- What is a tragus piercing?
- Can I use my earbuds with a tragus piercing?
- Common mistakes made with Tragus piercings
The tragus piercing has become an increasingly popular fixture among piercing fans over the last decade.
Thanks to its placement, the tragus piercing creates a subtle class on the ears of new or experienced piercing owners.
However, piercing’s can also be highly sensitive, especially during the healing process. With this in mind, it’s important to understand the do’s and don’ts of caring for your tragus piercing so as to avoid irritation or infection.
Several owners of earbuds may be wondering whether they are safe to use with a tragus piercing.
In this article, we’ll discuss the precautions around using headphones with a tragus piercing, and also provide some handy tips on caring for your piercing properly.
Can You Wear Earbuds With A Tragus Piercing?
It is possible to use earbuds and other headphone devices with a tragus piercing. However, this habit is not recommended within the first few days of receiving a piercing. Users are encouraged to wait at a minimum of 48-72 hours to allow for a new tragus piercing to heal before using any earbuds or headphone devices. Users should also avoid using earbuds if they cause consistent irritation to their tragus piercing.
The Tragus Piercing Explained
The Tragus is a tiny flap of cartilage that sits over the front of the ear canal. Its purpose is to prevent small objects like dirt or insects from flying into your ear.
The term tragus is Greek and refers to an obtrusion or prominent point. This part of the ear is slightly less sensitive to piercing than the earlobe.
However, because of its positioning, the tragus piercing is subject to a fair amount of environmental exposure and requires some extra attention during healing.
There is some folklore suggesting that a tragus piercing can increase one’s hearing ability or sense of balance, but this is yet to be scientifically confirmed.
How To use Your Earbuds with a Tragus Piercing
- Allow The Wound To Heal Properly – This step is the most vital to using earbuds comfortably with a tragus piercing. Users must be sure to let their piercing heal for a few days before attempting to use their earbuds to lower the risk of inflammation or infection.
- Clean Earbuds – Earbuds can pick up a surprising amount of germs and bacteria during or in between use. These germs can come from a variety of sources and are especially dangerous to sensitive skin and wounds such as a tragus piercing. Users should be sure to adequately clean their earbuds before attempting use with their tragus piercing
- Pace Usage Appropriately – Even if their earbuds are comfortable to use on the first try, users should make sure to not use their earbuds too frequently to irritate their tragus piercing.
- Ensure Proper Fit – Any loose hanging or badly earbuds are more likely to move around during use, and this increases the chances of irritation or injury around the tragus piercing. It’s recommended to only buy and use earbuds that have a tight, comfortable inside the ear and that don’t fall out easily.
Common Mistakes Made With Tragus Piercings
Below is a short list of some common causes of infection or irritation while using earbuds with a tragus piercing:
- Using During Sleep – Earbuds are designed for comfortable use during sleep. However, during sleep, the tragus piercing can be exposed to a lot of friction. This friction is exasperated if users sleep with earbuds and can cause severe inflammation to the piercing, especially if the wound is fresh.
- Using Wet or Damp Earbuds – Bacteria multiplies in warm, moist conditions. Using wet or damp earbuds can cause moisture to collect around the tragus piercing and this highly increases the risk of infection.
- Wearing Earbuds With Other Jewelry – Certain earbud owners may like to collect piercings on particular parts of their body, with the most popular part being the ear. However, it’s not recommended to use earbuds with ears that have several piercings on them, as the earbuds can easily become caught or tangled in any of the piercings and cause serious injury.
- Overly loud sound levels – The ear as a whole should never be subjected to excessive sound levels, and the same principle applies to earbuds. Overly loud music can irritate the ears that could spread to the tragus piercing and cause inflammation or worse.
After Care Tips For Your Tragus Piercing
- Wash and Clean efficiently – The single most important habit that users can adapt for a fresh tragus piercing is a consistent cleaning routine. The cleaner the wound remains while healing, the lower the risk of infection.
- Use Caution When Washing Hair – Many people tend to overlook their piercings when taking a shower, as they consider this a form of cleaning. Users should wait a few days before washing their hair so as not to allow any moisture to collect around the fresh wound.
- Rubbing Alcohol – Rubbing alcohol is one of the safest and most reliable cleaning solutions users can apply to their tragus piercings. Rubbing alcohol kills any form of bacteria around the wound almost immediately without causing any damage to the skin or tissue around the ear.
- Allow Adequate Healing Time – Tragus piercings generally take anywhere between six and eight weeks to fully heal. Users should be sure to keep their cleaning routine consistent for this entire period and to try and avoid activities that may irritate the piercing or surrounding area.
Final Thoughts
There are a variety of steps and precautions one should take before using earbuds or any sort of headset alongside a tragus piercing. These steps will prevent the tragus piercing from becoming irritated, inflamed, or at worst, infected.
Following these precautions should also allow the hole at the piercing to form properly, which means users will be able to remove the piercing for longer periods once the wound is fully healed.
Users should also treat the area around the tragus piercing with extra care for up to 8 weeks to ensure that they can use their earbuds with their tragus piercings safely.
It’s important to avoid things like loud music, excessive moisture, and overstimulation during the healing process.
So while it is possible to use earbuds alongside a tragus piercing, there are some definitive safety precautions and cleaning processes that users will have to adopt for safe and comfortable operation.
FAQ’s
Can you wear earbuds with a Daith piercing?
It is possible to use earbuds with a Daith piercing. However, users should be sure to use extra precautions during use due to the location and nature of the piercing.
There are also specialized earbuds on the current market that accommodate the special fit that Daith piercings require for comfortable use.
Also, the same cleaning and safety principles that apply to standard piercings apply to Daith piercings.
Can you wear earbuds with an anti-tragus piercing?
Yes. Users can make use of earbuds with an anti-tragus piercing. With that in mind, users must take extra care while using earbuds so as not to cause irritation, inflammation, or infection to the area.
It’s also important to allow a fresh anti-tragus piercing a few days to heal before attempting to use earbuds.
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