There are many types of piercings for you to consider, ranging from the common ones to the individualistic ones that are rare and a statement piece. Both kinds of piercings will take you on a journey towards mental strength for the sake of beauty, as previous piercees know, looking after a new piercing is tough.
So, it makes sense for you to experiment with stick ons, fake rings, and other adhesive jewelry in different body placements before finally getting pierced. Now where you stick your fake jewelry, could depend on what you see below:
Types of piercings to get
Ear piercings:
Earlobe Piercing
This is the most basic of the basics in the world of piercings. With little maintenance needed and few complications, this is a good starter piercing. The jewelry ranges in shape from dangles to hoops, studs to spikes, and even barbells to chains. Since this is a cartilage piercing, there is minimal to no pain associated with it.
Conch Piercing
The conch piercing, pronounced “konk”, is called so because it takes place in the area of a cartilage which resembles a conch shell. It’s important to note that when it comes to a conch piercing, you can either choose the inner conch piercing or the outer conch piercing. The inner conch is located in the “lower cartilage” and can be decorated with a cartilage stud. The outer conch, on the other hand, is in the upper cartilage and what better way to accessorize it than with a large hoop?
Daith Piercing
A daith piercing is in the inner cartilage section of the ear, which runs through a pressure point. Patients who have had the piercings have claimed to see an improvement in the intensity of their headaches.
Helix piercing
Helix piercings have been sported by many celebrities by the likes of Miley Cyrus, Gal Gadot, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Aniston and Kylie Jenner. These piercings are subtle, can easily be hidden by your hair, and remain chic/dainty when the occasion calls.
Industrial Piercing
An industrial piercing is typically found in the upper cartilage of the ear. It is a body modification made up of two piercings connected with a bar. An industrial piercing is a very unique design that gives its wearers and awesome, and sometimes edgy look, and as a result you may have noticed it more and more in the last year or so.
Rook Piercing
The rook piercing is a cartilage piercing in the upper ear. It is located above the tragus part of the ear in the anti-helix. The “rook” is the ridge that sits between the outer ear and the inner conch. Since it is located two steps above the tragus, it makes rook piercing quite unusual and eye-catching.
Tragus Piercing
When you get a tragus piercing, the tragus (which sits over the ear canal directly above the lob) is penetrated through the ear canal to wear the jewelry. This is done by piercing the small gauge hollow piercing needle in the shape of either captive bead rings, barbells or earrings studs.
Cartilage Piercing
Any piercing in the outer cartilage rim of the ear is referred to as a cartilage piercing. They can be called a Helix, Industrial Piercing / Scaffold, Anti-Helix, Snug, Flat, Transverse Lobe, Forward Helix, Dermal Punch, Conch, Tragus, Anti-Tragus, Daith or Rook.
Facial piercings:
Eyebrow Piercing
An eyebrow piercing is pierced vertically through the eyebrow, anywhere along the ridge. It is pierced at a 35 degree angle from the outside corner of the eye.
Eyebrow piercings take between 6-8 weeks to heal and because they are a surface piercing, they run the risk of migration. Migration is when the piercing moves from its original location, either downwards, gradually, over time or because the body is rejecting the foreign object and attempting to push it outwards.
Septum Piercing
A septum piercing goes through the nasal septum, which is in the middle of the left and right nostril. For this piercing, the needle pokes through the thin piece of flesh towards the front of your nose, beyond the cartilage. This is called the “columella,” but is often referred to as the “sweet spot.” Some people do not have a columella, so their piercing can be done through the cartilage, making it extremely painful.
During the process, some people barely feel the needle pass through their septum, but you will feel the tug as the piercer pushed the ring through. Soreness can exist for the next 3–5 days, but this can be expected from any piercing. On a pain level scale, this piercing is the least painful. Please note that this may vary depending on your pain tolerance.
Nostril Piercing
The traditional nose piercing placement is at the crease line on the side of the nose. A big smile will accentuate this feature to help pinpoint the spot. As the area is often thinner than the rest of the nose, healing is faster and feels less tender when pierced. Plus, the jewelry will rest in a natural niche, where it bears most gracefully.
Comparatively, a nose piercing is less painful than lip and ear piercings. Expect your nose to be sore for a few days while the healing process continues. New piercings get inflamed (red and tender), but this reaction usually goes away and clears up within 5 days for nose piercings (unless a nose piercing infection occurs).
Body Piercings:
Genital Piercing
Genital piercings are for both men and women. You can either pick one from a huge range of piercing placements or an experienced piercing will be able to help you find the best genital piercing for your anatomy and preferences.
These piercings are special because they heal the fastest thanks to the plentiful blood supply to this area. Such piercings should be kept clean, dry and cool and we recommend abstaining from sexual activity until your piercing is completely healed.
These piercings are designed to increase pleasure while others are simply aesthetic. A genital piercing may make you more susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases, especially during unprotected sex. For this reason it is very important to abstain until the piercing is fully healed and to use adequate protection even after healing is over.
Types of genital piercings for women include: Clitoral hood piercing, clit piercing, triangle piercing, inner labia piercing, outer labia piercing and christina piercing.
Types of genital piercings for men include: Ampallang, Apadravya piercing, Dydoe piercing, Prince Albert piercing, Reverse PA piercing, Frenulum piercing, Foreskin piercing and Male pubic piercing.
Belly Piercing
A belly button piercing passes through the rim of the navel. While they are typically done just above the navel on the top ridge, they can also go anywhere around the outside of the navel, wherever there is a fold or “lip.” The jewelry chosen for an initial navel piercing has to be smooth and made of a hypoallergenic material. Traditionally, they are not the easiest to heal. It takes almost a year.
Nipple Piercing
With freeing the nipple being a thing, it’s easy to understand why so many women (and sometimes men) see a nipple piercing as something monumentally cool.
Also, some people have inverted and flat nipples and piercing their nipples can push the tissue up a little so they look more pronounced. Even if you have regular upward facing nipples, a body piercing there gives them more of a profile.
Surface Piercing
A surface piercing is pierced on a flat surface and they go underneath the skin rather than through muscle. As with any custom, finding a piercer to do these special piercings is a task in and of itself, and finding custom jewelry is even more difficult.
But the uniqueness of having such a piercing can overlook any stress that comes along. Such are easily pushed out and rejected by the body. The whole process of rejection was selected to prevent foreign objects from resting underneath the skin, so you will be fighting against a couple million years of evolution when you get a surface piercing. Still, it’s quite possible with an experienced piercer and perfect upkeep.
Lip piercings:
Vertical Labret Piercing
A vertical labret (luh·bret) piercing is a less popular lip piercing but it gives you a unique look. Although the name sounds as though a vertical piercing is only a variation of the labret piercing, it’s actually a different piercing altogether.
Medusa Piercing
A medusa piercing is a “philtrum” piercing done on the soft tissue area between the upper lip and the base of the nose.
A medusa piercing will take somewhere between 2 to 4 months to fully heal but can generally be downsized around 6 to 8 weeks. Medusa piercings are one of the few piercings that require downsize jewelry due to the amount of anticipated swelling that can occur.
Because they don’t carry around any hidden meanings, medusa piercings can be a great way to express yourself through designs that perfectly describe your personality. As far as ideas go, you may feel a bit limited because of how small the piercings are. And if you’re into smaller piercings (as opposed to big ear piercings or horn implants) then these are a fantastic choice.
Monroe Piercing
Jewelry just above the upper lip, resembling a beauty mark, is called a Monroe piercing. It is usually located on the left side, replicating the iconic Marilyn Monroe’s beauty mark. Monroe piercing is also sometimes called “Crawford piercing”. You can also call this a Madonna piercing, if done on the right side above the lip.
This piercing is named after beautiful women whose unique looks have inspired beauty.
Other Lip Piercings
A lip piercing is a piercing worn by both men and women, this is not surprising since there are so many types of lip piercings that can suit any face. In fact there are endless options in and around the mouth for a decorative piercing.
Oral piercings:
Oral piercings are performed in the mouth. These piercings are quick to heal thanks to the plentiful blood supply to the area. They are commonly associated with a risk of tooth or gum damage. So, it is important to keep an eye on oral piercings and seek help in the event of any changes.
Types of oral piercings include the frowny piercing, smiley piercing, tongue piercing, tongue venom piercing, tongue web piercing.
So finally what type of piercing do I get?
One thing to consider before going crazy with your piercing desires is to check out your anatomy before getting a piercing. There are many piercings that aren’t mean for all because not everyone is born with the required shape or parts. Not only that, some piercings need placements that will suit your body but also the jewellery that has the best chance of healing your piercing. So, you’d have to consult with a piercer before getting any type of piercing.
Secondly, the type of piercing you get will depend on your lifestyle. For example, getting a genital piercing can increase the risk of sexually transmitted diseases. Smoking and drinking alcohol is prohibited for most piercings during the healing time. You’d also have to adjust to sleeping on one side for healing and it takes a lot of initial mental power. Simple things such as clothing and work dress codes or wearing a helmet or headphones often may make it difficult to heal piercings. Then there is the question of work and workplaces that can respect your piercing and if you can respect any workplace health risks.
These “issues” can be prevented with good placement and the right jewellery. If the heart wants what the heart wants, here is what you do: Choose a certified hygienic piercing store, get some aftercare products and catch the barbells by the horn!