Lip piercings have been around for many years and are still practiced by some tribes in Africa and Brazil. The lip piercing often symbolises social maturity in both men and women, with the size of the plate generally denoting wealth and status.
We’re not suggesting you wear a plate in your lips, how would you eat with that in? There are lots of other less extreme types of lip piercings to choose from, here are some of the most popular.
The labret piercing is pierced through the lower lip. A lowbret piercing is similar but placed at the lowest part of the inside lip. Labrets are the most popular type of jewellery for this piercing.
The vertical labret (angel kiss) piercing is pierced through the lower lip, similar to a labret piercing but exits more vertically through the top of the lip. The inverse vertical labret (ashley) piercing, is similar to the vertical labret but the top ball exits inside the lip, not outside. Curved barbells are the most popular vertical labret jewellery.
“Bites” lip piercings are pierced in several locations around the lip each with their own name specifying the location e.g.spider, snake, shark, canine, dolphin, cyber and angel, see image below. BCR rings, circular barbells (CBBs) and labrets are the most popular bites lip piercing jewellery.
There are several types of upper lip piercings with the most admired being the Monroe piercing (on the left), Madonna piercing (on the right) and Medusa/philtrum piercing (in the middle). Labrets are the most popular Monroe/Madonna/Medusa jewellery.
The dahlia piercing is a lip piercing at or near the corner of the mouth on each side. Labrets are the most popular dahlia jewellery.
Choosing The Correct Jewellery For Your Lip Piercing
It is very important to choose the correct jewellery for your lip piercing as this can slow down, or even prevent, piercing gum recession* (see below). There are several options available to you.
The most popular lip piercing jewellery is the labret. You can choose labrets in 316L steel , titanium & PVD but we would recommend Bioplast or PTFE as the least likely to cause damage to your gums.
The Medilab labret is also a good option as it has a unique surface on the base which causes less damage when it comes in contact with the teeth or gums by gently bouncing back to avoid friction damage.
The benefit of BCR rings is that they have a smaller surface area touching your gum which should cause less damage.
The bar closure ring is even more effective as it can fully rotate in your piercing so should cause less friction to your gums.
Once your lip piercing has healed you can really have fun choosing from a massive selection of attachments to customise your jewellery with threaded or clip-in attachments.
PTFE jewellery is ideal for this type of piercing and can speed up the healing process.
Types of Lip Piercings
Aftercare
Approximate healing times for most lip piercings are between 3 to 10 weeks. Your lip piercing will swell when you have it pierced and your piercer will usually put a larger piece of jewellery in it until the swelling subsides
Your piercer should provide you with detailed aftercare instructions on how to care for your oral piercing or you can check out or blog.
*Piercing Gum Recession
If you are considering having a lip piercing it’s important to be aware of damage that can be caused to the gum area. Piercing gum recession is a common problem with oral piercings. This is caused by the jewellery in the piercing sitting against your gum area causing damage to the tissue which can, over time, expose the tooth and root canal.
You should check your oral piercings regularly to ensure this does not happen to you. If you think you may have a problem you should remove your jewellery and seek advice from your dentist.