Daith Piercing Pain Level: Healing Time, aftercare, Infection, Compared to Tragus, Problems

Daith piercing is located at the inner cartilage of the ear which is said to have a pressure point. It is suggested that the Daith piercing can mimic the effects of acupuncture when it hits the pressure points in the ear.  There is very little research about how effective Daith piercing is when it comes to eliminating or minimizing migraines. Nevertheless, whether you like to get rid of your migraines or just have a fun and new look, Daith piercing is for you. However, it is very painful to pierce a daith as compared to earlobe.

Is Daith Piercing Painful?

A kind of piercing that is done on the cartilage is very much painful. You may experience a throbbing pain once the needle is taken out, but as the days goes by; the pain reduces during daith piercing healing. It is very normal for a newly pierced cartilage to produce blood. So, at any point does not panic as such will be handled well by the piercing professional.

What is the Most Painful Ear Piercing

Of course, this is subjective and every individual will have their own experience, so whilst we can’t tell you for sure which piercing will hurt you the most we have done our research and put together a pain rated list based on customer feedback.
All piercings are over in a matter of minutes and if you really want one, don’t let a little bit of ouch put you off! With that in mind, never choose to have a piercing or any of the body modification done simply because you think it will be the least painful, choose the one you really want because after all, it’s going to be there every day and you don’t want it to be a reminder of the time you chickened out…

Least ear piercing pain: Ear Lobes

Ear lobe piercings are one of the most popular piercings and is one of few that can be done legally under 16; in fact ear lobe piercings can be performed from the age of five with parental consent. Not only is this piercing widely fashionable but because of the fleshy nature of the area, they are also considered the least painful. Many people describe a lobe piercing as a minor sting that lasts a couple seconds and is less painful than a bee-sting.
In terms of healing, lobe piercings are relatively easy to care for with minimal soreness, all you need to do is make sure you clean your piercing using salt water and cotton buds (with clean and dry hands). Your ear lobe piercing should be healed enough to change your jewellery in 6 weeks and there is a huge variety of earrings to choose from! This piercing is perfect for piercing virgins and looks great no matter what your style is.

Most painful ear piercing; Daith piercing

The Daith piercing is growing even more popular recently and that’s due to the fact that it not only looks cool but there is strong evidence to suggest it serves another function. Judging by feedback from people who suffer from migraines, it is now widely believed that the Daith piercing focuses on an acupuncture pressure point and can relieve the frequency and severity of migraines and headaches.
The Daith piercing goes through the inner most cartilage of the ear, which means it can be a little more uncomfortable than a lobe piercing, but not unbearable. The piercing takes on average 3-6 months to completely heal and the most popular jewellery for the Daith piercing is a heart shaped ring.
I didn’t find the tragus painful at all. I also have a daith. That was a bit uncomfortable to get done, because it was such a thick piece of cartilage to go through, but I wouldn’t have called that painful either.
What people say about daith piercing pain
I can’t comment on the rook, as I don’t have that one. I thought that one was pretty anatomy dependent and not everyone has enough of a ridge to pierce. Not sure about that though. Good luck with whatever you decide.
Oh, I have 2 14g outer conches. They didn’t hurt to pierce but were a bit troublesome to heal. They bled quite a bit when they first got done. They still flare up occasionally, though they are several year old now. They don’t like it when I change jewelry and will get tender when I do.

How long does it take for a Daith Piercing to Heal

A daith piercing is a body part that is located just above the tragus and the piercings always appears very similar. It is a piercing through a very thick section of cartilage that does make the piercing itself appear to be much more dramatic. But the fact is, there is minimal or even no pain with these piercings and the aesthetic reward is certainly worth any discomfort.
The daith piercing healing process may be a bit longer and very complicated than most other piercings. Daith piercings are magnet for dirt and germs that are around us. And it also needs more attention just because it is a larger wound than a thin cartilage piercing. It is imperative that you might keep it clean and strictly follow the doctor’s aftercare instructions.
As with all ear piercings, it is also recommend that an individual avoids contact with makeup, hairspray, and perfumes; you should also change the pillowcase every other day and cleanse the ear after talking on the phone or wearing earphones, earmuffs, etc. for a faster daith piercing healing.
As with all cartilage piercings, in a perfect world it should only take about 6 weeks to heal, but most of the people encounter some kind of problem(s) along the way. Those setbacks make most cartilage piercings actually take 3-6 months to finally heal completely. It just takes persistence and patience to get to that point. Don’t give up if you experience any problems – they’ll eventually disappear.
Before deciding to pierce the upper portion of your ear, familiarize yourself with the health risks associated with cartilage ear piercings.

How easy is it to Clean a Daith Piercing

The piercing process only takes a few moments. The piercing expert will start by sterilizing the area to be pierced followed by marking the exact points where the needle would pinch through. The piercer may take the time to ensure that the piercing is done seamlessly. Due to the different natural curves in the area, the piercer really needs to focus on the piercing process.
Daith Piercing Pain and Procedure
When it comes to the pain caused by the procedure, most people would say that on a scale of 1-10, with ten being the highest, Daith piercing is around 3-4. Commonly, people would experience warmth in the pierced area and encounter bleeding. Some even go through a throbbing pain a few minutes later, but it will definitely decrease.
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Daith piercing aftercare

  • Soak a cotton ball in warm salt water and gently press against the piercing
  • Use a mild soap to clean the piercing and jewelry while bathing
  • Dry the pierced area by gently patting with a disposable paper towel
  • Do not allow ear wax to accumulate in the ear canal
  • Be careful when putting on scarves and hats to avoid any friction
  • Change your bedding regularly
  • Avoid wearing headphones and ear buds
  • Protect the piercing when you use shampoos, conditioners, skin lotions, and perfumes
  • Avoid physical activities that cause undue stress on the piercing

Daith Piercing aftercare

There are several number of things that you should and shouldn’t do during the daith piercing healing process, no matter the type of ear piercing you have. Use the guidelines as indicated as a supplement to any ear piercing aftercare instructions the piercer provides. If you follow these guidelines and the piercer’s instructions and clean the ear piercing(s) regularly, you may have new earlobe piercings to heal within a period of 4-8 weeks
The healing process can be longer and more complicated than most other piercings. As with all ear piercings, I also recommend that you avoid contact with makeup, hairspray, and perfumes; you should also change your pillowcase every day and cleanse your ear after talking on the phone or wearing earphones, earmuffs, etc.
Before deciding to pierce the upper portion of your ear, familiarize yourself with the health risks associated with cartilage ear piercings.
Daily Care Routine

  • Do not touch your piercing unless you are cleaning it. Unwashed hands carry bacteria and your piercing is a point where these bacteria can penetrate below your skin and cause an infection.
  • While healing, your piercing will need to be cleaned once daily.
  • Cleaning more often than this will harm your piercing.
  • You will need to use an antibacterial soap that contains either chloroxylenol or triclosan

The step-by-step procedure is:

  • Wash your hands with antibacterial soap.
  • Wet the piercing with plain water.
  • Put a few drops of antibacterial soap on the piercing and work them into lather with a cotton bud.
  • Try to loosen any crusted discharge and float it off the jewelry and your skin with the cotton bud.
  • Leave the antibacterial soap on the piercing for two minutes while rotating the jewelry back and forth, allowing the disinfectant to penetrate the piercing.
  • Rinse with water and air dry thoroughly. Do not dry with a towel, which may carry bacteria.

Suitable Types:

  • Captured bead rings
  • Rings are much cheaper than barbells. Special pliers may be required to remove or replace the bead, especially for thicker gauge jewelry.
  • Avoid sleepers as the sharp edges at the joint may damage your piercing.
    Barbells
  • Either choose internally threaded barbells or, if the bar is externally threaded, be sure that no threads are exposed.
  • Studs can work very well providing there is sufficient room to exposé the piercing when cleaning.
  • Suitable Sizes:
    Only 18 gauge or heavier jewelry should be used. Smaller gauges will migrate out through the skin.

Suitable Materials: 
Surgical Stainless Steel, 18 carat gold, titanium, niobium, PTFE.
Do not use 9 carat gold, silver, or gold plated jewelry in new piercings. In a healing cartilage piercing the gold plating will wear off the jewelry before the piercing is healed. This is not such a problem in healed piercings.

Daith Piercing Infection

The signs of inflammation will be available with perichondritis during the daith piercing healing process. A daith piercing painful and red ear is the most common symptom of an ear infection, according to the doctors. Pain will happen in the cartilage portion of the ear. The redness surrounds the area where the injury has happened. Ear lobe swelling might occur with an infection of the ear cartilage.
Accumulation of dirt around the fresh piercing can lead to infection and complications. Therefore, keeping the pierced area clean is very essential to for normal healing.
Although a new piercing can lead to redness, soreness and swelling, take medical help if it becomes severely infected. If you experience irritation and pus discharge near the pierced region, then there is a possibility of a jewelry rejection. It might be better if you get the jewelry extracted by a professional piercer before the piercing migrates.
Pus might collect between the cartilage and even surrounding perichondrium with a severe infection. This pus collection might sometimes result in the death of the cartilage. This occurs as the cartilage receives its blood supply and nutrition from the perichondrium. This might lead to a deformed ear. An untreated severe infection of the ear cartilage might change the shape of the ear and thus result in cauliflower-shaped deformity of the ear.
Severe cases of ear cartilage infection can result in fever, discharge that is seeping from the wound and even itching of the ear. A severe ear cartilage infection can also lead to crusts in the affected area and pus like discharge. The infection from the ear might spread to soft tissues of the face and neck,

How do you know if your Daith Piercing is infected

You need to first, know the signs, symptoms, and causes of an infection. For most people, when their piercing starts acting up they immediately think that it is infected. Keep in mind you put a hole through your body that’s not meant to be there. Infections are likely to come from a home piercer, meaning friend, non licensed personal, or yourself. You need to have knowledge of equipment, anatomy, and jewelry before performing a procedure like piercing.
Symptoms of infection
Discharge from piercing site: Yellow isn’t always a scary color, but when it starts turning green then you should worry. The discharge will have a foul smell caused by the bacterial infection. You will notice the discharge when your jewelry is moved or it may even seep around the jewelry as it is stationary. If you have a white discharge, this indicates there is no infection.
Burning sensation due to allergic reaction: You may have yellow discharge due to the burning sensation of an allergic reaction. This may be from not cleaning your piercing or your body is allergic to the jewelry. Typically, most shops use surgical steel, which is a top grade metal that no one is allergic to. But if your jewelry is stainless steel, nickel, sterling silver, and other metals this could be likely. Other causes to check would be if the jewelry is too tight or to loose.
Swelling, Redness, and Tenderness: Swelling, bruising, and redness are major signs of infection. Although, if you got the piercing done it will be tender. Some piercings like cartilage, navel, and some surface piercings take month to heal and can easily be disturbed. The difference of know if your piercing is just pissed off or infected is the pain. If the piercing is painful rather than annoying I would suggest having it get looked at by a professional.
Abscess and bumps: Abscess, which is basically “a swollen area within body tissue, containing an accumulation of pus” is caused by either poor drainage on the piercing or presence of a foreign material that causes the body to defensively reaction to that foreign material. Hypertrophic scars can also cause bumps which will have some discharge which will not be pus. This is a sign you have repeatedly irritated your piercing.
Bleeding: This is NOT a common sign of an infected piercing, especially an old piercing. For new piercing, bleeding is normal but it should last for a short period of time. Trauma and injuries can also cause bleeding of a piercing site. This might not indicate any sign of infection but will potentially increase the chances of getting an infection.
You have an open wound, so it is more susceptible to bacteria. If you have bleeding, you can apply some pressure on the piercing to stop bleeding before going back to the piercer for further treatment. Furthermore, avoid wearing your piercing without mirrors if you cannot see the piercing site well, ensure they do not get tugged by anything as they can be torn away easily causing serious injuries.
Fever, Nausea, Chills, and loss of function: The other sign of an infected piercing might include cold chills, nausea feeling and fever. This is a likelihood of a more serious infection especially the bacteria or pathogens have become systematic (infected your blood). You need to see your doctor immediately for further treatment since ignoring it could cause a more serious life threatening infections. In this instance, your piercer will not be able to help treat you.

Daith Piercing Compared to Tragus

Ear piercings are no more a store of Indians. It comes next in notoriety among piercings worldwide after ear piercings. Before you get one anyway, you may need to realize a percentage of the best ear piercing types that exist.
We have to clear up that despite the fact that there are different parts of the ear where piercing might be made including the tragus, ear cartilages, this article will rather focus on the different sorts of ear piercing adornments that you can use on the pierced ear.
Tragus piercing
Tragus is a piece of our ear which is placed at the opening of the ear and is shaped of a decently thick piece of the ear cartilage. The methodology of tragus penetrating includes little gage piercing needles and the jewelry generally worn in the tragus is of the type of hostage globule ring or flimsy roundabout wire rings.
Despite the fact that it is a similarly hearty manifestation of ear piercing, however it may turn touchy now and again. Wearing headphones amid the mend time could be dangerous in this kind of piercing; however the possibilities of tearing or extending are low.

Daith Ear piercing

Daith piercing happens in the inward ear cartilage that is placed simply over the ear trench opening. This inward ear cartilage is punctured to offer approach to thin wired adornments. The needle utilized for performing daith piercing is normally bended or have little collector tubes at the inverse end, in order to avoid harm to other ear parts. Little globule ring sort adornments are worn in daith piercings that make it look cool and in vogue.

More references

  1. Most painful ear piercing: http://forum.steelnavel.com/showthread.php?2272-Most-painful-ear-piercing
  2. Daith piercing healing: https://www.medhealthdaily.com/daith-piercing-healing/
  3. How to clean a daith piercing: https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-clean-a-daith-piercing
  4. Daith piercing aftercare: http://www.skin-artists.com/daith-piercing.htm