12 Ear Piercings Ranked From Least To Most Painful

From delicate hoops to studs with sparkles, there are a myriad of ways to adorn your ears when you have multiple piercings. If you're keen on taking the leap to get yourself some new ear piercings, the pain is probably a concern.

To help you decide exactly which piercing to go for and mentally prepare yourself for what to expect, we've ranked the least to most painful ear piercings!

Keep reading to find out more!

Before we start with the pain rankings, here's a list of the various types of ear piercings you can get:

Photo from Girlstyle Singapore

Now let's begin, starting from the least painful piercings to the ones that need a little courage to try!

#1 Lobe

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Pain level: 5/10

The standard lobe piercings are simple, versatile and low on the pain scale. You probably already have this piercing so you can use this to compare the pain levels of the other types of ear piercings!

#2 Transverse lobe

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Pain level: 6/10

This is similar to the traditional lobe piercing except that it goes through the lobe horizontally. It won't hurt much more than a standard lobe piercing so this is a great option for those who want a unique look without having to go through a lot pain.

#3 Gauging

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Pain level: 7/10

Ear gauging involves stretching out the skin to form a large hole.

Although not strictly a piercing, this body modification can be done on most types of piercings, the most common being the ear lobes as the skin is the most malleable here. Although it looks quite frightening, the pain is relatively tolerable as the skin is stretched out gradually.

#4 Anti-Tragus

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Pain level: 8/10

An anti-tragus piercing lies on the inner cartilage of the ear next to the earlobe. It can sting quite a bit because the needle has to go through the ear cartilage.

#5 Orbital

Photo from Pinterest

Photo from Pinterest

Pain level: 8/10

The orbital piercing features two holes connected by one piece of jewellery, usually a circular ring. Besides the moderate pain level, the short healing period of 8-10 weeks is also a bonus.

This piercing accentuates the delicate outer rim and can both look feminine and dainty or edgy and cool depending on the jewellery you wear!

#6 Daith

Photo from Pinterest

Photo from Pinterest

Pain level 8/10

The daith is located right at the innermost part of your cartilage, near the tragus. This area is thicker compared to the rest of the ear, so expect a higher level of pain with this piercing.

#7 Helix

Photo from Pinterest

Photo from Pinterest

Pain level: 8/10

Piercings placed in the upper part of the ear on the outer cartilage are called helix piercings. You can also get a double or triple helix piercing for a statement look.

Helix piercings are considerably more painful than lobe piercings because the outer cartilage area is harder. The third helix piercing on the middle part of your ear will be especially painful as that area is packed with nerves.

#8 Rook

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Pain level: 9/10

Located on the folded part of the upper inside of your ear, this piercing will hurt quite a bit and you'll feel a lot of pressure. Healing time is also on the long side, taking about 10 months to completely heal.

#9 Flat

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Pain level: 9/10

Flat ear piercings are placed on the flat area of your ear between the ear canal and ear cartilage. Because it's on a flat surface, the best type of jewellery is something flat like a stud.

As this piercing is prone to infection, make sure you clean it regularly during the healing process.

#10 Snug

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Pain level: 9/10

The snug piercing is located in the middle of the outer rim of the ear, going through the inner and outer parts of the ear.

Because the cartilage is fairly thick in this area, you'll feel a sharp, intense pressure when getting it pierced. It'll take about six months to heal and sleeping on it during this period may be painful!

#11 Industrial

Photo from Pinterest

Photo from Pinterest

Pain level: 10/10

An industrial piercing is a double piercing that goes into the middle part of your outer cartilage and through to the top part of your ear. This is usually connected by a bar or chain.

Since you're getting two holes pierced at once, it means you're getting double the pain! Plus, the bottom end of industrial piercings are done at the same area as helix piercings, so you can imagine what that will feel like.

#12 Tragus

Photo from Pinterest

Photo from Pinterest

Pain level: 10/10

The tragus piercing is done on the small and thick piece of cartilage that rests right outside your ear canal.

It's one of the most painful types of ear piercings you can get. One the bright side, because of this reason, it's relatively uncommon and you'll stand out with the piercing. The downside is that this bad boy can take up to eight months to heal and has a higher rate of infection compared to the others.

Pain varies depending on your individual pain threshold so these ear piercings may not hurt as badly as you imagine! Once your piercings are done and you're ready to deck them out, check out Z Piercing, a Korean piercing shop located in Seoul for adorable and feminine ear accessories!

Share this article with your friends who would dare to get these piercings! 

Text by: GirlStyle SG