Types of Body Piercings
10 June 2020
Piercings are a staple when talking about body modification. Since there are so many types of piercings, it’s important to explore every option in order to make the right choice. Here’s a list of the most popular types of piercings to help you pick the perfect one for you.
Ear Piercings
Earlobe
The earlobe is, without a doubt, the most popular piercing. This classic piercing simply goes directly through the soft part of the ear and is generally placed on the low end of the lobe.
Cartilage
This piercing is located on the outermost part of the ear cartilage.
Conch
The conch piercing is done on to the lower part of the ear cartilage called the concha (or bowl of the ear).
Tragus
Located between the perimeter of the face and the beginning of the ear, the tragus piercing goes through the cartilage that protects the ear canal.
Rook
The rook is an upper cartilage piercing located above the tragus in the antihelix, sitting between the outer ear and the inner conch (bowl of the ear).
Daith
The daith is located on the cartilage separating the antihelix from the conch.
Snug
The snug, also called the antihelix, is a piercing going through the antihelix from the medial to lateral surfaces.
Industrial
The industrial piercing is a double perforation of the upper cartilage connected by a single straight piece of jewelry.
Facial Piercings
Eyebrow
As the name implies, this surface piercing goes through the eyebrow and is usually vertical, but can also be horizontal.
Bridge
This piercing is located on the bridge of the nose, between the eyes.
Narine
This piercing is placed on the nostril cartilage, usually on the thinnest part.
Septum
The septum piercing is located on the nasal septum, the cartilage separating the right and left nostril.
Oral Piercings
Tongue
The tongue piercing usually refers to a single perforation done directly through the center of the tongue with a straight piece of jewelry (barbell). However, there are many variations and piercing combinations such as snake eyes, venom, surface, multiple piercings, etc.
Lip
There are many types of lip piercings, ranging from the usual straight-through the lip to surface, horizontal and vertical piercings, such as labret, vertical labret, angel bites, snake bites, Dahlia, dolphin bites, Medusa and the Monroe.
Smiley
The smiley piercing is done through the frenulum, the part connecting the gums to the upper lip. The name ‘’smiley’’ comes from the fact that this piercing can only be seen when smiling.
Tongue web
Also called a Marley, the tongue web is located on the frenulum underneath the tongue.
Cheek
The cheek piercing directly goes through the cheek and is usually puncturing existing dimples or imitating them.
Body Piercings
Navel
This piercing goes through the skin around the navel. It can be done vertically as well as horizontally and positioned anywhere around the navel.
Nipple
Although nipple piercings are typically done horizontally at the base of the nipple, they can be done at any angle.
Surface
As mentioned above in multiple piercing categories, surface piercings can be done on many body parts. Surface piercings only penetrate parts of the body where the skin is flat, such as the cheeks, wrists, hips, back, breasts and the nape of the neck.
Microdermal
Microdermal piercings can be done on any flat surfaces of the body and are held in place with a dermal anchor that’s installed underneath the skin. A jewel is then attached to the anchor, as if it were simply sitting on the skin.
Genital Piercings
There are many types of genital piercings for both men and women. Some of the most popular ones for men are the Prince Albert, the ampallang, the apadravya, the dydoe, the frenum, the lorum and the hafada. The most common ones for women are the hood, the Christina, the labia and the fourchette.
There you go! These were some of the most popular types of piercings. If you’d like information on a piercing that wasn’t included in this list, contact us and we’ll gladly help you.