The same way we hunt down the season’s latest haircut du jour, we’re constantly in search of the one piercing trend that inspires the cool girls to flock to their local piercing studio for an appointment. But unlike hair trends, piercing placements tend to stick around for a while. It was just last year that the piercers at New York City’s Maria Tash revealed to Refinery29 that the conch was one of the trendiest cartilage piercings on the east coast. And that popularity is still going strong.
So, where exactly is the conch? It’s the center-most part of the ear that, well, looks like a conch shell. It’s what Cassi Lopez, head piercer at New York Adorned, calls the bowl, or cup, of the ear — a placement she says is such a classic these days, it’ll never go out of style.
Just like any other piercing, there’s plenty of research to be done ahead of your conch appointment — like figuring out the exact positioning, picking out rad jewelry, and prepping your after-care routine. Lucky for you, we’ve got all of that covered, ahead.
Depending on the anatomy of your ear, you could get two types of conch piercings: inner or outer. An inner settles inside of the cup of the ear, right through the center. This is the more popular variation of the conch piercing on Instagram.
An outer conch piercing sits just outside the cup, near the helix and the outer ridge. But, again, everyone’s ear is different, so it all depends on your anatomy.
Ready to get your first conch, but don’t know what kind of jewelry to ask for? Lopez says studs are the way to go. That means the jewelry will have to be larger in diameter and a bit thicker, which might not be your aesthetic, but it’ll likely heal faster since it won’t move nearly as much as a hoop.
So, how long does a conch piercing take to heal? Lopez says that, with the right jewelry and aftercare, it should take six to eight months.
Although she likes to pierce the spot with a stud, Lopez makes a case for eventually replacing the jewelry with something larger or a hoop. "Personally, I love a large piece in this area because it’s already a spot that has a decent amount of surface area," she says. "It all depends on the aesthetic and current setup of the ear."
If something delicate is more your style, teeny-tiny studs look rad on the inside of the ear.
Just like constellation piercings, you can dress up the conch area with multiple holes. In this case, Lopez added one stud above an old conch piercing to create a new, stacked look.
Lopez says that your conch piercing can be the center of attention: "With a nice piece of jewelry, you don’t need much of anything else in your ear."
And it’s true: The conch is one piercing that looks good with, or without, a cluster of other piercings around it. Just look at this solo conch done by piercer Lynn Loheide.
The most important thing to remember about conch piercings, like all the rest, is to be patient. "Most people get a conch with the intention of putting a ring in," Lopez says. "Be sure it’s fully healed first, or you will end up with bumps from irritation." She adds that, if the hole is new, you should avoid rings that are thin in diameter, or it’ll be flimsy and feel uncomfortable.
Before you book your appointment, there’s one more thing to cover: the pain. So, does it hurt? Ask any piercer and they’ll agree that putting a needle through any part of the cartilage will hurt, but it’s totally tolerable.
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Source: Refinery29 – Samantha Sasso