What To Know Before You Get A Transverse Lobe Piercing

If you've seen people with an ear piercing that's visible on both sides of the lobe, that's a transverse piercing. A transverse (or horizontal) piercing is a threaded piercing that, instead of being a front-to-back piercing, runs from one side of the back of the lobe to the other side, giving the appearance of having both sides of the earlobe pierced (via Body Jewellery Shop). 

Because this type of piercing runs horizontally along the back of the earlobe, the most common earring choice is a barbell, per Body Jewellry Shop. The barbell is the perfect piece of jewelry to showcase just how striking the transverse piercing looks from not just the front, but the back too. If you're thinking you need a new look but aren't sure what you should do, consider getting a transverse lobe piercing. If you do, here's what you need to know — from price to pain to aftercare and healing time.

Because a transverse piercing goes through the earlobe — as opposed to the cartilage, which can be pretty painful for some — the pain level is pretty low. In fact, on a scale from one to 10, the transverse piercing gets a three — the same as a standard earlobe piercing (via Piercee). This makes sense, as the lobe is a fleshy little bundle without enough nerve endings to make it a painful place to be pierced. 

When it comes to price, like all body modification procedures, it really depends on where you go. If you hit up a high-end, uber-trendy piercing shop run by hipsters in Brooklyn, you'll definitely pay more than if you go to a piercer in, say, a small town in Ohio. Still, it should generally cost somewhere between $20 and $50, according to Authority Tattoo. If a place charges more than that or remotely close to $100 (or more!), find another piercer. Even a clitoral hood piercing doesn't exceed $100, per Healthline.

Again, because we're dealing with the earlobe, the aftercare isn't as extensive as it would be with other types of piercings. But like other types of piercings, cleaning it every day and more than once a day is the key to speeding up healing time.

A transverse piercing should be washed two to three times a day with a saline solution and then patted dry. It's important to keep the piercing dry at all times so as to prevent the possibility of bacteria growth (via Fresh Trends). The lobe will swell, so prepare for that by making sure your jewelry is big enough to withstand the swelling without aggravating the piercing. If it's not, return to your piercer so they can put in something bigger. Also, keep your cell phone away from it; those screens are dirtier than you think, according to USA Today. Like, way dirtier than you could have possibly imagined. 

On average, a transverse piercing can take anywhere from six months to a year to heal, per Almost Famous Piercing. Naturally, the healing time on the shorter end is the result of perfect aftercare and one's own ability to heal faster than others. The reason that it can take up to a full year is that the hole for this type of piercing is longer than that of a traditional lobe piercing. But once it's healed and you can experiment with other types of jewelry, you'll have yourself a cool new look, just like you wanted.