Auricle

The outer rim between lobe and helix. Cartilage, so a slower heal than it looks.

Gauge
18g / 16g
Post while healing
8mm
Post once healed
6mm
Ring diameter
8–10mm
Healing time
6–12 months
Pain
3/5

Pierced 18 months

Works with Stud · Labret · Hoop · Huggie · Seamless ring

If it is fresh or healing

Often mistaken for a lobe piercing because of where it sits. It is cartilage and heals like cartilage — plan for months, not weeks.

The anatomy

The auricle sits on the outer rim partway up, between the lobe and the helix proper. It is routinely mistaken for a lobe piercing because of where it looks like it is — but it is through cartilage, and it heals on cartilage timelines.

That mismatch between how it looks and how it behaves is the main thing to know. People treat an auricle casually because it sits low on the ear, change the jewellery at six weeks the way they would a lobe, and set the healing back months.

Aftercare

Give it the patience you would give a helix, not the patience you would give a lobe. It is cartilage regardless of how low it sits.

Jewellery that fits

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