Will My Ripped Tragus Ear Piercing Heal?

Q: Dr. Eppley, I’ve ripped my tragus piercing, I think on the first or second night of getting it I must have slept on it and pulled it downwards. My piercer suggests switching the hoop to a bar but I can’t see the point if it has already been torn. I’m also concerned with how this hole will heal, whether the hole will heal itself and only be a lined scar or whether the hole will always be present.

A:I am confused between this picture and your description as to your tragus ear piercing concerns. By definition such piercings will always heal and end up as an epithelial-lined skin tract. Thus it will always be a hole through the cartilage. So a ‘lined scar’ and ‘the hole’ by your description are one and the same.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana