If you know anything about body piercing you’ll know that one of the most popular and interesting areas is the ear. An ear piercing refers to a body piercing located on or inside the ear and the surrounding cartilage.

Ear Piercings Near Me

If you’ve decided that an ear piercing is for you, your next step would be to find out where to get ears pierced safely. With piercing studios across the UK, and over 20 years of experience Blue Banana is one of the best places to visit. Unlike many other piercing shops, we specialise in even the most intricate of ear piercings types and can provide you with all the information you need to maintain and accessorise so it becomes a part of your everyday look.

As one of the biggest body piercers in the UK, we pride ourselves on providing safe and affordable piercings that you’ll be proud of. As such, our professional piercers are expertly trained to provide a safe and sterile environment for your piercing as well as precise information to help you with your aftercare.

With our dedicated studio teams, we always recommend avoiding online and over the counter ear piercing kits. Although you may feel confident in giving yourself a brand new ear piercing, our store professional piercers will know exactly how and where you need to pierced in order to avoid unnecessary discomfort and create the perfect piercing.

If you are nervous about getting your ears pierced feel free to visit us in store and we can provide answers to any of your burning questions!

Ear Piercing FAQs

Do you use a gun for ear piercing?

When it comes to getting your ears pierced there are usually two different ways in which to get it done and it entirely depends on the ear piercing places type. When you choose to get your piercing at Blue Banana we will use a needle rather than an ear piercing gun or a Studex system. With over 20 years of experience, our expert piercers will tell you that using a needle for piercing gives a more precise result and causes less trauma to the piercing site, therefore speeding up the healing process. Remember, you will still need to make sure to follow correct aftercare for your piercing throughout the full healing time. Anecdotally, we have also heard from our customers that they experience less pain when pierced with a needle in comparison to a gun.

How much do ear piercing hurt?

If you’re looking for an ear piercing pain scale it will depend entirely on the type of piercing you choose to get. One of the easiest and least painful piercings is considered the lobe and is generally described of being a low pain rating of approximately 2 out of 10. Some cartilage piercings however can be increasingly painful depending on location such as a helix or rook; however certain types such as daith piercings may initially be painful, but provide a range of long term benfits. Of course everyone’s experience is unique and it will also depend on each person’s unique pain threshold.

Ear Piercing Types

The most common ear piercing types tend to be lobe piercings due to their low pain scale and low age requirement. Not only is it incredibly easy to accessorise a lobe piercing, but it’s a great starter piercing if you’re looking to eventually try one of these ear piercing ideas:

Auricle Piercing – A piercing located between the helix and earlobe.
Anti-Tragus Piercing – This ear cartilage piercing is through the anti-tragus located opposite the ear canal.
Conch Piercing – A piercing through the shell area of ear cartilage referred to as the conch. This piercing is usually decorated with either a barbell or BCR.
Daith Piercing – Otherwise known as the ear piercing for migraines, this piercing consists of a curved barbell or BCR being pierced through the cartilage fold of the ear, just above the ear canal. The benefit of a daith piercing is caused from piercing the ear cartilage directly through the Vagus Nerve. This piercing is located roughly on the same position that can be targeted for treatments of acupuncture and can therefore be said to provide similar effects.
Helix Piercing – This piercing is created by piercing the upper outer rim of the ear.
Industrial / Scaffold Piercing – An Industrial or Scaffolding ear piercing is a double piercing which is connected via a single straight pierce of jewellery.
Lobe Piercing – This piercing consists of a single piercing through one or both ear lobes. Jewellery can include studs, rings and hoops.
Orbital Piercing – An orbital piercing is classified by two piercings in the helix area of the ear being connected by a BCR.
Pinna Piercing – A piercing located at the top outer ear rim, a forward pinna piercing is placed where the arch of your ear connects to your head. This piercing is similar to an auricle but placed higher on the ear.
Rook Piercing – A rook piercing is positioned through the cartilage fold located directly above the daith.
Scapha / Flat Piercing – Also known as an outer conch piercing, it is located in the outer shell of the ear directly between the ridges of the helix and antihelix.
Snug / Anti-Helix Piercing – Sometimes referred to as the Anti-helix due to its placement opposite the helix area, the snug piercing is performed through the defined part of cartilage along the inner ear.
Spiral / Triple Helix Piercing - A spiral piercing is actually a series of two or more piercings in a line that feature a twisted barbell threaded through them.
Stretching - The method of stretching piercings is designed to deliberately expand the piercing to a desired size in order to wear larger-sized jewellery. This procedure is also sometimes called ‘gauging up’. Ear piercings are probably the most common area that is stretched. Other common areas for stretching piercings include the tongue, nose, septum and lips.
Tragus Piercing – This piercing is placed through the peninsula of cartilage that sits directly in front of the ear canal.

Now that you’ve found out everything there is to know about ear piercings, it’s time to get yours done! Find out where your nearest studio is by visiting our Piercing Studio Locator.

Ear Piercing Procedure

The ear lobe piercing is often referred to as the perfect starter piercing before continuing with other ear piercing.

Please ensure that you have checked the ear piercing age restriction before coming to store. It can help to avoid any undue disappointment. In a Blue Banana studio, ear piercing age restrictions vary.

Once you’re all booked in, you will have some forms to fill out. A member of Blue Banana staff will walk you through the steps and can help you pick out jewellery. Then you can meet the piercer! They too will give you a quick consultation and briefing before discussing the auricle piercing location.

A popular question for people looking to choose an ear piercing type is whether we use a needle or ear piercing gun. Depending on the type of piercing required, some piercers use a Stud Ex piercing kit but many piercers prefer to use a needle particularly on cartilage piercings. Here at Blue Banana we prefer piercing with needles as there are many benefits:

Clean and precise piercing
Quick and less painful
Reduces healing time for easier healing

Needles are much better suited to piercing through cartilage, such as piercings located around the ear. Needles can create cartilage piercings without shattering or damaging surrounding cartilage while providing a more precise piercing. This is the reason that you should only be pierced with a needle and not with a regular piercing gun.

Depending on the ear piercing locations you’ve chosen, the price may vary due to the intricacy of the area or the number of piercings required. Typically our ear piercing cost is £30-£35.

Ear Piercing Aftercare Advice

The lobe piercing is a popular starter piercing for many people. This is because it is usually rated low on the pain scale and is one of the easiest piercings to heal, with correct aftercare. The majority of other ear piercings are placed through cartilage which takes longer to heal. For detailed information about each ear piercing, please go to the individual page for your piercing.

With any ear piercing, there are a few golden rules to stick to, to aid with healing. Don’t sleep on your piercing and take care not to knock it during daily activities. It is also advisable to avoid applying any cosmetics on the area, including moisturiser, hair products, and fake tan.

Always wash your hands before touching your piercing and handle it as little as possible to reduce the chance of introducing an infection. In order to keep your piercing clean, gently bathe it in a saltwater solution twice a day, using a cotton pad, to remove any crust or build-up. You can also use Tea Tree Oil which can be left on the piercing for 5 minutes, before being wiped away with your saltwater solution.

With a great aftercare regime, you should have no problems with healing your piercing but if you are ever worried about issues such as migration or keloids you can always come back to the store to consult one of our experienced piercers.

Ear Piercing Aftercare Advice

Other Guides & Ranges

Please Note: Blue Banana piercing information is based on knowledge from our experiences as one of the UK's top piercing studios. All details provided should be read alongside professional advice. Please see our full Piercing Articles Disclaimer, here.

Auricle Piercing Jewellery

Anti Tragus Piercing Jewellery

Scapha Piercing Jewellery

Spiral Piercing Jewellery

Forward Helix Piercing

Conch Piercing Jewellery

Tragus Piercing Jewellery

Daith Piercing Jewellery

Helix Piercing Jewellery

Industrial Piercing Jewellery

Ear Lobe Jewellery

Orbital Piercing Jewellery