PiercingDot.com Official Blog

Blog about piercing and body piercing jewelry.

More celebrities with body piercing.


Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway

Ear piercing.

Britney Spears

Britney Spears

Belly button piercing.

Carmen Electra

Carmen Electra

Ear piercing

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron

Ear piercing.

Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes

Ear piercing.

Halle Berry

Halle Berry

Ear piercing.

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez

Ear piercing.

Jessica Alba

Jessica Alba

Ear piercing.

Jessica Simpson

Jessica Simpson

Ear piercing.

Joanna ‘JoJo’ Levesque

Joanna 'JoJo' Levesque

Ear piercing.

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet

Ear piercing.

Katherine Heigl

Katherine Heigl

Ear piercing.

Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley

Navel piercing.

Lindsay Lohan

Lindsay Lohan

Belly button piercing.

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman

Ear piercing.

Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton

Navel piercing

Penelope Cruz

Penelope Cruz

Ear piercing.

Rachel Weisz

Rachel Weisz

Ear piercing.

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon

Ear piercing.

Rihanna

Rihanna

Ear piercing.

Rose McGowan

Rose McGowan

Ear piercing.

Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson

Ear piercing, Nipple piercing.

Sophia Bush

Sophia Bush

Ear piercing.

Tara Reid

Tara Reid

Ear piercing.Clit piercing.

Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens

Ear piercing.

Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham

Ear piercing.

Ear piercing. Part II

These days there are also permanent earrings, which are exactly what the name suggests. Thanks to a soldering procedure, these kinds of earrings do not come out and cannot be removed without serious assistance.

There is a serious health risk with permanent piercings, however, revolving around the idea of toxic and bacterial infections, because the site cannot really be properly cleaned. Many ear piercings in general come with various health risks. Standard earlobe piercing poses the least risk, although it is always possible than infection can set in if the site is not taken care of properly, and one must never underestimate the risk that an earlobe piercing might be torn or ripped out, creating quite the problem – because who wants a bisected earlobe? There is also the possibility of allergic reaction, although there are many, many types of hypo-allergenic earrings available on the market today. Kelloids are also a serious risk factor.

By and large, cartilage piercings hold more of a health risk. The act of piercing the cartilage itself causes trauma to the piercing site, thereby making the act of healing far more difficult. As well, there is less blood flow to cartilage areas in the ear, making the risk of infection much, much higher. However, making sure that the piercer uses a sterilized, hollow needle can lessen the trauma of the act of piercing, as well as the risk of a bacterial infection.

There are, however, a variety of clip on and stimulated earrings, for both the earlobes and the cartilage. People who want to see how they look with pierced ears or cartilage, or who simply want to stimulate the experience before committing to the procedure, can certainly consider clip-ons before having their ears pierced. Clip-ons are not as “tacky” as they used to be considered sometimes, but if a person has an aversion to the idea of clip on earrings, there are also varieties of cuffs and even magnetized earrings, which are painless, safe, and stylish alternatives – both to clip-ons and to actual ear piercings.

Ear Piercing. Part I.

One of the most common and popular types of piercing available today is the simple ear piercing – although ear piercings are not quite so simple any longer. With a long, convoluted history which includes being used to brand slaves, earrings are almost standard for every little girl, and more and more men these days are interested in getting their ears pierced. It has, however, come to cross all cultural bounds, and nowadays, there are more varieties of ear piercings than there have ever been before – and, as such, there are more risks as well.

Before, earrings were most commonly located in the earlobe – in both earlobes, in fact. Then, people started getting multiple piercings in each earlobe. It is now possible, in fact, to have one’s ear pierced all the way from the lobe to the cartilage. These days, more and more cartilage piercings are becoming popular. There is the rook piercing, the tragus piercing, and the helix piercing, which is the most “standard” cartilage piercing, being located right at the top of the cartilage in most cases. The former two are located in little bits of cartilage located within the nautilus of the ear. There are also conch piercings, snug piercings (the corresponding shape just inside of the cartilage line), anti-tragus piercings, and daith piercings – all rather complicated cartilage piercing. Lastly, there is the industrial piercing, which usually involves a barbell (or even a safety pin, in certain cases), spanning from one side of the upper cartilage to the other side. Because none of these piercings are located in the earlobe, they are generally defined as cartilage piercings – but since they are located on or within the ear, they also still qualify as ear piercings. For the most part, cartilage piercings take much longer to heal than regular earlobe piercings. As far as earlobe piercing is concerned, the higher up the piercing is located, the longer it may take to heal. The usual estimate is six to eight weeks, just to be on the safe side.

Earlobe piercings may be first pierced with rings or stud. With cartilage piercings, piercers usually recommend using a stud at first, and generally encourage the person getting pierced to choose a gold stud. After healing periods have elapsed and the wearer can choose the piercing of his or her own choice, those choices are practically limitless. There are, of course, studs and rings, but there are also dangle earrings, which are made to “flow” from the earlobe and can be as long as the wearer wishes. There is also a French hook style of earring, wherein the earring hangs from the lobe thanks to a hook shaped in such a way that the earring will not easily fall out of the ear. There are “huggy” or cuff earrings, which cling to the earlobe. There are “slave” earrings, wherein, usually, a stud is connected by a chain to an ear cuff or cartilage ring worn somewhere higher on the ear.

There are also earrings known as ear threads, which are not actually earrings at all. Rather, these are chains so thin they can slip through the piercing whole. As well, there are earrings known as ear needles, which is a thin plastic stick that goes straight into the piercing hole. Generally, these do not fall out because they are a little bit larger than the hole itself. Jewelry used in other piercing sites, such as barbells, can also be used in ear piercings. Captive bead rings, rings with a ball closure, are another popular choice, as are circular barbells – which do not close all the way, unlike bead rings and captive rings (basically a captive bead ring, minus the bead) – and flesh plugs, which are also known as grommets and eyelets, and they are generally used in large gauge piercing or to stretch an ear piercing, which has become quite a popular trend. Similar to these are earrings called flesh tunnels, but they are hollow in the middle.

Extreme Piercing at Vegetarian Festival at Phuket

Facial Piercing. Part II

Next come a series of piercings located in or on the nose. First off is the most standard piercing the nose piercing. Here, the jewelry of choice – typically studs or rings – is placed through one or both nostrils. Because this is a cartilage piercing, this can be quite painful, and generally takes longer to heal. Most people say it takes an average of four to six weeks but, in fact, soreness may last far longer, as piercing the cartilage can be fairly painful.
People can also get their septum pierced – that is, the area between the nostrils. Most typically, people choose to pierce the septum with either a ring or a horse shoe shaped piercing. This piercing, too, takes about six to eight weeks to heal.

Another recent trend in piercing involving the nose are bridge piercings, which are located right between the eyes, high up on the bridge of the nose. These are sometimes called Earl Piercings because of the first person reported to have it done. Because this is a surface piercing, it takes longer to heal. It may in fact take anywhere from six weeks to ten weeks.

One of the most popular trends when it comes to facial piercing are eyebrow piercings. As you might expect, these piercings are located on the eyebrow. It is generally placed towards the end of the outer arch, near the outer corner of the eye. Although an eyebrow piercing can be horizontal, it is usually placed vertically. These take about six to eight weeks to heal, as well.

The estimated healing time for the types of facial piercing mentioned above is just that – estimations. Healing time depends on everything from an individual’s ability to heal, to the location of the piercing, to, most importantly, the way an individual takes care of his or her piercing in order to make sure that it heals properly. Saline solutions or sea salt solutions are almost universally recommended as the best way to clean facial piercings. In general, piercings need to be cleaned at least twice a day, and it is better to use a Q-tip or cotton ball than a towel or a wash cloth. Cleaning the piercing whenever showering or bathing is also recommended. When doing this, however, it is of the utmost importance to make sure that there is no soap residue left on or around the piercing. Soap left to dry can cause severe irritation and might complicate the healing process. Many piercers also offer antiseptic solutions.

It is also important to seriously consider the pros and cons of any facial piercing. For example, eyebrows, Earls, and vertical labret piercings – among others – are considered to be surface piercings, and surface piercings have a higher risk for rejection – when the piercing does not take or grows out for whatever reason – and migration – when the piercing moves from the location where it was initially intended. It is particularly hard to keep eyebrow piercings, because in our day to day lives are eyebrows generally move around a lot, simply due to the expressiveness of human nature. This could leave you with a fairly deep scar somewhere on your eyebrow.

Another con is how other people react to facial piercings. Some people, for instance, will not hire someone with a facial piercing, whether it is actually on the face or in the mouth. In a best case scenario, an employer will simply insist that a person does not have their piercing in during the job – which, of course, could cause the piercing to grow in and thus disappear, unless the person with the piercing chooses to wear a retainer and/or plug – and if, of course, the employer is all right with that.

Piercings are fun and they are fashionable. Some people want them in order to make a statement, some even like the pain involved. So this is not to say that you should not get a facial piercing. It is simply important to consider everything before going through with it. That includes everything from healing time to what you will do if your body rejects the piercing or it migrates, and how current and/or future employers may feel about it.

Facial piercing. Part I.

Although facial piercing has a long and varied cultural history – in the past, facial piercing has been used for everything from showing a woman’s marital status to being used as an identifying characteristic for certain tribes – these days, it is favored most for its aesthetics. Facial piercing has, in fact, almost become something of a fashion accessory. There is a wide variety of facial piercing available, with more styles being introduced every day. Some of these are safer than others and, as such, it is important to understand everything about the many types of facial piercing available today.
To begin with, there are a number of facial piercing styles which are focused on or around the mouth. First, there is the labret piercing, which is located just below the bottom lip. Usually, people choose to have it placed in the center of the face, but some prefer it to be located off-center. Another facet of the labret piercing is the vertical labret, which involves the piercing being placed vertically, through the center of the lower lip. Lastly, there are lip piercings, which is located directly below the lip. Again, it can be either dead center or off-center. On average, it takes a labret piercing – whether it is the standard labret piercing or the vertical labret – and a lip piercing about six to eight weeks to heal.

Most mouth piercings are also considered to be facial piercings. The most common of these is the tongue piercing, which involves a piercing directly through the center of the tongue. The farther back (to an extent), the better. There are also “frowny” piercings, which are located in the tongue web, and “smiley” piercings, which involve the upper web. The healing time for mouth piercings vary, but are generally fairly quick, because of a bacterial agent in human saliva, which can heal wounds quickly.

Next up is a more recent trend in piercing, which is called the Monroe. Usually located near the upper lip, diagonal to the nose, it is designed to look like a birthmark. Marilyn Monroe was, of course, quite famous for her birthmark, hence the piercings’ name. However, even more recently, only piercings of this type located on the left side of the face are called a Monroe. Those which are located on the right side of the face may also be called a Madonna or a Crawford, after Cindy Crawford. Another recently popular face piercing is called Medusa piercing, which is located in the dip above the upper lip. There are also piercings known as “snake bites,” wherein there are two piercings, one on either side of the bottom lip and just below it. These types of piercings generally take six to eight weeks to heal as well.

Another new trend in piercing is having the cheeks pierced – the facial cheeks, that is! Typically, someone interested in this type of piercing has two piercings, one on either side of the face, so that together, the two resemble dimples. Once again, six to eight weeks is the average period for healing time.

Genital piercing. Part II

Next is male genital piercing, which begins with the piercing of the frenulum, also known as the Prince Albert. This piercing is located through the urethra, and then exits through a hole in the bottom of the urethra. Scarring is a very serious risk with this piercing, especially if the piercing is not deep enough. One problem with Prince Albert piercings is a man’s ability to urinate while standing up, so some men may have to sit down to pee.

The Ampallang is another male genital, although it is less popular and very difficult. It is located through the head of the penis, either above, under, or actually through the urethra, depending on the man’s preference and his penis. Some piercers prefer the penis to be erect before attempting this piercing. The process is both slow and painful, because the location is host to many nerves and arteries. It can take anywhere from six months to a year for this piercing to heal, bleeding during the first few days is quite common, and rejection or migration can cause painful, permanent scarring.
Another male genital piercing is the Apadravya. It is a vertical piercing through the head of the piercing. It, too, can be extremely painful, for the same reasons as the Ampallang, and like that piercing, this one can take up to a year to heal.

The next male genital piercing is the foreskin piercing – which, of course, can only be done on men who have not been circumcised. In history, it was used to ensure chastity in men, specifically in slaves. These days, it is popular because of its sexual enhancement affects. The foreskin can be pierced almost as many times as the size of the foreskin allows and there are generally no risks, although rough sexual exploits may cause tearing. As such, men who receive this piercing are encouraged to be very careful when it comes to sex until the healing is complete. If a man has sex before the healing period is over, a condom is seriously recommended. In general, this piercing takes about two to four months to heal completely.

Frenum piercing is one of the most popular male genital piercings. It has a quick healing time and produces very minimal amounts of pain. This piercing is located on the underside of the shaft of the penis, just behind the head. There are two types of frenum piercings: the lorum piercing, wherein the piercing is located at the very base of the shaft, near the scrotum; the frenum ladder is a row of frenum piercings from the base of the shaft to the top of the shaft. These piercings take an average of two to fourth months to heal as well and, again, caution is recommended during sex, with at least a week’s abstinence after the initial piercing.

Yet another male genital piercing is the perineum piercing, which is located – like the name suggests – at the perineum. This piercing is not particularly popular because of the location (near the anus and behind the scrotum) and because of the complications which may arise, because this is a surface piercing and difficult to clean properly. Also, there is a lack of ventilation, an abundance of perspiration, and extremely high temperatures at this location. Men who spend a lot of time sitting, riding bikes, et cetera, are cautioned against this piercing, which takes about four to six months to heal.

Lastly, there is the scrotum, or Hafada, piercing. As the name suggests, this piercing is located through the scrotum. Because of the elasticity of the skin there, the procedure is fairly painless. However, for the same reason and due to a lack of ventilation and a large amount of sweating, there is an increased risk of tearing, migration, and infection. The depth of the piercing can alleviate some of the risk. The healing time for this piercing is an average of four months to six months.

Genital Piercing. Part I

Genital piercings are some of the most popular types of body piercings, but only in certain cultures and social groups, and they are also popular for means of sexual stimulation and satisfaction. Because of the sensitivity of the areas in which these piercings are located, it is incredibly important to know as much as possible about them and to take as many cleansing and other precautions as possible, as infections in these areas are the last thing anyone needs.

First off, here is a discussion on the types of female genital piercings. A clitoral hood piercing, as the name suggests, is located through the clitoral hood, which surrounds the clitoris. There are both vertical clitoral hood piercings and horizontal clitoral hood piercings. Neither of these piercings actually penetrates the clitoris. These piercings actually have a fairly short span of healing time, thanks to the large amount of blood which flows to the area. However, women with clitoral hood piercings need to be particularly careful during the healing period, because until this type of piercing heals, it is considered a wound, and that increases the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease.

Next up is the actual clitoris piercing which, of course, is located through the clitoris. This piercing is fairly uncommon. These piercings can also increase sexual stimulation, however, a woman must have an “adequately” sized clitoris for this piercing to take. Again, the healing time is relatively short and, again, women with this piercing must be careful until it heals because of the risk of sexual diseases. In this type of piercing, there is also a risk of considerable nerve damage, especially if a woman’s clitoris is not actually large enough to be pierced properly.

Christina piercings are located in the place where the outer labia meet, just below the actual pubic mound. Christina piercings are surface piercings and thus have a fairly high rate of rejection. Because every woman’s labia majora is different, this piercing is not possible for every woman and, contrary to some belief, it has no affect on a woman’s sexual satisfaction or stimulation. It can actually be extremely uncomfortable, especially when a woman wears tight pants or underwear, and if the piercing is rejected, painful and permanent scarring is a risk. In general, this piercing takes about three to four months to heal under ideal circumstances.

Next up is the fourchette piercing, which is located at the rear rim of the vagina. These are fairly uncommon. There are also piercings located in the labia minora and so-called triangle piercings, which passes from side to side through the tissue of the clitoral hood, where it then meets the labia minora, just under the actual clitoris. It gets its name because, when it is done, the area looks like a little triangle. This piercing does increase a woman’s sexual stimulation – in fact, it is the only female genital piercing which stimulates the clitoris from behind. However, it is also one of the most painful, because of the amount of nerves and tissue in the location.

Oral Piercing. Part II

The healing period for oral piercings usually lasts anywhere from four to six weeks. During that period, the person who has been pierced should not talk overly much for the first few days after he or she has been pierced, because refraining from too much speech can significantly decrease any swelling and discomfort. The person who has been pierced should also regularly gargle with antiseptic mouthwash or a warm salt water solution, especially after any instances of eating or drinking. On that note, it is better to refrain from smoking, drinking alcohol, and eating spicy or excessively salty foods – soft foods and vitamin supplements may actually aid in the healing process. Furthermore, people who have just received oral piercings should avoid French kissing and any oral sex for at least two weeks, as this substantially lowers the risk of infection.

When it comes to cleaning, the site and/or jewelry should be cleaned after every meal, with either a toothbrush, mouth rinse, or both. In some cases, cleaning the site with either a Q-tip or a cotton ball is also recommended – stay away from towels and wash cloths. After the site has healed somewhat, it is all right to remove the jewelry for short periods of time, in order to clean it. People who have just received oral piercings should also do all they can to keep from biting on the jewelry. If they cannot, then a shorter piece of jewelry may be used, and there are also guards and splits available.

As mentioned, oral piercings carry the potential for many risks and infections. Standard symptoms, which must be accepted no matter the site or the care one takes, include pain and swelling. With tongue, labret, and lip piercings, popsicles and ice can help with swelling immensely. An increased flow of saliva – or even drooling – and heightened redness can also be expected.
When it comes to risks, people with oral piercings should be on the lookout for any prolonged bleeding, which may indicate the puncturing of blood vessels. Other possible risks include aspiration and respiratory problems, especially with tongue piercings, because the tongue may swell. Anyone allergic to metal or galvanic currents should be particularly vigilant. Loss of taste and mobility and numbness of the tongue are also possible, in addition to difficulties when it comes to chewing, swallowing and speaking – for example, people with tongue piercings may find themselves suddenly suffering from the onset of a lisp. With labret, lip, and tongue piercings, there are great risks to the teeth and gum, which can include the abrasion and fracture of teeth, damage to the pulp, and the wearing down and disappearance of tooth enamel.

This is not to say that you should stay away from or not get an oral piercing. There is simply the potential for substantial risks involved with any oral piercing. It is important to make sure that the piercer knows what he or she is doing, and it would not hurt to consult with a dentist, in order to take every precaution possible.

Celebrities with body piercing

Christina Aguilera
Lip piercing: labret
Nostril piercing: nose stud with star-shaped stone
Alyssa Milano
Nostril piercing: nostril retainer
Amy Winehouse

Madonna piercing: notchet ball labret
Benji Madden
Lip piercing: straight barbell , jeweled labret at monroe piercing
Nostril piercing: nostril retainer
Beyonce
Britney Spears
Dennis Rodman
Nostril, lip, ear piercing: captive bead rings of different gauge
Fergie
Eyebrow piercing: eyebrow ring with balls
Keira Knightley
Mutya Buena
Madonna lip piercing: labret
Paris Hilton
Pink
Nostil piercing: segment ring
Scarlett Johansson
Nose piercing: notchet ball circular barbell
Ear tragus piercing: captive bead ring
Janet Jackson
Navel piercing: single star ball curved barbell
Nipple piercing: sun nipple ring