Lip piercing is a technique that involves punctuating the lip area in order to wear jewellery. It is believed that this type of body adorning exists from the Precolumbian cultures of South America and Africa. It’s quite common in many countries and cultures, especially among the people of the Nuba of Sudan and Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea, the Dogon people of Mali, etc. Some tribes in Malawi have a piercing practice where the lips are extremely stretched to insert plates and plugs.
Common Lip Piercing Areas
Those of you who enjoy this, and are brave enough to adorn your lips with lip piercing, should know that there is a huge assortment of lip piercings to choose from differing in design and style as much as material. Aside from choosing from different styles and models, you should know that not all types are designed for the same lip area. Each part of the mouth is different, so understanding this first will help you find the right kind of piercing for it.
Labret
This piercing is located in the centre just below the lower lip. This is considered one of the most versatile places as it allows the use of different jewellery lip piercings ranging from a variety of hoops to circular barbells and flat back lip studs.
Side Labret
This is maybe one of the most common mouth-piercing types so far. The side labret lip piercing is a single and off-centred punctuation of the lower or upper lip which is done from the outside to the inside part of the mouth. Once the side labret is punctured, expect it to heal within 6 to 8 weeks.
Some of the most common mouth piercings for this purpose are captive bead rings, clickers, seamless hoops, flat back labret studs, circular barbells and more.
Monroe
The Monroe piercing is named after the famous Marilyn Monroe because it’s placed right above the right side of the upper lip, at the same place as the Monroe’s beauty mark. You’ll have to wait around 2-3 months for this single piercing to heal completely. The most commonly used jewellery for it is the flat back stud.
Madonna
Once there is a Monroe, there should also be a Madonna. This piercing is named after the popular singer and is done on the opposite side of Monroe’s piercing. It’s a single piercing done in the upper lip on the left side. The type of jewellery and healing time is exactly the same as that of the Monroe piercing.
Medusa
The third ‘M’ of piercings is the Medusa also known as philtrum, which can be found above the upper lip at the centre. Just like the Monroe and Medusa lip adornments, this one can also take flat-back lip studs. The time of healing is the same, around 2-3 months.
Ashley
The Ashley mouth adornment is placed on the bottom lip and the exit hole is on the inside of the mouth. The ideal jewellery for the purpose is the flat-back labret oral piercing stud and the healing time for it is somewhere between 6 – 8 weeks.
Dahlia
Unlike the others, these are double facial piercings that can be done on either side of the mouth. Unlike the healing process of the others, the healing process of Dahlia is from 6 months to a year.
How to Keep Piercings Clean?
Keeping your lips piercings clean is one of the key things you should do. The easiest and fastest thing you should do to keep them in perfect condition is to clean them with water and soap on the outside. However, if you have sensitive skin, you can always use some gentle skin cleanser instead of a soap. For a more proper cleanse, you can also use saline wound wash. Regardless of the type of cleansing you use, make sure to let the area air dry first before applying any cream or makeup.
Aftercare
Once you have your lip embellishment on the lips, you really shouldn’t forget about the whole aftercare procedure. This is crucial to prevent the development of some serious infections. Ideally, you should use alcohol-free mouthwash for rinsing the inside of your mouth. You should do this 3 – 5 times per day as that way you will not only get rid of any food residue but this is a great way for cleaning your piercing as well. There are also some important mistakes that you should avoid when having a lip adornment. By any means you shouldn’t:
- Skip aftercare
- Touch your jewellery with dirty hands
- Use harsh cleaning products
- Over-clean the area
- Change the jewellery too soon after its application
- Ignore any signs of infection
- Start having oral contact too soon after its application.
How Painful Is a Lip Piercing?
On a scale from 1 to 10, people say the pain is somewhere between 4 and 5 which means that it is bearable. Still, it varies from person to person, and the pierced spot can get swollen during the first day of piercing as the tissue around the mouth has a lot of nerve endings. Healing and getting used to can take some time.
