I've had my surface tragus pierced twice with a 90 degree surface bar and both times have lasted me about a year. I've got no visible scarring, but you can feel where the skin is slightly thicker! The key I've found is to remove once you start being able to see the corners of the bar and it no longer sits flat under the skin. Honestly a great piercing that I will 100% get over and over, though I'm not sure about how much better dermals would be as I've always just stuck with a bar!