What To Know Before You Get A Conch Piercing

There's nothing like a well-decorated ear with piercings. Having a theme or color scheme with your earrings, and having multiple piercings, can look so good; it's one of the simplest accessories. Many get their ears pierced for the first time as a kid. And maybe the teen years is full of piercing adventures and mistakes. But as an adult, ear piercings can be such a personalized thing. You might want a more sophisticated look, and often that can include a conch piercing.

You've heard of the cartilage piercing, but where does the conch go? According to Healthline, the conch of the ear is in the middle, inner "cup," and it's called that due to the fact that it looks like a conch shell you might find at the beach. When you pierce the conch, it's closer to the outside of that area, kind of where the cartilage makes a hump. What's more, there are two different kinds of conch piercings: inner and outer conch piercings. The outer is closer to the antihelix, Healthline reported. The inner conch is up higher, near the flap of cartilage that covers an earbud. Brian Keith Thompson, the chief piercing officer of Body Electric Studio, told Bustle the conch piercing is "one of those kinds of grassroots piercings — it's never going to go away." So, if you're interested in getting one, here's what you need to know.

Conch piercings are popular thanks to celebrities sporting them, but it's also pretty versatile; it suits many ear shapes and sizes well. Rhianna Jones, head piercer at The Circle in London, England, told Byrdie that she has never seen an ear she can't pierce the conch of and make it look good. But even though it looks good on basically everyone, you will have to do a little more thinking if you're in love with your AirPods. 

As stated previously, since it's parallel to the flap of cartilage that holds an earbud, an Airpod or listening device of the type could be uncomfortable for the wearer since it puts pressure on the conch. It might be rough to wear earbuds during the healing period, which will take months (more on that in a second). The earbud will bump the new piercing every time you put it in, which will really hurt during the time that it's tender. However, you can switch to over-the-ear headphones during the healing process. But if this is a serious issue for you, you should seriously consider it before getting a conch piercing.

And if you heard that conch piercings are great to cure or help with migraines, you might want to hold off on getting one if it's solely for that reason. Healthline is quick to note that there isn't any scientific study that proves this; a lot of these stories are purely anecdotal. Even acupuncture-related benefits don't really apply because a conch piercing isn't near the areas that could cause relief.

When it comes to how much pain you'll be in post-conch piercing, it's easier to guess if you've pierced your cartilage before because that's what the conch is made of. Brian Keith Thompson of Body Electric Studio told Bustle that many of his clients think this area is thicker and, therefore, that it will be more painful and potentially take more force to pierce. However, he notes that it's actually similar in thickness to any other part of the ear you've already had pieced. Plus, it's quick.

What's more, Ashley of Venus by Maria Tash told Bustle that fresh piercings should be done with a stud. Hoops can stunt the healing process because of all the hair washing and tricky spot it's in, which isn't fun. Ultimately, this piercing takes six months to one year to properly heal. As for aftercare, Healthline reported that anyone with new piercings should clean their conch piercing twice a day for three months. Make sure your hands are washed before touching the new piercing (read: wound), and always clean it with a saline solution, sometimes known as a wound wash. Never make your own solution with salt and boiling water; you need a sterilized solution to clean your piercing; otherwise, it could get infected.