Your Ultimate Guide to Lip Piercing

Express your personality in a fun and unique way with lip piercings. Worldwide, a lip piercing has symbolic, cultural, and religious significance. In Malawi, lip disks are symbols of great beauty. The Dogon people of Mali pierce their lips to pay homage to their creation beliefs. The ancient Aztecs and Mayans also pierced the lips of warriors and upper-class citizens.

In Western cultures, many people pierce their lips for aesthetic reasons. They have different meanings for the people who wear them, and care and deliberation go into their choosing. Lip piercings are popular for both men and women nowadays, with different styles and jewelry to match your preferences.

Regardless of the style and placement of the piercing you like, it's essential to visit a professional lip piercing studio when you want to get this procedure done. With an expert, you're less likely to experience infection, complications, or tissue damage.

At Pierced, our team of professionals has a wealth of piercing experience, including blood-borne pathogen certifications. We treat piercing as an art form that requires skill, experience, and a high level of professionalism.

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Types of lip piercings

Lip piercing styles can be as varied as the people who get them. You may pierce the upper lips, bottom lips, or both. Some piercings are more standard than others. Usually, the name of the piercing provides a clue for the jewelry's placement.

The most common types of piercings include:

Monroe Piercing:

This piercing includes a stud above the left upper lip, similar to the famous late actress's birthmark.

Labret Piercing:

A stud that goes between the chin and the center of your lower lip.

Madonna Piercing:

This lip piercing carries similarities with the Monroe piercing, but swaps to the right side above the upper lip, where singer Madonna's birthmark is.

Medusa Piercing:

You can find this piercing on the philtrum — or the skin on the middle part between your nose the lip.

The Snake Bite:

A double piercing on both corners of the lower lips that resembles fangs.

The Dolphin Bite:

Two stud piercings on the center of the lower lip.

Vertical Labret:

A curved barbell vertically pierces the center of the lower lip.

The Dahlia Bite:

One stud marks each corner of the mouth.

The Canine Bite:

Comprising four piercings in total — two on both the upper and lower right and left areas around the lips.

The type of piercing style you choose highlights your style and personality. Always make sure you visit a safe, sanitary, and experienced piercing studio to get these piercings done. Since they cover such a sensitive part of your face, you want to rely on a professional to handle them — and one who won't tear your skin.

How bad do lip piercings hurt?

Delicate tissues and nerves surround your mouth and lips. Although lip piercings hurt momentarily at the time of the procedure, most people tolerate the pain quite well. The most pain usually happens during the piercing. The area may be sore during the standard healing time of six weeks.

After the procedure, you will feel pain if you pull, tug, or bite at your new piercing. Overall, expect a pain range between four and five on a scale of 10.

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Can you kiss with a lip piercing?

In the days immediately after your piercing, you may experience soreness or swelling. Try to avoid contact with another person's saliva during this time — including kissing. Even if the other individual's mouth is clean, your piercing may bleed initially, which poses a risk to your partner.

Even if you are monogamous, remember that bodily fluids contain bacteria, viruses, and impurities that can enter the piercing hole. Since your lip piercing counts as an open wound, it is more susceptible to infection.

After your piercing heals, you can safely kiss your partner without worrying about pain or infection.

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How long does it take a lip piercing to heal?

Lip piercings take more time to heal than an ear or nose piercing. You need between six to eight weeks of healing time before you can safely exchange the jewelry. A Monroe or Madonna piercing will take longer than other types. Expect a healing period of up to three months.

Try not to remove your piercing while it heals, and make sure to wipe it at least three times daily with a cleansing solution. If you have an infection, your lip piercing may take longer to heal, causing more discomfort.

Pain and risk of infection are just two reasons why it's essential to visit a professional for this procedure.

What type of jewelry should I use in my lip piercing?

We recommend using gold jewelry for your lip piercing. Gold is a neutral metal, and if the jewelry is 14k or higher, it has fewer impurities. Other metals also work, such as ASTM-F136 implant-grade titanium and surgical stainless steel.

Avoid metals like nickel or copper because they may cause allergic reactions. At Pierced, we only sell high-quality jewelry from trusted brands, like Junipurr Jewelry, Buddha Jewelry Organics, and Maria Tash. Our selection includes threadless jewelry instead of push-pin. The former gives you the perfect fit and is more manageable than push-pin jewelry.

Are lip piercings safe?

As long as you leave it up to a professional in a studio that has a good reputation, a lip piercing is perfectly safe. With piercing studios that lack the proper experience, you may face problems. Employees who perform piercings at these places often have no formal training and are not professionals.

At Pierced, we take piercing seriously, and that means going above and beyond to make sure each procedure is safe. From jewelry material to facilities, equipment, and staff experience, your security and comfort are our priorities.

Experience the difference a professional piercer makes in the look and placement of your lip piercing. Visit us today at one of our many locations or shop online from our wide selection of safe and gorgeous lip piercing jewelry.