With each new year comes hot new piercing trends! While some never go out of style, there are always new piercing looks that stand out every year. Let’s focus on a few that trending this year, as well as a few that simply never go out of style.
Stacked Lobe
A vast number of people get their earlobes pierced for their first piercing. But the stacked lobe brings a hot new twist on that old favorite. It involves adding piercings to your lobe vertically, as well as horizontally. You can make shapes or add two entire rows of piercings to your lobes, or simply add one or two on top of your existing lobe piercings for a look that’s entirely your own. With comparatively easy healing and a shorter healing time than a cartilage piercing, these have a lot of practical appeal as well as aesthetic appeal. Plus, if one is using flatback labret jewelry, the style options are practically endless!
Contra Conch
This piercing is a fabulous twist on the standard conch piercing. Whereas a conch piercing would normally rest in the ridge of cartilage towards the outer portion of the ear, this piercing actually is done ON that ridge of cartilage. The lone downside of this particular piercing is that it is highly anatomy dependent and requires that ridge to be wide enough for the jewelry end to sit entirely flat on the tissue. That said, if you have the anatomy, this is an eye-catching and truly stunning piercing – particularly if matched with a standard conch piercing. If you are into a curated look, this is a great place to start.
Tragus
This is a classic that never goes out of style. The tragus is the wee little nub of cartilage that sits between your face and the opening of your ear. It’s not terribly anatomy-dependent and, once healed, offers a nearly endless variety of jewelry options. Almost anything from a flatback labret to a captive ring to cartilage stud will look at home in your tragus piercing. This piercing has been around for decades without ever losing any of its punch so you don’t have to worry about healing a piercing only to see go out fashion within a few months.
Conch
This is another classic that’s always hip. A conch piercing is generally done in the curve of the ear, at the base of the thick ridge of cartilage and across from the opening of the ear. While it requires straight jewelry (such as a flatback labret) to heal properly, a classic look is a larger-diameter ring such as a captive bead ring that goes around the outside of the ear. Technically, anything within that area, between the ear opening and the outer ridge of cartilage, would be considered a conch piercing. However, these are not as typically seen and may not be advised.
Flat
A flat piercing is technically the flat portion of the ear’s helix. A somewhat anatomy-dependent piercing, it require that you have enough space to fit the piercing and ensure that it will sit flush with the ear in order to heal properly. This is a piercing that can really pack a visual punch, particularly on an ear that isn’t heavily pierced in that area. With thoughtfully chosen jewelry to allow this piercing to shine, it can be the star of a lightly pierced ear or the centerpiece of a more modified one. If threadless jewelry is used, one can even change the visible end to allow for more variety or even match a specific look for that day.
Piercings come and piercings go. (Remember snake eyes piercings? They came and then they went and tongues everywhere breathed a sigh of relief.) These piercings, whether they’re fresh and fashion forward or contemporary classics, are sure to be some of the hottest looks around for 2023. If you’re looking to update your style, these are all a great place to start. Happy piercing!
