Tragus Piercing

The tragus piercing is a perforation of the tragus for the purpose of inserting and wearing a piece of jewelry. The tragus is the small piece of thick cartilage that projects immediately in front of the ear canal. The piercing itself is usually made with a small gauge hollow piercing needle, and typical jewelry would be a small diameter captive bead ring or small gauge post style piercing jewelry. A related piercing is known as the Antitragus piercing.

The hollow, low-gauge needle used for the piercing can be either straight or curved, depending on the piercer’s preference. Once the needle penetrates the tragus, it is driven into a tiny cork placed immediately behind the tragus to prevent entry into the aural canal.