Getting Your Lip Pierced

Considering getting your lip pierced? Do it ! :) I've had my lip pierced now for almost two years and I absolutely love it. There's nothing better than a lilttle enhancement. lol . Im gung-ho for all types of body modifications but i love piercings. And next to the nose ring and belly button , getting your lip pierced is notably becoming more popular.

Can you actually get it done?

Most states require you to be 18 without parental consent or 16 with. Clear it with your parents or guardians before you decide to go get it!

Price, Location & Piercer

I have no clue what the average price is. I paid $50 for mine at a very respectable, clean place. And i know this is kind of high but better quality usually comes with a higher price tag. And the piercer was experienced and fun. He was relaxed and that made me relax. Thats what you should look for. A clean place with a good reputation is your top choice. Nothing less should be acceptable. Its too easy to get an infection of some kind , after all, a piercing is an open wound. Don't set yourself up for failure by going to a place that doesnt appear clean. Also, go by the place before you get your piercing and ask if you could watch the piercer work. Just to see him/her do their job. If you get a feel beforehand, you know what you're walking into.

Decisions

With any type of modifications , there are decisions to be made. You've already made the major one : deciding what to get pierced. Now the next decision is exaclty where to get it. With lip piercings you can get about 5-7 different piercings (there may be more) depending on how extreme you are. You can get your bottom lip pierced , either the right , left , both or the center pierced. Or you can get the top pierced , most commonly referred to as a monroe or madonna piercing.

Getting The Actual Piercing...

...is not as bad as it sounds, ya know, if getting a needle stuck though your lip sounds bad. But it goes pretty quick. The piercer will hopefully set up his STERILIZED needle and wear gloves. If he does not then get the heck outta there. yikes. sterlization is really key. But after that, the piercer will ask where you would like the piercing and will then mark it off with a black marker. That way , you can make sure the placing is okay to you, after all , it is YOUR piercing. After that's settled. you just relax. Depending on how experienced and comfortable the piercer is , he will either use a clamp or not. If a clamp is used, it will place on your lip with the marked dot visible and then you're told to take a deep breath and BAM. lol you're done. same way without a clamp, just a tad bit faster. Its usually pierced from the inside as to not put a hole through your gums or accidentally give you a tongue piercing that you don't want. After this the only painful part should be putting the jewelry in. You will feel it the needle going out and the jewelry going in. It sucks a bit but only for a quick second. The original jewelry will be longer than standard jewelry to accommodate swelling.

Aftercare

The time stated for your piercing to fully heal is about 6 weeks but with excellent aftercare , its usually faster. EXPECT swelling. Its going to happen unless you're like weird. Ice and ibuprofen are good for that. I'd use tylenol (or something like it) over ibuprofen though because the swelling may cause slight pain, tylenol should alleviate both pain and swelling. Different piercers have different aftercare procedures but most follow the same basics. Clean your piercing twice a day with some kind of sea salt, salt, or solution made specifically for piercings. H20cean is great. If your piercing place doesn't sell it you can order it offline or get it from your local Spencers or Hot Topic. It's a spray and that's all you do is spray and move your piercing back and forth so the good stuff can get it inside. IMPORTANT: Just because your piercing stops hurting does not mean it is healed ! Do not take the jewelry out and leave it out for longer than necessary, the hole WILL close and fast. Plus it will be super tender and it'll hurt worse. Either wait a couple weeks or get the piercer to change the jewelry after the swelling has gone done because without a swollen lip the longer jewelry will be super annoying.

Problems

A piercing IS an open sore , meaning it can get easily infected. Make sure not to touch the piercing outside of daily cleaning and when you do so your hands need to washed.

Most jobs do not like piercings, at all. If you have a job, make sure this is okay to have before you get it done. Or if you are looking for a job, realize you may be asked to remove it in order to get the job..

its obvious that there's jewelry in your mouth now, but be cautious when chewing. Especially the first couple of days, its so easy to bite your lip or the jewelry. Both hurt!

Dentists hate oral piercings. I get a lot of slack every time i go. Be prepared to remove the jewelry if you have to get a x-ray. It'll mess up the x-ray picture.

I hopee i helped ! Enjoy your piercing!!!