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Types of Lip Piercings
- Monroe Piercing: Monroe piercing is done on the upper lip. It is named so because this piercing is normally done in the place of the famous actress Marilyn Monroe's beauty spot. As compared to other piercings, this is less risky and takes less time to heal.
- Medusa Piercing: Medusa Piercing is done just above the upper lip, in the philtrum, directly below the nose. It takes about six to seven weeks for a Medusa piercing to heal.
- Labret Piercing: Labret Piercing is done below the lower lip. Usually, it is done in the center, though it can be done off center as well.
- Lowbret Piercing: Lowbret Piercing is done far below the lip. Normally, studs are used for lowbret piercings.
Although most lip piercings heal quickly, it is important to be cautious. Lip piercings on an average take about six to ten weeks to heal. It is extremely rare to develop any infection due to a lip piercing, as our mouth and lips have the natural ability to fight off bacteria. But it is crucial to take some basic lip piercing care. If you do get a lip piercing infection, then you may show symptoms like swelling, redness, scabbing, tenderness and sometimes bleeding. In order to avoid an infection, it is imperative to follow aftercare for lip piercing. Given below is a list of lip piercing care tips:
- During the first three hours after getting a piercing, do not eat, smoke, or drink anything.
- Wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your piercing. This will significantly reduce your chances of getting any body piercing infection.
- Do not play with the jewelry, or you may damage your gums or teeth.
- Avoid having chewing gum or anything that requires you to chew excessively.
- Avoid going swimming, as chlorine, and other chemicals present in the water can result in infections.
- Do a saline soak everyday on your lip piercing with a solution prepared by mixing together one-eighth teaspoon of sea salt with one glass of warm water.
- Avoid sharing plates, cups and utensils as germs get passed on quite easily.
- Do not remove or change jewelry during the time of healing, as the hole closes quickly. If that happens, it is very painful to reinsert the jewelry.
- As a lip piercing is a puncture wound, neosporin should never be applied on the piercing. This is because neosporin contains petroleum and is not water soluble, so if it is applied on the puncture wound, it will stay there and not wash out and thus, will not let any air pass through, which will ultimately result in an infection.
- Maintain good oral hygiene and take good dental care by brushing and flossing twice a day. Rinse with a mouthwash after brushing.
- To help with the healing process, use lavender oil as it lubricates the wound and reduces the tenderness.
- Another very important lip piercing aftercare tip is using antibacterial soap to clean your lip and the area around it.
- Since you cannot remove your jewelry during the healing process, you will have to clean the jewelry while it is on your lip. Use soap and warm water, lather up the jewelry with your finger tip and rinse it.
- A common symptom of lip piercing is swelling, so, to mitigate the swelling, the piercer inserts a larger lip piercing ring or lip piercing stud into the piercing area. Only after the swelling disappears, should you change the lip piercing jewelry.
- The good news is that you are advised to eat frozen yogurt, ice creams or suck on chipped or crushed ice. Cold things help the healing by reducing the pain and swelling.
