Ear piercings for men aren't considered rebellious or punk any more. Nobody is googling “which ear is the gay ear” either—well, nobody who healthily engages with society. Now that tons of us have multiple piercings (ears or otherwise), and we can even wear them in the workplace with our tattoos and facial hair. (Imagine the water cooler gossip that would have fueled in 1998…)

But we don't come out of the womb with pieced ears quite yet. So if you’re thinking of getting your ear(s) pierced, there's a lot to know. First of all, no two piercings are alike—the fatty ear lobe heals a lot differently than cartilage. And it helps to read up on things like hygiene, healing time frames, optimal metals, and even best studio practices. So we kicked a few questions over to Evan Spencer Webb, head piercer and business manager at Enigma Professional Piercing in San Diego. Here is his advice and insight on the most common ear piercing questions men have these days. Read up for everything you need to know about ear piercings for men—then check out our roundup of the best earrings for men on the market. 

How to Pick the Right Piercing Studio

Just as you’d prefer to see a doctor with professional and modern certifications, you should seek out the same from a piercing studio and the piercer themself. Webb says to look for studios and piercers who are members of the Association of Professional Piercers (APP). “The APP is a non-profit organization that holds their members to higher standards than state or government regulations,” Webb explains. “If a studio maintains membership, you can rest assured that they are operating in a manner that has your health and safety in mind.”

Webb adds that members of the AAP follow strict guidelines pertaining to studio setup, sterilization of needles and jewelry, and quality and construction of jewelry, plus they have to do an annual bloodborne pathogens training. It’s entirely normal for potential customers to quiz a studio about these sorts of things, so Webb encourages asking questions—anything from inquiring about how they sterilize (or even how they test said sterilization machinery), to where the jewelry is manufactured. “Find a studio whose piercers and employees are knowledgeable about the materials they’re using in piercings, where the jewelry is from, what goes into making a high quality piece of body jewelry, and seem to care about what they’re using,” he says.

How Piercings are Administered

One of the biggest misconceptions people have about ear piercings is that they are administered with some kind of “piercing gun,” Webb says. This method is far outdated and is also far less accurate than a simple sterilized needle piercing. Needle piercing is the method used in almost all of Webb’s piercings. 

As added hygienic measures, he also uses sterile drapes around the ear, to keep any hairs out of the way, and to thus keep his gloves sterile. Webb also factors in “bracing” of the ear whenever a piercing might require more stabilization.

The Healing Process: What to ExpectCleansing

Your piercing studio should provide you with (or point you towards) the ideal sterile saline solution for flushing or spraying the wound. Webb says to first gently dry the piercing area with disposable paper products. (“Sterile gauze or clean paper towels are suggested, but Q-tips and cotton pads are not recommended as the cotton fibers can get easily caught or wound around the jewelry, and culture bacteria.”)  Lastly, avoid harsh chemicals. 

Recovery Time

Cartilage takes longer to heal than tissue. Webb says that cartilage can take 6-9 months to heal, compared to 1-2 for tissue. Furthermore, a complicated puncture like the two-point industrial piercing can take up to an entire year or more. “This area is prone to movement and being slept on,” he explains, in addition to the fact that two wounds are healing instead of just one. Regardless of the piercing, though, any amount of pressure applied—or if something catches on it—then you need to add healing time. The most important thing: Don't pick at any kind of piercing. Leave it alone. Don’t move or twist the jewelry; this can slow down healing times. 

Downsize After ~6 Weeks

For both earlobe and cartilage piercings, you should plan to downsize the jewelry once initial swelling subsides, roughly after six weeks. You won't need as much metal in there after this point, and the oversized piece can impede healing, irritate the piercing, and maybe even alter the angle of a cartilage piercing. This is an approximation, Webb says, since no two people heal at the same rate. So, make a plan to go see your piercer after six weeks to assess. This is when you can also discuss introducing different styles of jewelry to earlobe piercings, and even materials, if the wound is fully healed. The cartilage wound certainly won’t be healed yet, but might still require a newly fit metal.

“All piercings in the ear will require roughly the same aftercare, but you’ll definitely be taking more care and healing anything in the cartilage for a longer period of time compared to an earlobe,” Webb says. 

The Best and Worst Metals for Piercings (and Nonmetals, Too)

Another common question that pierced people have pertains to the types of metals used in jewelry (and similarly, which types of non-metal materials are safe). Remember this advice above all: “The skin is very absorbent, so it’s important to use quality materials,” says Webb. “No. Cheap. Metals.”

Good Metals for Piercings

An additional sign of a good studio is in the metals they use: “Professional studios should be using implant-grade titanium, solid gold, and niobium,” Webb says. “All jewelry should be hand polished to a mirror finish. All of these materials have been rigorously tested for their biocompatibility, and it is extremely rare to have an allergy to these metals.” Solid gold or implant grade titanium should never dull. But be cautious when cleaning the wound with hydrogen peroxide if you are wearing titanium. “Titanium oxide and hydrogen peroxide don’t have a good reaction, and it will ruin the polish on the titanium,” he says.

Webb adds that US-manufactured products are also important to seek out, due to national regulations on these materials. “Overseas, the metal laws are much different, and if you’re getting titanium or gold that is manufactured overseas, there’s no guarantee that the titanium will be implant grade, or what materials the gold has been hardened with.”

Inferior Metals for Piercings

As for fresh piercings, it is important to avoid steel, silver, and copper. (Then again, try to stick with the three options mentioned above for your best luck.) “These materials can contain impurities that can be broken down by your body’s pH, and can cause a reaction,” Webb warns. These can be OK to use in healed piercings, but proceed with caution.

Non-Metal Materials to Consider and Avoid

If you prefer non-metal materials, the sole option for fresh ear piercings is glass (either borosilicate or quartz glass). “This would commonly be for a larger gauge piercing,” Webb explains. “We generally start earlobe piercings at an 18g, which is a very small gauge. For example, most glass jewelry or plugs start at 12g. (The lower the number, the thicker the gauge).” Once a lobe wound is healed and stretched (that is, “gauged”), there are a variety of acceptable materials one can use. Examples include stone, wood, horn, bone, and some types of shell. 

Avoid plastics and acrylics across all types of piercings, no matter now established. “These are unsafe due to the possibility of plastic leaching into the skin,” Webb says. 

The Most Painful Piercings (and the Least)

While each of us has different pain thresholds, there are some generally accepted spectrums of agony when it comes to types of ear piercings. “Of course most piercings will only take a second if done by an experienced professional, and your level of discomfort will be minimal,” Webb explains. “Whenever people are nervous about something hurting, I always use the comparison of stubbing your toe: No piercing in your ear is going to hurt more than stubbing your toe, and by the time you’re looking at your new piercing in the mirror, you’re going to be excited and comfortable.” While the same can’t be said for other body parts, the ear has far fewer nerve endings in it, and as a rule of thumb, piercing the fatty tissue in your ear lobe or helix (the perimeter) will hurt less than piercing through cartilage.

Most Popular

GQ RecommendsThe Best Work Jackets Might Just Make Your Parents ProudBy Daniel Varghese

GQ RecommendsThe Best Waxed Jackets Are Rugged, Restorable, and Royal-ApprovedBy Leon Hedgepeth

GQ SportsWalker Buehler Knows How to Win Championships—and Especially How to Celebrate ThemBy Matthew Roberson

While the pain may be momentary at best, these are the ear piercings that give people the most grief, according to Webb.

Industrial: The most painful ear piercing is the industrial piercing, Webb says. This is one that connects a straight piece of jewelry to two separate piercings at the top and sides of the ear (almost like a barbell). “Industrial piercings are generally uncomfortable because the helix (the rim around the outer ear) is being pierced at more of a severe angle, rather than 90 degrees to the tissue,” he explains. “This causes the piercing to pass through more tissue and cartilage than it would with a traditional helix or cartilage piercing.”Rook: The rook is that flap of cartilage below the top fold of your ear (this outer fatty-tissue trim of the ear is called the helix). So, feel the top of the helix, then move down a centimeter or less and you’ll locate the rook. “Rook piercings are uncomfortable because of how dense and thick that part of the cartilage is,” Webb says. Snug: Trace that cartilage from the rook down to the outer edge of the inner ear, to the thick cartilage that borders the helix there. This is where the snug piercing finds its home, and Webb says it is on par with the pain of the rook piercing, due to the density of cartilage here. Advice for Gauging

If you are hoping to gauge (stretch) the size of your earlobe piercing, then take your time. This is not something that should hurt, Webb says, thus he recommended waiting between 2-3 months before moving up a size—and never skipping sizes. “Just because a stretch didn’t hurt, doesn’t mean to keep stretching. A healed piercing channel is scar tissue, and doesn’t have the same elasticity as the rest of our skin, and skipping sizes or stretching too soon can cause micro tears in the scar tissue channel, making developing more scar tissue a risk, as well as making it more difficult to go up in size in the future.” And remember: Highly gauged ears can never close again, except with surgery. So factor that in if you think you might ever want to close the holes.

More Great Grooming Recommendations from GQ

The Best Beard Trimmers of 2024

The 10 Best Moisturizers for Every Type of Skin

The Best Men's Deodorant for Every Kind of Stink and Sweat

The Absolute Best Face Washes for Men

Subscribe to GQ for more Recommends content.

Adam Hurly has been covering men's grooming since 2013 (and for GQ since 2016). He is also a travel writer. In Fall 2024, Adam is launching Blue Print by Adam Hurly, a men's grooming platform. Adam resides in Lisbon (previously Berlin, NYC, and San Francisco). He is a Sioux Falls, SD, native... Read moreWriterInstagramRelated Stories for GQJewelry