Lobe Piercing

A first lobe hole sits in the centre of the fleshy part. From there you can build: a second and third lobe stack up toward the top of the lobe, a transverse lobe runs sideways through the length of the lobe, and an upper lobe creeps toward the cartilage edge. Because the lobe heals so reliably, we routinely do a matched pair — or several holes in a stack — in a single sitting. We mark every point first, check symmetry against your actual anatomy while you hold a mirror, and only pierce once you've approved the map. If you're planning to keep building, we space the early holes so future cartilage piercings still have room to sit cleanly.

Barely. Most people rate a lobe around a 2 to 3 out of 10 — a quick, sharp pinch that's over in about a second. It's soft tissue, so there's none of the deep pressure a cartilage piercing has. First-timers and kids are almost always surprised by how minor it is. A needle is both faster and far more comfortable than a gun, which forces a blunt stud through the tissue under spring pressure.

A standard lobe heals on the surface in about 6 to 8 weeks. Upper and transverse lobes sit in denser tissue and run longer — closer to 8 to 12 weeks. "Healed" means the channel is stable enough to change jewelry safely, and the first change is best done in-studio so we can check it and fit the new piece. One honest caveat people underestimate: even when a fresh lobe feels fine at a month, the channel is still immature, so don't leave the jewelry out for long stretches in the first few months — a young lobe can still shrink or close surprisingly fast.

We start most fresh lobes with a 16g implant-grade titanium (ASTM F-136) flat-back stud — the flat disc sits behind the ear so nothing digs in while you sleep, which makes it the most comfortable and lowest-drama option for healing. A ring is possible on a lobe and heals better here than on cartilage, but a flat-back is still the calmer choice for a brand-new hole.

Once you're fully healed the options open up: solid 14k or 18k gold (always solid, never plated — plating can flake into a channel), threadless titanium ends in every gem and shape, and designer pieces from houses like BVLA (Body Vision Los Angeles) for a curated look. If costume metals have given you trouble before, our sensitive-skin jewelry guide explains why implant-grade titanium and solid gold are the safe bets.

Lobes are our most common children's piercing, and we do them by needle, with a parent present, in a calm and unrushed way — never a gun. A gun is loud, can't be sterilized, and startles a child; a needle is quick and quiet. We'll talk through readiness and our minimum-age approach at consultation, and the accompanying adult needs valid photo ID. Our first piercing guide is a good primer to read together beforehand.

Lobe aftercare is simple: clean with sterile saline twice a day, and otherwise leave it alone — no twisting, no rotating, no changing the jewelry early. Skip pools, hot tubs, and the ocean until it's healed, and try not to sleep directly on it (a travel pillow with a hole, or just switching sides, helps). Keep phone screens, hair products, and dirty pillowcases off it. Full routine is in our piercing aftercare guide.

If stretched lobes are the eventual goal, start with a healthy, fully healed standard needle piercing and wait months, not weeks, before your first taper. We'll map a slow schedule with small gauge jumps and plenty of time between each. Rushing is what causes blowouts, tears, and thin lobes — and those are hard to undo. Done patiently, lobes stretch beautifully.

We pierce adult lobes any day and children's lobes with a parent and ID present. When you're ready, book a lobe piercing online, call us at (310) 331-0605, or watch for a piercing event where our full jewelry wall comes out. You can also browse the rest of our piercing services.

Every piercing at our Santa Monica studio is done with a single-use sterile needle — never a piercing gun, which can't be sterilized and crushes cartilage. We install only implant-grade titanium (ASTM F-136), solid 14k/18k gold, or niobium, placed and checked by a Fakir-certified senior piercer. Your fresh jewelry is sized long for swelling, and a downsize follow-up is built into every piercing so it settles cleanly.