Piercing Pain

Piercing Pain

When it comes to piercing, one topic always causes uncertainty among many people: piercing pain. Since the desired area is pierced with a needle during piercing, pain naturally occurs. After all, a small wound is inflicted on the body.

How bad this pain is and how long it lasts are issues that many wonder about before the piercing appointment. These questions cannot be answered easily or in a blanket manner, as everyone has an individual perception of pain. For example, the same piercing may hardly be felt by one person, while it causes severe pain for another. Therefore, the information regarding the pain of individual types of piercings should not be regarded as firm statements, but rather as a guideline based on experience reports.

Ear Piercing Pain

Cartilage piercings include most ear piercings and nose piercings. As mentioned above, the pain from cartilage piercings is more intense than from piercings that only go through soft tissue or skin. Since the hard cartilage is only displaced by the piercing, a so-called pressure pain can occur. This can be a mild pain or an intense pressure pain. This usually disappears within a week.

The Helix Piercing is one of the most popular and most frequently pierced ear piercings. As such, the question of pain with the helix is also very popular. Since the helix is pierced through the outer edge of the ear, which is made of thick cartilage tissue, the pain is also greater. However, you only have to endure the piercing pain for a few seconds and can then enjoy your new Helix piercing.

Compared to other cartilage piercings, the pain of the popular Tragus Piercing is limited. The reason for this is the relatively thin cartilage tissue at the piercing site of the tragus. According to experience reports, the tragus piercing is therefore one of the less painful cartilage piercings.

With cartilage piercings you should also pay attention to the right piercing jewellery. While a simple Earring and a Earstud are sufficient for the earlobe, cartilage piercings are much more sensitive and should only be embellished with jewellery specially produced for piercings. This is the only way to avoid complications caused by the wrong material or the wrong type of jewellery.

You can find more detailed information about ear piercings here in our ear piercing guide.

Most painful Piercings

As already mentioned, cartilage piercings are a painful type of piercing. Especially ear piercings that are pierced through very thick cartilage tissue are very painful. These include, for example, the conch, helix and daith piercing.

The Intimate Piercing are also among the most painful piercings, as there are countless nerves in this sensitive area. Depending on the type of intimate piercing, the piercing canal can also be particularly long or thick, increasing the risk of severe pain. For example, the Christina Piercing for women and the Prince Albert Piercing for men are among the most painful intimate piercings. The Nipple Piercing are a similarly painful type of piercing as intimate piercings, as many nerves can also be found here. In addition to the pain of piercing, this area is also subject to constant friction and thus causes a lot of pain during healing.

What influences Piercing Pain?

Piercing pain depends on several factors. One important factor is the desired location. For example, places like the Lip Piercing or ear Lobe Piercing where only the skin is pierced hurt less than other types of piercings and also heal faster. In contrast, the pain is much greater for piercings that go through hard cartilage tissue. Cartilage piercings also take much longer to heal. Another aspect of this is also the nerves. Areas of the body such as the face or the intimate area, through which many nerve pathways run, are more sensitive. Therefore, piercings in these areas are also more painful than others with few or no nerves.

Another factor that influences piercing pain is the nature (length and thickness) of the piercing canal. Depending on the type of piercing, the stitch canal can be short and thin or long and thick. Longer piercing canals are more painful than short ones because the needle penetrates deeper into the tissue.

Pain during Piercing

The pain of piercing varies depending on the part of the body and the type of piercing, but acute pain is usually over within a few seconds of piercing. In most cases, you will only feel a dull pain in the first few days or in the first week after the piercing, which is easy to bear. Of course, this also depends on the part of the body. The tongue, for example, is an area where healing can be more complicated. The pain is often worse after the [piercing] than during.

The pain also depends on the piercer and the needle used. An experienced piercer with a sharp needle can pierce the piercing in a smooth and easy movement, while an inexperienced piercer with a blunt needle cannot work nearly as fast or flawlessly. Therefore, it is also important to visit a good piercing studio with qualified piercers in order to have as little pain as possible during the piercing.

Pain during Healing

Moving or touching the Jewelry or piercing can often cause pain during the healing phase. This should be avoided as much as possible, especially in the first few days, as the piercing is still a fresh wound and will hurt accordingly.

While the piercing is healing, the pierced part of the body may still be sensitive to pain for one to two weeks after the piercing. It is advisable to follow the instructions of the piercer to ensure a quick healing and to avoid the risk of inflammation. Unfortunately, if the piercing does become infected, you will experience more pain. Redness, swelling and even the formation of pus are possible. In case of such an infection with severe pain, a doctor should be consulted in any case.