Piercings have been and still are a popular form of expression for people of all backgrounds. Since 2500 B.C., when the oldest body piercing on record was discovered, people all over the world have been marking their bodies for some reason or another. As time goes on, new locations have been added to the list of body piercings.
While you may not be interested in becoming the next Elaine Davidson holding the record for most body piercings with an impressive 6,005, you may want some information on piercings in general to get into piercing others. Here is a list of body piercings that are commonly performed by artists who have learned body piercing types and have completed a body piercing apprenticeship program.
- Cartilage Piercings/Helix Piercings are any piercing of the cartilage towards the top of your ear.
- Conch Piercings are piercing of the lower cartilage just inside the ear, where it scoops inward.
- Industrial Piercings go through 2 points of cartilage at the top of your ear. A straight barbell is usually inserted immediately following the piercing, but may heal better with 2 captive bead rings instead. A straight barbell can be inserted 7-12 months later or once your piercing has healed.
- Anti-Eyebrow Piercingsappears at a slight angle below the outer corner of the eye instead of directly on the eyebrow.
- Cheek Piercingscreate the look of dimples and are put in any area of the cheek that won’t negatively impact the cheek. If not properly done, saliva can exit the hole where the piercing is onto the outside of your cheek. If this happens, it can only be corrected with cauterization.
- Eyebrow Piercingsare placed horizontally or vertically across the eyebrow. Since it is a surface piercing, the likelihood of rejection is greater than some other piercings.
- Labret Piercings are typically centered below the lower lip, with the jewelry parallel to the ground.
- Lowbret Piercings are a type of Labret Piercing in which the piercing is places as low as possible in the lower lip area.
- Medusa Piercingsis centered between the middle of the upper lip and the bottom of the nose.
- Monroe Piercings/Madonna Piercingsare placed in the top corner of the lip to resemble Marilyn Monroe’s infamous mole.
- Dermal/Micro Dermal Piercingsare implanted below the skin and can be placed just about anywhere on the body. Only the decorative top can be seen while the bottom is underneath the skin.
Now that you know the types of body piercings, you can now begin looking to learn how to body pierce from a body piercing apprenticeship. Investing your time in an instructional body piercing apprenticeship will give you a deeper look into the piercings listed above and the know-how to on performing one yourself. Educate yourself on the list of body piercings and be on your way to piercing reality.
