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Tragus piercing question

13 replies

Handbaghag · 02/12/2018 18:46

Had this done mid August. Without the earring that tragus is still swollen in comparison to the other one. Is this normal more than 3 months later?

OP posts:
bringbackthestripes · 02/12/2018 19:05

Tragus Piercing Healing Time

There is no conclusive answer yet to this question as it differs from one person to another. Many girls get their tragus fully healed back to normal within 2 months however few still feel pain even after 8 months. The average healing time for tragus piercing has been observed to be around 3 to 6 months. It all depends on the aftercare methods followed and how much care you take of your new piercing. Following your health expert’s guidance is must to avoid any serious complication which may even need a surgery later if you keep ignoring it.

Using natural treatments like coconut oil or palm tree oil helps in curing speedily and regular cleaning using a disinfectant is must. For diabetic patients, its strongly advised to consult their doctor before they go with any piercing on their body. Do not change the first jewelry for a couple of months as you may infect your tragus due to rubbing while removing and wearing new jewelry. In case of serious discomfort, take the help of an expert or risk damaging the unhealed puncture.

Tragus Piercing Aftercare – DOs & DONTs

Getting your tragus pierced is very simple and almost pain free procedure but taking good care of it afterwards is such a pain especially if you develop any infection. Apart from the regular instruction of your piercer, you can take into account the following suggestions for speedy recovery and a healthy tragus piercing:

Proper Cleaning is must: Clean the tragus daily both in the morning and before going to bed using a soft cotton ball dipped in sea salt water. Gently rub the cotton both at the front and the rear side trying to make the liquid get inside the hole as well. But you need to make sure not to irritate the area too much. Be very gentle especially during the first 5 days.
No Touching at all: To avoid any infection, the best practice is to keep the area clean which is a big hurdle. First you need to make sure that your hair do not touch it every other minute. Tie them in a bun nicely. Avoid working in too polluted area. Do not touch your tragus directly with your hands. Be extra careful while bathing as harsh soaps can be a serious threat.
E-devices are dangerous: I know you like your earphones, mobile and headset much like I do but they must be kept away from the pierced tragus for few days or they are going to injure you badly. Avoid direct contact of tragus with these devices while its still sore.
Sleep Well: If you have a habit of sleeping sideways or turning sides too much while sleeping, then I am going to disappoint you as that is one of biggest causes of waking up with a bleeding ear. Make sure you do not move around a lot in bed and sleep straight (yeah its difficult but manageable though).
Good Hygiene: Change your bed sheet and pillow covers daily and wash them using a good detergent as any harmful bacteria or germs are not invited for a healthy piercing.
Don’t scrape Crust: After few days, you should start seeing a crust around the area which is quite itchy but you must not try to peel it off. Its the sign that healing is going on properly and disturbing it will only create trouble. It will go away on its own just like it came, do not try to do it manually.
Do Not Swim: Swimming is a big no no, as the water is chlorinated in the pools and it can seriously affect the tragus and lead to serious infection. Don’t do any type of tough exercise which has possibility of putting strain on your ear. The wounded area has to be kept untouched to be healed faster.
No Playing with ear: Removing or changing jewelry is strictly prohibited during the first few weeks. Some girls have habit of playing with their earrings and rotating them while their mind is busy of finding solution to tough mathematics problem. Give your hands something else to play with, leave the ear alone for your own sake please.
Dressing Sense: Choose your dress wisely. Avoid tops with high rise collars or jackets with hoods as they will rub against the pierced tragus all day. Wear round neck tops or buttoned shirts, they also look pretty decent anyhow.
A Girl’s Tale: A truck passed by and blew loud horn. Even if you could tolerate it, keeping hands on ears tight and showing off to your friends of serious discomfort to your very delicate ear drums becomes necessary because you are a girl. Well you need to keep that girlish habits aside for few days or risk getting your beautiful tragus piercing turned into a massacre.
Comfortable Jewelry: If your jewelry is too tight, then loosen it a bit as the wounded area needs some fresh air for natural heeling process to show its effects.

MarthaArthur · 02/12/2018 19:06

My helix took over a year to heal as did 3 people i know. Healing varies between people and cartlidge can take anything up to 1 to 2 years to fully heal in some people.

JustLurkingAway · 02/12/2018 19:08

Had mine 5 years now, pretty sure it took about 6/7 months to be back to the same thickness as the other one, but it varies massively for everyone!

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SandunesAndRainclouds · 02/12/2018 19:11

Mine was almost a year before it was the same as the unpierced side. I had a huge amount of swelling afterwards - it was hard to open my mouth properly - so I wasn’t surprised that it took so long to be normal again.

captainprincess · 02/12/2018 19:14

Mine took a full year before it was fully healed, which from what I had read is about normal. I found just leaving it alone was best.

RunSweatLaughAndLatte · 02/12/2018 19:16

Mine stil hasn't properly healed, I had it done in March

RunSweatLaughAndLatte · 02/12/2018 19:17

Oh sorry, that was my helix I was thinking of. Tragus healed in 3 months. Everyone is so different.

MapleSpice · 02/12/2018 19:19

Mine didn't go down fully until I swapped the bar. I had a long bar to accommodate the initial swelling but I found it moved and as soon as I downsized a bit, the movement stopped and it's been perfect ever since. Maybe ask your piercer if there would be a good piece of jewellery to use if this one isn't suitable any more?

Obviously they take time to heal but this worked for me, a good piercer can advise you better than we can though! I did the salt baths and tried to not touch it too much as well which helped.

NamelessEnsign · 02/12/2018 19:19

Mine took over a year - I had a knock at about 12 months which turned it into a horrible infected mess. It’s fine now though!

Handbaghag · 02/12/2018 19:45

Ah thanks guys. That's all reassuring. Would you still recommend bathing with salt water or just leave alone now? I do have a habit of turning it which I must stop!

OP posts:
DianaPrincessOfThemyscira · 02/12/2018 20:22

I would continue bathing just be sure you don’t add too much salt.

Mine healed quickly - by three months it was 100% healed. Ditto my conch. My helix however after a year was still sore and weeping so I took it out. It was too uncomfortable.

Si1ver · 02/12/2018 20:29

Mine healed really quickly, in about two months. My sister had hers done at the same time and it took over a year to start healing. In fact it only started to heal when she switched it out for a ring rather than a bar.

ShivD · 02/12/2018 20:30

I’m 1.5 years into having mine done and it’s still not 100% settled but any cartilage piercing I’ve had takes ages to heal!

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