfortunate change in the healing process.
10. Conch Piercing
My conch piercing was entirely forgettable, both in the actual piercing of it and the healing process. It was similar to my tragus for the actual piercing of it, and closer to my daith for the healing process, lasting about eight months. Occasionally, my hair would get stuck in it, but it wasn’t hard to untangle it gently. I initially wanted it to be pierced with a hoop, but my piercer explained that she did not pierce conches with hoops, as her hoop got caught on a pillow one night and ripped out of her ear. I had no issues with a stud after that…
**11. Rook Piercing
I decided to include this one, despite the fact that I no longer have it. This part of your ear can be slightly thicker depending on the person, which mine was, so it hurt a little more to get it pierced. The healing process was quite normal, the usual irritation and “leakage,” but the bottom ball of the earring fell out three times. After multiple trips back to the piercing shop, I decided to just give up and take it out. With that little ball off, the earring could come out on its own, and this way it was slow and controlled. I may consider getting it redone in the future.
Everyone is different and will react to various piercings differently. One that’s painful to me may not be to somebody else, so keep that in mind if you’re deciding to get one of the listed piercings. I can easily say I don’t regret any of them, except the ones conducted by teenagers (please go to a professional). It’s very comforting to know I can always take them out if I choose to as well. They’re cute, relatively inexpensive, temporary, and a fabulous way to accessorize.