Lip Piercings: The Complete Guide to All Things Lip Piercing

Lip Piercings: The Complete Guide to All Things Lip Piercing. Lip Piercing Styles/Types, top, vertical, horizontal, bottom/side/upper, chart, aftercare, at home

The Complete Handbook on Lip Piercings

Consider getting your lips pierced. Take it on! All of the answers to your inquiries about lip piercings may be found in our comprehensive guide.

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But you’ll need to conduct some introspection before you walk inside the piercing store.

Consider the following questions for yourself:

• What kind of lip piercing you looking for?
• Are you ready to commit to the aftercare process?
• How painful is a lip piercing?
• Is lip piercing good or bad?
• How permanent are lip piercings?

Our Guide on Lip Piercings is here to help you find the answers to all your lip piercing questions.

An Overview of Lip Piercing

The lips have a lot to say, and they can say even more when they are pierced. Finding the ideal lip or cheek piercing might be challenging because there is such a large selection.

You’ll adore the canvas that the lips offer, whether you’re searching for a chic and understated single lip piercing or you want to go big with quadrupel lip piercings. To help you on your lip piercing adventure, below is a comprehensive list of all lip piercings.

The 16 Different Types of Piercings

Yes, sixteen, and counting. New piercing locations and configurations are constantly being invented by piercing aficionados. It will thus not be long before another one gains enough traction to warrant its own moniker. These are the 16 different kinds of lip piercings that you can now request from your piercing business, though.

Upper Lip Piercing Types

Monroe

One of the most well-known styles of lip piercings, the Monroe, got its name and placement from Marilyn Monroe’s famous beauty mark. Similar to Marilyn’s beauty mark, this piercing is horizontal (that is, the needle is parallel to the ground) and is located on the left side of the face. The jewelry of choice for Monroe piercings is typically labret studs.

Madonna

Would you rather have your “Monroe” on the right side of your face? Request a Madonna in its place. The name of the piercing was inspired by Madonna’s iconic beauty mark, which was located on the right side of her upper lip, unlike Marilyn’s.

Medusa

In scientific terms, the philtrum is the vertical groove located in the middle of the upper lip where medusa piercings are placed. Medusa piercings are made horizontally, just like Monroes and Madonnas, and are typically paired with a labret stud.

Jestrum

Think of it like a vertical Medusa. The Jestrum piercing begins just above the middle of the upper lip, just where a standard Medusa piercing would. However, the needle departs vertically through the lip itself rather than horizontally through the back of the top lip. The barbell’s bottom ball will rest on the upper lip itself, while the top ball will rest in the philtrum.

Lower Lip Piercing Types

Labret

A horizontal piercing located directly below the middle of the lower lip is known as a traditional labret piercing. Naturally, the most common jewelry for labret piercings is labret studs, but other options include captive rings, circular barbells, and lip loop labrets.

Side Labret

Similar to a labret, but angled. You comprehend. Side labrets are frequently seen alone or in a “bites” arrangement, and they are located on either the right or left side of the lower lip.

Vertical Labret

ertical labrets are pierced, well, vertically, as opposed to classic labrets, which are pierced horizontally. Vertical labrets are not for the timid; unlike other lip piercings, they actually go through the lower lip, so they can be a little more painful. For individuals who are looking for a big, visible piercing, the outcome is worthwhile. The lower lip will be the focal point of the jewelry’s top ball, while the bottom ball will be positioned just below the lip.

Ashley

With one significant exception—the needle exits the Ashley through the back of the lower lip and into the mouth rather than beneath it as it does with the vertical labret—the two devices are comparable to one another. The outcome is remarkable: a solitary ball positioned in the center of the lower lip.

Lowbret

Unlike other lip piercings, lowbrets, also known as low labrets, are a form of labret piercing that are positioned farther beneath the lower lip. Often, they appear to sit directly over the chin rather than just below the lower lip.

Piercing Configurations Types

Angel Bites

Can’t decide between Madonna and Marilyn Monroe? Acquire both. A pair of upper lip piercings on the left and right sides of the philtrum are known as angel bites.

Cyber bites

Cyber bites are the result of combining a traditional labret piercing with a Medusa. The center of your face can be emphasized with great effect by using this vertical design.

Snake bites

Two side labrets, one on the left and one on the right side of the lower lip, are the result of a snake bite. Because of its adaptability, this is one of the most popular lip piercing configurations. There are several different styles available for snake bite piercings, including lip loop labrets, captive rings, circular barbells, and labret studs.

Spider Bites

Similar to snake bites, spider bites also involve two side labrets, but they are located closely apart on one side of the lower lip. Naturally, the reason spider bites resemble a spider’s tiny, narrow bite is how they got their name.

Dolphins Bites

A pair of labrets that are positioned closely together beneath the middle of the lower lip is known as a dolphin bite, after the narrow mouth of a dolphin.

Canine bites

The term “canine bites” refers to the arrangement of four piercings, each roughly where your canine teeth would be. Stated differently, there are two side labrets on the bottom and a Monroe and Madonna on top. Either use labret studs in the upper two piercings and hoops or circular barbells in the lower two, or wear labret studs in all four holes.

Sharks Bites

Shark bites also have four piercings, however they are all on the bottom, similar to dog bites. There are four piercings total when two side labrets are positioned closely apart on either side of the lower lip. Their layered appearance, which resembles the stacked rows of teeth on a shark, gives them their name.

Dahlia

Dahlia piercings, also known as joker bites or dahlia bites, are not classified as upper or lower lip piercings, unlike the majority of lip piercings. Rather, these piercings are located precisely adjacent to each lip corner, emulating the slash marks from the infamous Black Dahlia murder or the well-known scars of the Joker.

See our guide to Lip Piercing Options for additional information on each kind of piercing.

Large Gauge Lip Piercing 

The majority of lip piercings weigh 16–14 grams. You have several choices if you wish to expand. After the first piercing has completely healed, you can begin expanding it. The wrapping method is the most delicate. You will take out your stud, cover it with a layer of stretching tape, put it back in, and allow it to heal for a week as opposed to scaling up a complete gauge at a time. Continue rinsing and repeating until the required gauge is attained.

The next thing you can do is to go up one gauge size at a time. Keep your cool and go slowly with the healing and stretching process for optimal outcomes. When advancing to the next size, wait 1.5 times as long for the piercing to heal as it did for your first piercing before making another gauge change.

Punching Vs. Lip Piercing

You can begin at a larger gauge if you lack patience, but you might decide later on not to. For the initial piercing, you might request that your piercer use a larger gauge needle. Just make sure the person you see has experience with higher gauge needles, and be ready for a little longer recovery period.

What’s the furthest thing you could do? Use a dermal punch rather than a needle to aim for an extremely big gauge right away. There are disadvantages to instant gratification, though. Large gauge needle piercings are usually preferable to punching since the former permanently removes a circle of flesh, while the latter do not. It will be simpler for you to go back to a smaller size if you had your lip pierced with a big gauge needle rather than punched, should you decide that you don’t like the way your large gauge jewelry looks. Individuals who choose the dermal punch technique also run the risk of retiring a lip piercing with severe scars.

Which Lip Ring Fits Me Best?

There are essentially just three primary types of lip piercing jewelry, despite the infinite variations in lip ring designs. While there isn’t a one “correct” form of lip ring for everyone, there are a few aspects to take into account when selecting your jewelry. The first is the kind of piercing you have and if wearing jewelry can interfere with your ability to chew and speak. Labret studs are the only option for certain piercings, but other holes are more adaptable and can hold other kinds of jewelry.

Labret Studs

Since they fit most lip piercing styles and are typically more comfortable than larger jewelry, labret studs are the most popular style of lip ring jewelry. However, common does not always imply basic. There are many distinctive pieces in our labret stud range, allowing you to match your jewelry to your own style.

Captive Bead Rings 

For the majority of lower lip piercings, CBRs are an excellent alternative.

Circular barbells

For Jestrum and vertical labret piercings, round barbells work well. In lower lip piercings, they’re also quite common. Lower lip piercings are often done with segment clickers, which are a type of circular barbell that clicks closed to produce a complete circle.

Do Lip Piercings Hurt? 

Yes, exactly. There will always be some pain associated with having a needle penetrated, particularly in close proximity to delicate tissue like the lips. But in the end, the majority with pierced lips claim it wasn’t too horrible. Your level of pain tolerance and the kind of lip piercing you’re receiving will determine how you feel. Piercings that penetrate the lip itself, such as vertical labrets and Jetsrums, will hurt more.

Impact

Your lip will swell, making you the target of jokes for the rest of the day. For the first few months, you will be acutely aware of it even though there are no speaking issues.

How Long Does It Take a Lip Piercing To Heal?

The majority of lip piercings heal in 6 to 8 weeks, however others, like Medusa, Monroe, and Dahlia bites, can take up to 3 months. Individual healing timeframes differ based on how well you take care of your lip piercing and whether you have any problems with it.

Signs Of a Healing Lip Piercing

In the early stages, mild discomfort, edema, and bleeding are all common. A decrease in each of these symptoms over time indicates that your piercing is healing properly. It’s also typical to have small amounts of clear fluid that occasionally dry out into a crust. This fluid is called lymph, and it’s your body’s method of sending more white blood cells to the area to hasten the healing process. Contrary to pus, it does not indicate an infection.

Problem With Lip Piercing

When you follow the recommended aftercare, most lip piercings heal perfectly. However, issues can and do arise. The following are some of the more typical ones:

Embedded Lip Piercing  

When your skin starts to grow around jewelry, it’s called embedding. If you don’t take care of it, it can cause infection and make it unpleasant and difficult to remove the jewelry. Preventing lip rings from becoming embedded is usually quite easy. Try to give your lip ring a little wiggle and get in touch with your piercer if you see that it seems to “sink” into the surrounding skin more than it should. Too-small jewelry can occasionally result in embedding, therefore you might need to replace it with a larger barbell.

Rejection

The surrounding tissues will gradually move the jewelry toward the skin’s surface—and perhaps push it out completely—when your body rejects a piercing. Your body may be rejecting the piercing if you find that your lip ring looks “pushed out” or that you can see more of it than you did previously. Consult your piercer for guidance. Generally speaking, it is preferable to remove it before it totally rejects and leaves scars.

Tissue Scar

Speaking of scarring, any piercing has the danger of scar tissue. Use a trustworthy piercer, refrain from handling your jewelry until it has healed, and take proper care of your wound to reduce the chance of infection.

Swelling 

It’s common to have some swelling, particularly in the initial days following piercing. However, you should contact your piercer or physician if the swelling doesn’t go down after this point. Swelling that doesn’t go away or that grows significantly outside the area of the piercing may indicate discomfort or infection. To prevent swelling, you might need to replace your jewelry with a biocompatible metal like titanium or niobium if you have a metal sensitivity.

Bumpy

Any kind of piercing might result in piercing bumps, which are normal and not to be concerned about. As your body repairs the new piercing, inflammation will cause these tiny lumps. Fortunately, they are typically not unpleasant and disappear on their own as the healing process advances.

How To Clean a Lip Piercing

As every piercer will tell you, aftercare is crucial. To expedite recovery and maintain the cleanliness of your piercing, follow these instructions:

THE DOS

• 3-6 times a day, spritz the outside of your lip piercing with a saline-based rinse such as Recovery Saline Wash.
• Rinse your mouth three to six times a day, especially after meals, using an alcohol-free sea salt mouthwash if your lip piercing has an oral side.
• As your lip piercing heals, immerse in a sea salt solution for two minutes each day. After soaking the outside of your piercing for a full five minutes, rinse your mouth with sea salt mouthwash for thirty to sixty seconds, spit, and repeat until you’ve rinsed your mouth for approximately five minutes in total. (Soak a cotton ball with sea salt solution, hold it against your piercing for thirty seconds or so, throw it away, and apply a freshly-soaked cotton ball.)
• Prevent injuries to your lip piercing. Don’t play with your jewelry and be careful when brushing and flossing to prevent hitting or snagging your lip ring.
• Chew food cautiously and gently while you become used to having a lip ring. Eat soft meals for the first one to two weeks following your piercing, such as oatmeal, Jell-O, macaroni and cheese, soup, and yogurt.
• Gently wipe away crusties (dried lymph) with a clean tissue after wetting them with piercing aftercare spray.
• Use a sea salt solution enriched with tea tree oil to hydrate the area surrounding your lip piercing if it starts to get dry. Avoid using creams, oils, or balms that might clog your fistula, trap in bacteria, and increase your risk of infection.

Furthermore, your inactions have just as much impact. What not to do while your piercing heals is as follows:

THE DON’TS

• To loosen crusties, avoid twisting, turning, or sliding your jewelry. It’s possible for you to introduce bacteria into your fistula and start an infection.
• Only handle your jewelry with recently cleansed hands, and only then if absolutely necessary.
• Use no mouthwash with alcohol while your lip piercing is healing. Alcohol can impede the healing process of a lip piercing and is drying.
• Avoid giving someone the French kiss, having oral sex, sharing food or beverages, chewing on things like pen caps, and soaking or swimming in shared water. All of these activities have the potential to irritate your piercing and expose it to dangerous bacteria, which increases the risk of infection.

See our comprehensive Lip Piercing Care Guide for even more information and advice.

Changing Lip Piercing from Stud to Ring

It can be difficult to change your lip piercing for the first time, but you’ll get used to it. Before attempting to switch out your jewelry, make sure your piercing is truly, completely, and 100% healed. You’re only putting yourself through suffering and frustration if it’s not.

With clean hands, begin. Using one hand to hold the barbell in place while the other unscrews the ball, carefully push the barbell through the piercing until it comes out. After that, open your ring, insert one end completely through the piercing, and close it (either by clicking it shut or with a captive bead). To prevent scratching your piercing, we advise selecting rings that are internally threaded. And never forget that you can always ask your piercer to adjust your jewelry for you or simply to confirm that the piercing has healed when you visit your shop.

Get Everything You Needs for Your Lip Piercing

Everything you need to take care of and enjoy your lip piercing is available at Painful Pleasures, from aftercare items to the largest assortment of lip rings online.

What is the name of the lip piercing you have?

Labret

One type of body piercing is a labret. Literally speaking, it refers to any kind of jewelry that is fastened to the lip (labrum). On the other hand, the phrase typically describes a piercing that is above the chin and below the bottom lip.

Which size lip piercing should I get according to the chart?

Rings: Depending on how thick or thin the lip is and how snug you want it to be, lip piercing rings typically range from 8 to 10 mm, however they can occasionally be less or larger. A 1.2mm x 8mm ring will usually fit a lip that is average to thin comfortably. A 1.2mm or 1.6mm x 10mm may be more comfortable for a thicker lip.

What is the term for a normal lip piercing?

A side labret lip piercing is, to put it simply, a single, off-center piercing of the upper or lower lip that is typically done with

a 16- or 14-gauge needle. When you think of a lip piercing, this is most likely the type that you have most frequently.

Lip piercings near me USA: Services and Prices

Piercing Type	Piercing Fee	Jewelry starting price	Total Cost
Anchor	$45	Starts at $55+Tax	Starts at $100+Tax
Anti-Tragus	$35	Starts at $40+Tax	Starts at $75+Tax
Bridge	$35	Starts at $40+Tax	Starts at $75+Tax
Conch	$35	Starts at $40+Tax	Starts at $75+Tax
Daith	$35	Starts at $30+Tax	Starts at $65+Tax
Eyebrow	$35	Starts at $40+Tax	Starts at $75+Tax
Forward Helix	$35	Starts at $40+Tax	Starts at $75+Tax
Helix	$35	Starts at $40+Tax	Starts at $75+Tax
Industrial	$70	Starts at $40+Tax	Starts at $110+Tax
Lip/Labret	$35	Starts at $40+Tax	Starts at $75+Tax
Monroe/Philtrum	$35	Starts at $40+Tax	Starts at $75+Tax
Earlobe(Single)	$35	Starts at $40+Tax	Starts at $75+Tax
Earlobe(Pair)	$70	Starts at $80+Tax	Starts at $150+Tax
Navel	$35	Starts at $50+Tax	Starts at $85+Tax
Nipple(Single)	$35	Starts at $40+Tax	Starts at $75+Tax
Nipple(Pair)	$70	Starts at $80+Tax	Starts at $150+Tax
Nostril	$35	Starts at $40+Tax	Starts at $75+Tax
Rook	$35	Starts at $40+Tax	Starts at $75+Tax
Septum	$35	Starts at 30$+Tax	Starts at $65+Tax
Smiley	$35	Starts at $30+Tax	Starts at $65+Tax
Snug	$35	Starts at $40+Tax	Starts at $75+Tax
Surface	$45	Starts at $80+Tax	Starts at $125+Tax
Tongue	$35	Starts at $55+Tax	Starts at $90+Tax
Tragus	$35	Starts at $40+Tax	Starts at $75+Tax
Genital	$45	Starts at $80+Tax	Starts at $125+Tax
Tooth Gem	$45	Starts at $20+Tax	Starts at $65+Tax

Top 10 Best Lip Piercing Near Me New York

• Black Moon Piercing – Fairfield
• Ink & Skin
• Nine Moons Piercing
• Village Tattoo NYC
• Club Inked Tattoos & Piercings
• Reverie Garden Studio
• Kings Avenue Tattoo
• Evolvink Studios
• Nine Moons Piercing
• Studio 28
• Iris Piercing Studio and Jewelry Gallery
• Club Inked Tattoos & Piercings
• Village Tattoo NYC
• The End Is Near
• Live by the Sword Tattoo
• Rowan Piercing Studio
• Live by the Sword Tattoo
• Infinity Tattoo NYC & Piercing

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