Ear piercing has always been popular with women, and, in some cultures equally or more so with men.
But never before has the western world seen such popularity in a diverse range of ear piercings. While it might have been somewhat daring for a man in the eighties to have a gold hoop in his lobe, the propensity for more decorative and tribal forms of ear piercing has grown and grown.
Let’s have a look at some of the most common kinds of ear piercing that you’ll now see on men and women.
The latest trend on the high street is known as earlobe gauging. This involves stretching the earlobe through introducing every increasing sized tapers. It can be a gradual process that takes months to complete, depending on how much you want to stretch your earlobes. Unsurprisingly, the risk of damaging your ears through scarring and bleeding is high. The slower you stretch, the less risk you run of damage.
However, it should be pointed out that there is a point of no return with lobe gauging. This will depend on each individual and also the time over which the stretching took place. Nevertheless, generally speaking, stretching beyond 20mm will distort the ear lobe in a way that it will never shrink back from.
There are many types of jewellery that such gauging can be adorned with. Flesh plugs are solid discs of various material that can be inserted within the hole created in the lobe. Alternatively, there are flesh tunnels. These themselves are hollow and allow people to see right through the lobe.
Another form of extreme ear piercing that is on the rise is known as industrial piercing. This is also sometimes known as Scaffold piercing. This occurs in the top half of the ear and involves two piercings on opposite sides of the rim of the ear – known as the helix. These piercings are united through the wearing of one long bar of jewellery that goes through both of them.
A final form of ear piercing that is now considered commonplace is the tragus piercing. The tragus is located on the outer part of the ear nearest the face right above the ear opening. This cartilage is usually quite thick and robust, which means the risk of damage is fairly low. The piercing is usually performed using a fine gauge hollow piercing needle. Popular styles of earrings worn in this area include captive bead rings and barbells.
Anita Hale
