Lip piercings used to only come in a couple of types, and the only major difference was the type of jewelry you used to style them with. Those were different times. Now, the term “lip piercing” itself, covers a multitude of different piercings with different requirements and different jewelry needs. Let’s get caught up with the times and review what you can do with your mouth….and a trusted piercer.
Anatomy
Anatomy is vital for lip piercings, although the requirements for that anatomy vary from piercing to piercing. You have so many little blood vessels just in your lips. That’s not even taking into account things like salivary glands and nerves and other things hanging around your mouth. Also, the mouth is a vital part of one’s anatomy. You use it a lot and if a lip piercing is done on anatomy that can’t support it, it can lead to all kinds of problems with something so important. Furthermore, if your anatomy cannot support your piercing, it’s quite liable to reject. A rejecting piercing looks gnarly on any part of the body, and your lips are right out in front for everyone to see. Nobody wants to face the day looking less than their best.
Horizontal Lip Piercings
There are a lot of individual piercings that fall into this category. These include labret, lowbret, Madonna, Monroe, Ashley, and most of the “bites” piercings. (For more on these specific piercings -> click here) These piercings all go horizontally, front to back, through your lip or cheek and ending inside your oral cavity. The Ashley piercing is the only one that actually goes through the lip tissue itself, placed at the center of the lower lip. (You can see why anatomy really is vital here. You need to have a full lower lip to support the piercing and keep the jewelry in place.) Your experienced piercer will want to make sure your teeth and gums are in good condition and don’t put off downsizing the jewelry. These piercings all have the capacity to cause dental damage if the jewelry is too long.
Vertical Labret
This one is great if you are concerned about dental issues because it goes vertically through your bottom lip without ever entering the mouth itself. It uses a curved barbell instead of the typical flat back labret used for a lot of lip piercings. You will need to have a full enough lip to support the piercing, just as with an Ashley piercing. You can also get something similar, called Vertical Snakebites. These are the exact same concept but done at the outer corners of the lip.
Angel Fangs
Angel Fangs are like Vertical Snakebites but done on the upper lip. They get their name from the most commonly worn jewelry after healing. A curved barbell with a ball end on top and a cone-shaped end on the bottom, giving the look of tiny fangs. (It’s very cute. Google that one if you haven’t seen it.) A variant of this is a piercing called Angel Bites, which are performed in the same positions but are actually horizontal so you only see one end and the other end is inside the oral cavity.
Medusa
Medusa is a fancy name for a philtrum piercing. Your philtrum is the divot between the bottom of your nose and the top of your lips. This can be done horizontally, which looks extra cool if you are thoughtful in your choice of the exterior end of the jewelry. It can also be done vertically, a nice choice for people who have thinner lips because it doesn’t require as much tissue. The vertical version is similar to a vertical labret but performed with the top end in the philtrum and the bottom end coming out of your upper lip. The vertical philtrum isn’t as anatomy dependent as other oral piercings while the horizontal (Medusa) piercing requires that the piercer must be careful of the webbing under your upper lip (aka: the frenulum) and also needs to be performed above the gum line to avoid dental issues.
Dahlia
The most anatomy-dependent of all the oral piercings, Dahlia piercings are horizontal piercings done at the corners of the mouth. They get their name from the infamous Black Dahlia Murder of 1947. Because the area moves so much through the day and because there are numerous nerves, blood vessels, and salivary ducts running through the area, your experienced piercer needs to check very well before performing this piercing. They should also check how your teeth align when you bite down to keep you from accidentally chomping on your jewelry. They also are notoriously difficult to heal so if you decide to go this route make sure you have the patience to go the distance. For even more info -> click here.
That is lip piercings in a nutshell. The variety of bites and jewelry styles could fill a large book just on this particular subject. If you’re looking to spice up your look with a little bit of fresh bling, the lips are a great choice so long as you have the anatomy and are willing to retire them if they start to affect your teeth. Happy piercing!
