Pain is nice, but getting a piercing will never feel right. Pain is something that everyone will experience differently. For some it may be a huge pinching sensation, while you may feel a small sting. To give you an idea about which piercings hurt the most, we have compiled this list with the 10 most painful piercings in consultation with our piercers. Find out all about their pain scores and aftercare processes in this Inksane blog.
Nipple Piercing Pain
We hate to break it to you, but if we’re really honest… a nipple piercing is one of the most painful piercings you can get as a woman. If you look up some experiences online, you will quickly find very different opinions. As always, pain is relative. Some will experience a nipple piercing as extremely painful, while others just find it a prick. Your experience is completely dependent on the sensitivity of your own nipple. While placing this piercing, we pierce through the nerves. This is a different sensation compared to piercing through cartilage or skin.
1. Nipple Piercing
At number one we like to place the famous nipple piercing right away . Many women and men find this one of the most painful piercings. Here we will pierce a bar through the base of the nipple with a stone or ball on both sides of the nipple. Only after the piercing has completely healed, you can change the bar to a ring. The reason this piercing is so painful is because the nipple is a very sensitive place.
The healing process of this piercing can take as long as nine to twelve months. It is important that you take good care of your piercings during this process. This means: clean thoroughly, avoid intimate contact and do not wear tight clothing. After the pain and swelling is over you can finally enjoy your amazing nipple piercings.
2. Industrial piercing
The industrial is also a piercing that will quickly get a 10 out of 10 on our pain score. Two holes are pierced separately through the top fold of your ear. So hurt twice. This piercing is going to connect the two sides of your ear with a rod, which can be a strange feeling for some.
Unfortunately, this piercing is not feasible for everyone. You must have enough space in the crease of your ear. Is this the case with you? Don’t worry! You can easily solve this problem by having 2 helixes pierced, and then connecting them later with a nice chain.
An industrial also takes a long time to heal. It is actually 2 wounds that are connected to each other. Our golden tip is: Hurry and haste is rarely good. So take your time in grooming and be patient. This way you get a beautiful healed piercing. Now, go rock that industrial!
3. Smoke piercing
At number three is the smoke piercing . This original piercing is placed through the anthelix of your ear (the top small arch in the middle of your auricle). This can be a painful piercing, but everyone will experience pain differently. The smoke piercing gets a six out of ten on our pain threshold.
Many choose a smoke because it stands out nicely and you can personalize it with nice jewelry. During the piercing you may feel a strange pressure on your ear, but that pain will pass in no time. After insertion, it is best to sleep on your unpierced ear for a while.
This piercing also depends on your anatomy. Some have little or no space to pierce a rod through their cartilage. Do you have too little space or is it not quite your style? Then that’s no problem! You can also opt for a fake smoke, where we place a horizontal piercing with a part of the jewel at the back of the ear.
4. Daith piercing
Another piercing that is on our pain list is the daith piercing. With a pain score of six out of ten, he is certainly worth mentioning. With this piercing, a gem is placed through the cartilage where your inner ear meets your outer ear. Placing a daith piercing takes quite a while, because the cartilage has to be pierced well. If you have thicker cartilage, it will take longer to pierce it. This also means that the pain of the piercing will last longer.
What can you expect in terms of pain during the piercing process? Well, many talk about a dull ache and weird pressure on the ear. Fortunately, this pain disappears completely after a few hours. The piercing will of course remain sensitive for a few weeks, but with the right care it will heal well. After 8 weeks you can have the initial gem replaced by a nice ornate gem of your choice. Here are some fun ideas for inspiration: a ring with glitter, a heart-shaped hoop or a ring in a bright color.
5.Conch piercing
Half way through our list, we have the conch piercing. This piercing achieves a five out of ten pain score. You will experience a pressing pain during the piercing, but that feeling will pass fairly quickly. As with all piercings, it is important that you follow the aftercare instructions carefully in order to obtain a beautiful and healed piercing. With this piercing there is an extra, namely that it is best not to wear earphones or headphones during the healing process.
Unfortunately, a conch is not feasible for everyone, and it strongly depends on the amount of space you have in your auricle. This popular piercing can be pierced in two different places. With the inner conch we will pierce horizontally in the deepest part of your auricle. An outer conch piercing is placed on the flat, upper part of your ear. Both variants are very striking and super beautiful with a graceful gem. Some choose to replace their inner conch with a ring. If you cannot do this, because your cartilage is too large, there is another solution. You can then easily connect the front of your stud with a chain at the back. This way you have a bit of the effect of a ring.
6. Tragus piercing
In sixth place we have the tragus piercing with a pain score of five out of ten.
A tragus is a piercing in which the cartilage is pierced just next to the opening of your ear. A tragus is not the same as an anti-tragus. With an anti-tragus we are going to pierce the cartilage just above your earlobe. This one hurts especially if you have limited space.
During the piercing you will feel that dull pain again, but it will soon pass. During the healing process, it is important that you watch out for hair or dust with this piercing. These things can easily get stuck on the piercing and that can cause unwanted inflammation. A tragus is a piercing that stands out quickly and that you can completely personalize with a nice colored ball or a small ring.
7. Flat piercing
A flat piercing is located at the top of the flat part of your ear. It is fine cartilage, but many find that this hurts just more than thick cartilage. This gives a flat a pain score of four out of ten.
This piercing is a nice extra that allows you to pierce your ear, but you have to be careful with it. During the aftercare, it is important that you do not wear headphones for a while and that you ensure that no hair gets lodged in the piercing. You should also sleep on the other ear for a while.
It is not possible to place a ring with a flat piercing. It is a nice place for striking and colorful gems.
8. Lip Piercing
A lip piercing can be very sexy, but also very painful. Lower lip piercings hurt less and are rated three out of ten. But an upper lip piercing gets a pain score of six out of ten from us. Angelbites, a medusa piercing and a Monroe piercing, are some well-known upper lip piercings that can feel painful when placed.
With most piercings you have to take into account the clothing you are wearing during the aftercare in order to prevent any inflammation. With a lip piercing you also have to take into account what you eat and drink in the first few weeks. For example, hot drinks and meals are not recommended and it is best to rinse your mouth after every consumption.
9. Nose wing piercing
A nostril piercing comes in ninth place for us. This type of piercing can be quite painful for many people. We are going to pierce through cartilage in the nostril. During piercing you will especially have a similar feeling when someone is going to pull out a nose hair very slowly. It stings especially very hard and you will undoubtedly also have some tears. Of course everyone’s body will react differently to this. There are often people who feel almost nothing.
Furthermore, it is important that you follow the aftercare measures of your piercer carefully to get a beautifully painful piercings healed nose piercing. After a few weeks you can exchange your starting gem for a nice ring or colored stone.
10. Helix Piercing
A helix is a very popular piercing that can be quite painful for some. Others think it’s more like a quick pinch. Our piercers give the helix a pain score of three out of ten. A helix is pierced on the top edge of your ear. You can choose 1 helix, several under each other or in another place such as a forward helix.
During the piercing you will get a short squeezing feeling, but as soon as the gem is in it, this is immediately over. This piercing has a difficult healing process, so there are a few things to keep in mind. With a helix piercing you have to be especially careful that no hair or clothing gets stuck on your gem. If you want to listen to music, it’s better to exchange your headphones for a pair of earphones. Preferably also sleep on the other ear for a few nights. If you don’t do this, infections or inflammations can develop, which is not pleasant. After you have kept this up for a while, your helix is completely healed. After this you can replace your starting gems with a ring of your choice.
