So, you have rocked that tragus piercing for a while and are now considering changing it? It is totally fine. Changing jewelry to match the current trend is the way to do it, you do not have to wear the same old piercing for the rest of your life! But in order to change the piercing, you will have to remove the old one carefully so that you do not irritate the piercing area. Now you may ask, how to take out a tragus piercing without causing any irritation?
Taking out a piercing jewelry requires extra caution. Even if the piercing area is healed, you may end up irritating it and causing a piercing infection. Getting an infection on an old and healed piercing can be really annoying. To avoid such an issue, I have provided a step-by-step guide on how to take out a tragus piercing and more in this piece.
Key Takeaways
- The tragus is the prominent part of your ear that is placed right above the hearing passage.
- Reasons to take out a tragus piercing are you got bored, showing love, not into piercing anymore, maintaining office protocol, etc.
- Things to consider before taking out tragus piercing are healing status, replacement jewelry, aftercare, hygiene, comfort, putting the replacement jewelry quickly, etc.
- To take out a tragus piercing you should wash your hands, gently unscrew or snap the piercing, and then gently take it out and clean the piercing area.
- If your tragus piercing is not unscrewing then you can try lubrication, rubber grips, cool compress, or seek professional assistance.
Tragus Piercing: Short Primer
The word tragus is not so common, neither is tragus piercing. You know the prominence part of the inner side of your external ear that kind of shields and covers a bit of the hearing organ passage, right? That is called tragus.
Tragus piercing is pretty rare, you do not have a lot of tragus piercing around. But it can be a nice, cute, and elegant piercing to have. Even though it is a body part that mostly stays exposed, still a tragus piercing is not easily visible because of how small it is. Not to mention people don’t really check out tragus as they do other feathers of your face.
4 Reasons To Take Out A Tragus Piercing
There can be many reasons for you to take out your tragus piercing. In this portion, I have listed a few crucial reasons why you take it out, and see if any or more reasons match with yours.
1. You got bored
We all love your piercing the first time we get it. But as time passes by, seeing the same jewelry again and again may create some boredom. And it is totally understandable, getting bored of an old piercing jewelry does not mean you regret or do not like the piercing decision. It simply means it is time for a change. Taking the old tragus piercing out and putting on a new one can get rid of that boring feeling you have been having lately.
2. Showing love
Getting tragus pierced can be a fantastic choice. You may love the piercing and take good care of it for a year or two. After that, the love may fade away and you may not pay attention or take care of the tragus piercing as you used to before. To renew your interest or to show some love for the tragus, you may take out the old piercing jewelry and wear a new one.
3. Not into piercing anymore
Most piercings are done in the teen years, and the most regrettable decisions that you make, are mostly done in the teen years. So, there is a high chance you may have gotten a tragus piercing while you were young but regretting that decision when you are in your late 40s. In such a case, you may just want to take out the tragus piercing and be done with it. There is nothing wrong if you do not want to wear jewelry on the pierced area anymore. You can take out the jewelry and go on living your life as you want, and nobody can judge you for that.
4. To maintain office protocol
Let’s say you are about to attend a meeting that requires you to not wear any visible piercing jewelry, or you have switched your company and the new company protocol requires employees not to wear any visible piercing jewelry. It can happen. In such circumstances, you may be required to take out your tragus piercing.
6 Things to Consider Before Taking out Tragus Piercing
Now that you have your reasons, before you go through the step-by-step guide on how to take out a tragus piercing, you should consider a few things. I have listed them below:
1. Healing status
Before you take out your tragus piercing, check the healing status. You should not take out the piercing if the area is still healing. It is recommended to remove or change jewelry only after the piercing area is completely healed. Tragus piercing may take from 4 months to 1 year to heal completely. I know that is a huge time length but have some patience, my friend. Taking out tragus piercing while the area is healing may cause redness, swelling, and irritation and it has the potential to cause an infection as well.
2. Replacement jewelry
Now consider the replacement jewelry you will be putting on after taking the old one out. The material of the replacement jewelry should be of high quality. And make sure to choose a material that does not cause allergy or any other negative reaction on your skin. Replacing the old jewelry with a new one that has cheap quality material may cause an allergic reaction, swelling, irritation, and mild infection. You may get materials such as glass, titanium, surgical stainless steel, etc.
3. Aftercare
After taking out the tragus piercing, your pierced area or the pierced hole may get a bit irritated. You should ensure you take proper aftercare after removing the tragus piercing. Or else the area may get swollen and red from an allergic reaction. Trust me reddish tragus is not an appealing look for anybody.
4. Hygiene
Make sure to choose a place to take out the tragus piercing that is sterilized and safe. Wash your hands and the jewelry to ensure complete hygiene protocol is maintained. Not maintaining basic hygiene protocol when you take out the tragus piercing may lead to complications such as irritation and infection.
5. Comfortable
Make sure you are relaxed and comfortable before you take out the piercing because it is in a delicate position that is bound to cause some pain. If you are stressed or not comfortable, you may feel more pain during the removal process.
6. Putting the replacement jewelry quickly
After taking out the old tragus piercing, can you put in a new one quickly or not? If you are considering buying new jewelry after you have taken out the old one, then I highly recommend you wait till you have that new jewelry in your hand. Because you are supposed to put in or wear the replacement tragus jewelry as quickly as possible. A few minutes of delay would not matter, but a few hour’s delay may end up tightening the pierced hole. Which could create difficulty when you try to put on the new jewelry.
Step By Step Guide on How to Take out A Tragus Piercing
Taking out a tragus piercing is not a big deal as long as you follow the simple step-by-step guide I have provided below.
1. Gather necessary supplies
Before you get on with the removal process, make sure you have all the essential supplies. Missing some tools in the middle of the process is annoying, and frustrating and it can delay the process and lead to complications. The crucial you should have for this procedure are:
- Disposable gloves
- Surgical tweezers (sterilized)
- A paper towel or a clean towel
- A swab or a cotton ball
2. Choose a sterilized or hygienic place or station
Where you perform this removal procedure is crucial. If the place is unhygienic then your tragus piercing may get infected. So, make sure to choose a sterilized place or workstation that is not dirty and is hygienic.
3. Wash your hand
Use antibacterial soap or green soap to wash your hands. Put your hand in lukewarm soapy water for about 20 to 30 seconds then take your hands out and wash with clean water. Use a paper towel or clean towel to soak your hands dry.
You may skip this step if you wear disposable hand gloves.
4. Pull back your hair
If you have long hair then it may interfere with the removal procedure. Make sure to pull back your long hair and pin them properly. But if you have short hair, then there is no need to pin the hair.
5. Clean the tragus piercing
Yes, you heard me right. You should clean the tragus piercing and the area around it even before you take the piercing out. This way you can ensure the area is nice and sterilized.
Use the cotton ball or swab to dip into the rubbing alcohol and gently wipe the piercing area.
6. Remove the tragus jewelry
This is the most crucial step, so pay attention. There are different types of tragus piercings out there. Make sure to follow the proper procedure for the type of piercing you want to take out.
- For ball-backing jewelry, you have to unscrew the ball. Stretch the area using a tweezer and then use your finger to unscrew the ball. Try turning the ball counterclockwise to take it out. After unscrewing the ball you can gently push the stud to get it out of the tragus.
- For the segment ring, find the connection point and put pressure to snap it open. Then gently remove it from your tragus.
- For hoop piercing removal, gently twist the hoop on the tragus until it becomes loose. After you have loosened up the hoop gently put it out from your tragus.
7. Wash the tragus piercing area
After removing the piercing jewelry make sure to gently whip the area with rubbing alcohol. No need to rub the area vigorously, a gentle wipe will do.
8. Sterilize the new jewelry
Before you put on the new or replacement jewelry make sure to sterilize it. To sterilize the new jewelry you can use the rubbing alcohol to wipe it carefully using a cotton ball or swab.
9. Put in the new jewelry
Now, put in the new jewelry as soon as you can. Use the sterilized surgical tweezers to stretch the tragus skin and insert the hoop or bar into the pierced hole gently. Then you can screw the ball or snap the ending if it is a segment ring.
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4 Things to Do If Your Tragus Piercing Won’t Unscrew
If you are unable to unscrew your tragus piercing you can follow the tips I have provided below.
1. Try lubrication
Apply a tiny bit of lubricant over the tragus piercing. You should go for a water-based lubricant that won’t irritate your skin. Or you can go for an olive oil to lubricate the piercing area. After lubricating the screw should be easy to unscrew.
2. Try rubber grips
Fingers might not be the best way to grab those small balls or piercing screws. If you are having difficulty holding onto those piercings ball using your finger then consider using a rubber jar opener or rubber gloves. Rubber can provide a better grip for you to hold and unscrew those piercing balls.
3. Cool compress
If your tragus is swollen then the piercing might get tightened and it might be a bit difficult for you to unscrew it. In such circumstances, you can use ice or other cool compress methods to reduce the swelling and then unscrew your tragus piercing.
4. Seek professional assistance
If the piercing is still tight and you can not unscrew it even after applying the 3 tips I have provided above, then my friend it is time to seek help from a professional. You should go visit your piercer and let them assess the situation. They can provide you with the best advice on how to unscrew it. Or they might unscrew it for you, even better right?
FAQs
Can you suggest to me some of the best materials for my tragus-piercing jewelry?
There are many high-quality materials out there that you can choose for your tragus-piercing jewelry. A few of them are:
- Titanium
- b.
- Gold
- c. Glass
- d. Surgical stainless steel
- e. Silver
How much time will it take for my tragus piercing to heal?
It may take around 6 months to 12 months for your tragus piercing to heal in general. That said, there are many factors that can affect the healing time of your tragus.
When can I take out my tragus piercing?
You can take out your tragus piercing when the area is completely healed. Do not attempt to take out the piercing as it heals. Taking out a piercing while it is healing may irritate the skin, cause swelling, and sometimes it may cause infection.
What factors affect the healing time of a tragus piercing?
There can be a lot of factors that can affect the healing time of a tragus piercing. Such as:
- Strength of your immune system
- Age
- Lifestyle habit
- Sleeping position
- Gauge size or piercing
Final Thoughts
Want to take out your tragus piercing? You may have your reasons, such as getting bored, showing love, not into piercing anymore or maintaining protocol to take out that old tragus piercing. There is nothing wrong with wanting to take out the old piercing to put on a new one or just taking it out because you do not like piercing jewelry anymore.
You can take the piercing out by following the method recommended for that specific jewelry type. If you face difficulty unscrewing the jewelry then you can lubricate the piercing, apply a cold compress to reduce swelling, and try again using a rubber grip. If none of these works, then visit your piercer. Your piercer knows exactly what to do to get that stubborn piercing screw off from the bar.
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