Upper Lobe

Above the first lobe hole, still in soft tissue. Where a stack usually starts.

Gauge
18g / 16g
Post while healing
6mm
Post once healed
5mm
Ring diameter
6–10mm
Healing time
2–4 months
Pain
2/5

Pierced 18 months

Works with Stud · Labret · Hoop · Huggie

If it is fresh or healing

Tissue thins toward the top of the lobe. Spacing matters more than gauge — too close to the first hole and neither heals well.

The anatomy

Still soft tissue, but thinner than the first lobe hole and getting closer to where the cartilage begins. That thinning is why an upper lobe can feel slightly sharper to pierce and why it is fussier about jewellery that sits flush.

Spacing matters more here than gauge. Two holes placed too close together share the same small patch of tissue and neither heals properly — a good piercer will measure the gap before they mark you, and will say no if there is not enough room.

Aftercare

Treat it like a lobe. The one thing to watch is a new upper lobe sitting directly against an existing earring — if two pieces are touching, one of them is not healing.

Jewellery that fits

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