Your eyes are the window to the soul. So why not decorate them – and the rest of your face – with some rad face piercings? They’re no stained glass windows, but they’re also not a bad alternative.
Maybe you’re looking for a dainty lip stud. Or you might be looking for a bridge piercing. Whatever your style is, this guide will help you figure out your perfect piercing for your face.
There are tons of piercing options to pick from, so before you get too overwhelmed, here’s everything you need to know about piercing types, prices, and aftercare. Just don’t ask us how LASIK works – we haven’t figured that out yet.
What Is a Face Piercing?
A face piercing is any piercing that’s on your face. Save that for your next trivia night! The most common types are lip, nose, and eyebrow piercings. There are also some less-common face piercings, like those that go through the bridge of your nose or in your cheeks.
Each kind takes different jewelry and requires different types of care to heal. It’s kinda like trying to compare apples and oranges or Dolly Parton and Eminem. They’re all great, just not the same. Though, if you’re trying to compete with Guinness World Records holder Axel Rosales, you might not care.
Types of Face Piercings
1. Eyebrow
Dress up those face caterpillars with a vertical or horizontal eyebrow piercing.
Your piercer will probably use a slightly curved barbell. When your eyebrow heals (which takes about three months), you can opt for a hoop, though piercers usually recommend a flatter piercing that won’t get snagged in your clothes.
Imagine pulling off your blouse and then also pulling out your piercing. You were excited about getting to second base on your date. Not so much a trip to the ER.
2. Anti-eyebrow
The anti-eyebrow piercing is located on your cheek, not actually on your eyebrow. We know it should probably be called “upper cheek” piercing. But no one asked us to name any piercings. They also didn’t ask us to name any dinosaurs, even though Spiky Chonkasaurus is much catchier than Stegosaurus.
The anti-eyebrow area can be really difficult to heal properly if you don’t follow your piercer’s instructions. Your cheek is an introvert – it doesn’t like it when a strange metal bar tries to move in without paying rent. So your body may reject the piercing. If it doesn’t, it should heal within about two months.
3. Bridge
A bridge can be a yoga pose, part of a song, or haunted by a troll, but this piercing isn’t any of those. A bridge piercing is a metal bar that runs horizontally through the skin above your nose. It looks like a metal unibrow. Like, imagine if Frida Khalo was a cyborg.
The bridge piercing heals within two to three months but it isn’t for everyone. If you wear glasses, you may want to opt for another option.
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4. Cheek Piercing
Do you want to highlight some cute dimples? This piercing will look sassy and cheeky (literally and metaphorically). However, it takes two to three months to heal, so be prepared to spend some time smiling through the pain.
While some people may dread getting scars from their piercing, that can be a positive about cheek piercings. Some folks get little dimple-like marks from the piercing, even if they remove the jewelry. If you’ve always wanted to look like Miranda Kerr or Kirsten Dunst, this can be one step forward. The next is finding a great hairstylist.
5. Third Eye Piercing
We’re not totally sure how to expand your third eye – we’re experts on gyros, not gurus – but we can tell you about a third eye piercing. It may not make you more enlightened, but it’ll will make you feel more holey.
For this look, your piercer will put a vertical bar in the skin between your eyebrows, above your nose. It differs from a bridge piercing, since it’s higher up away from the top of your nose. And while pain levels differ for every person, some people report surprisingly low pain for this one: even less than some ear cartilage piercings. Expect the third eye piercing to have a four to six month healing time.
6. Nose Piercings
A nose piercing is so versatile. You can get something small and cute in your nostril, or you can make a bigger statement with a septum hoop. But no matter what you choose, someone will definitely think you’re picking your nose when you fidget with the jewelry in public.
Nose piercings take two to three months to heal and aren’t always super painful. But, it can be common to tear up during the deed since you’re dealing with an area near your sinuses. Which reminds us: don’t get a nose piercing while you have a cold….mostly for the sake of the piercer.
7. Lip Piercings
There are lots of different types of lip piercings and they take two months to six month to heal, depending on the style. You can get snakebites, a Medusa, dolphin bites, canine bites, and more. We promise we’re not just talking about a bad day at the zoo.
You might consider a small hoop or curved barbell for your healing. Otherwise, a stud or flat-back labret could get caught in your teeth when you chew gum or bite down on your food. Even if you’re eating In-And-Out, you definitely want that jewelry to stay in your face and out of your Double-Double.
How Painful Are Face Piercings?
Your face has lots of nerves and muscles, so it’s a pretty sensitive area. Even if the actual piercing part will be over in a couple seconds, you can still expect some pain.
Thicker areas of the face may hurt more since the needle has to go through more skin, but other areas may hurt more after. A lip piercing may not hurt very much during the piercing, but it can be painful to heal unless you’re planning on taking a vow of silence for the next few weeks.
Plus, your face tends to bleed a lot because the capillaries are so close to the surface of the skin. Remember when you got hit in the face with a dodgeball as a kid? Cue Carrie.
But professional piercers are prepared to avoid big veins and can help keep your pain and bleeding to a minimum. Finally, every person’s pain tolerance is different, so ask your piercer about their advice.
What’s Good Piercing Aftercare?
Your piercing looks great. But, now it’s time to play the two most boring games alive: The waiting game and the cleaning game. We call dibs on the blue piece.
You’ll need to take good care of your facial piercing until it heals. This can range between two months and six months, depending on the piercing. Make sure the skin around your piercing stays healthy by cleaning it with a saline or saltwater soak a couple times a day, depending on your piercer’s recommendation. This is all to say, you should probably opt out of this year’s pie eating contest.
How Much Does a Face Piercing Cost?
The cost of a facial piercing will depend on the type of piercing and the jewelry you pick. A single lip piercing with a basic hoop may cost $30 or $40, but a dermal piercing (like the bridge) is a more complicated (and expensive) procedure, so it will probably cost more.
When Can I Change the Jewelry and What Jewelry is Best?
Some of us change out our wardrobe every season. But your piercing requires more patience. We know it can feel like it takes forever until your piercing is healed, but just think of your piercing as being timeless.
Never change your face jewelry until your piercer can confirm that you’re fully healed. Depending on where you’ve been pierced, that can take anywhere from three months to over a year.
When it’s time to make the switch, you should use high-quality materials for your bling. Even if you use cheaper jewelry in your ear piercings, your face has sensitive skin. Titanium and other hypoallergenic options are best for your gentle face.
After all, you wouldn’t use a harsh body cleanser to wash your face, right? Wait, maybe don’t answer that question. We wouldn’t want to disappoint Jonathan Van Ness.
When she's not lesson planning or editing, Laken might be hanging out with her Fulbright or graduate school colleagues, writing for sites like Entropy and Lambda Literary, or eating apple peelings.
Follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn and feel free to ask her how she was almost abducted by a cult while on a writing retreat in Ireland.
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