Labret Piercing

[Lilly420]

I've been wanting a labret piercing since high school and I'm working up the cajones to get one. My problem is, I would have to wear one of the clear plastic ones for work because they don't allow facial piercings. So here are my questions for those of you who have them or have given someone the piercing before:

1. Does it hurt when you get it doen? After? How much? Compared to a lobe piercing (that's the only one I've got)

2. What is the best size to get? I don't want to go any bigger than 14, and I'm scared of needles so in my mind the smaller the better, but I've been told that bigger needles will make it heal faster. Is this true? Can I get a smaller one and gauge it later?

3. Can it be pierced and then have the plastic one in it immediately or do I have to wait for it to heal?

4. How long does it take for it to heal enough for me to be able to take it out and change it for another one? I'm a sissy when it comes to pain, even though I'm gauging my ears it' taking me forever because of this. I'm only to a 6 >.<

5. What is the risk of infection? What do I do to prevent it? What happens if it becomes infected anyway?

Thanks guys!

[Marmee_Noir]

I've had mine for 12 years or so now and from what I can remember it really didn't hurt when I got it done. IT took all of 5 seconds for it to be done and over with. It wasn't even sore or anything that day and so on. I cleaned it with GLYoxide multiple times a day and I even changed the jewelry with in a week.

As for having it pierced with a retainer, I'm not sure what the chances are of getting a professional to do that... If for only one reason, the retainers are either acrylic or plastic... Surgical stainless steel is much easier to sterilize. Reducing the risk of infection and making the healing process faster.. If you really want to get it done though. I would say go for it. Pick a day to get it done right after you get off of work, and a day that you'll have the next, hmmm I'd say two days off. And then before you have to go back to work I would buy a retainer, soak it in glyoxide or diluted Listerine, make sure you clean the piercing sitewell, your mouth, hands and retainer and just change it yourself... Note though one you change it to the retainer I would leave that one in for a couple of weeks... You don't want to irritate a new piercing by constantly changing it each day... Once it's healed then I would start doing that..

As for me I have a job where I have to remove it for work, but like I said I've had my piercing for 12 years so I can take it out with out the fear of it healing up anytime soon...

As for gauge size don't make the mistake I did. I had mine pierced with a 12g... Which is flipping hard as fuck to find any post in that size.... The average seems to be around 18g, 16g or 14g. And the longer you have it the more relaxed it gets, I often where a 10g hoop in mine when I want to change it up a bit..

Anyways hope some of this info helps... And good luck.

[tanuki1985]

I had my labret pierced in mid-August. It's one of my favorite piercings! ^_^

1. I didn't even flinch when having mine done. It didn't hurt, but piercings generally don't hurt me anyway. (Honestly, the only one I want that scares me is getting an industrial piercing in my left ear done. I have highly sensitive ears as it is. Eek!). Of course, it wasn't a pleasant feeling, but it wasn't excruciating. Afterward, it kinda felt like I had a fat lip for a few days, but that's about it. After you get it, you might accidentally bite down on it or scrape your gums with it, and that hurts worse than actually getting it done. These are the piercings that I have so far: three earlobes, two ear cartilages, tongue, one nostril, and labret. I'd say that of all of them, getting my tongue pierced was the most unpleasant. If you really want a piercing, just remember that pain is only temporary!

2. I had mine pierced at a 16 gauge. Getting a 14 or 16 is your personal preference as far as I'm concerned. I got a 16 because I have a small face and didn't want the piercing to look too big on my face. As for different healing times, that's something I honestly don't know the answer to. Mine stopped hurting and the swelling went down in just a few days. I never got into gauging, but I'm sure you could gauge a labret piercing just like any other piercing. Another DGNer might know more about this.

3. All piercers are different, but my piercer didn't mind putting a plastic piece of jewelry in immediately after having the piercing done, but he only sold metal jewelry at his shop, so I had a metal one put in. If you want a plastic piece put in, I'd find out if your piercer sells some ahead of time; if not, then buy one elsewhere and bring it in if he or she doesn't approves of it.

4. My piercer told me that I could change the piercing as soon a the swelling went down, which was in a couple days. I waited about a week. It took me a little bit of practice to be able to change the jewelry on my own, but now I do it a few times a day. I work at a school, so I have to put an invisible retainer in every day. I don't like to wear the retainer outside of work because I found that it irritates my lip and gums. I don't know why. *shrugs*

5. I have never had a labret infection, but I'm sure it's not very pleasant. Others might have more information on this. I'm sure you'd know it was infected if you saw lots of discharge and/or had lots of unusual pain after the initial healing period, but I'd research it online or ask your piercer if I were you. Make sure you follow the proper aftercare procedures that your piercer gives you and that you do not play with the piercing!

Ask your piercer lots of questions before having the piercing done. Before having any of mine done, I always researched online, asked around, and asked my piercer questions. I would also ask around or look online to find a reputable piercer in your area if you don't already know one.

Don't forget that labret piercings can possibly lead to tooth enamel loss and/or receding gums. Not everyone gets this, but it's still a possibility. That's a risk you have to be willing to take if you want the piercing. I decided to get the piercing anyway, but decided that if I noticed this happening, I'd take it out immediately. So far, everything has been alright. I found that having a short bar is very important, even moreso than having plastic jewelry. I had a plastic piece of jewelry in my piercing that was too long, and it still scraped my gums. Nowadays, I have a short metal bar in my piercing, and I have had no problems. It scrapes my teeth occasionally, but not like it did when I had a longer bar in place.

Good luck!

[Destroit]

I've been wanting a labret piercing since high school and I'm working up the cajones to get one. My problem is, I would have to wear one of the clear plastic ones for work because they don't allow facial piercings. So here are my questions for those of you who have them or have given someone the piercing before:

1. Does it hurt when you get it doen? After? How much? Compared to a lobe piercing (that's the only one I've got)

2. What is the best size to get? I don't want to go any bigger than 14, and I'm scared of needles so in my mind the smaller the better, but I've been told that bigger needles will make it heal faster. Is this true? Can I get a smaller one and gauge it later?

3. Can it be pierced and then have the plastic one in it immediately or do I have to wait for it to heal?

4. How long does it take for it to heal enough for me to be able to take it out and change it for another one? I'm a sissy when it comes to pain, even though I'm gauging my ears it' taking me forever because of this. I'm only to a 6 >.<

5. What is the risk of infection? What do I do to prevent it? What happens if it becomes infected anyway?

Thanks guys!

It hurts MUCH less and for me only hurt for a day. I was eating that day (it's odd getting used to eating at first, but it only days a day or two to catch on) and was fine. Didn't bleed much and I didn't get infected because I used alcohol-free mouthwash. It stings right after being pierced for about 15 minutes but it's very bearable, more annoying than painful.

2. I wouldn't recommend gauging it. Pierce it with a 14, if you gauge it that runs the possibility of it getting all loose and blown out whereas when they pierce you with a 14 gauge it's a nice clean hole. The needle hurts less than getting your ear pierced because when they do your ears they use a solid needle that PUSHES your skin through instead of making a nice clean punch-hole. When they pierce your lip they use what is called a hollow needle (may have fancier terminology, I'm not sure) which is basically set up almost in the same way as a needle for a syringe in that it has a VERY sharp pointed tip and is hollow all the way through. This literally hole punches your skin (there's a good sized chunk of lip that ends up IN the needle when all is said and done, which imo, is the grossest part) and makes it a nice clean punch with no pushed through skin, excessive scabbing, or the "stretched" look. It also causes it to hurt less and heal better. Go with a 14 and leave it.

3. If you can stand the pain then go for it. I'm a secretary and what I used to do when I FIRST got it pierced. I would keep a normal metal post in my lip (sans the ball at the end) and whenever someone would come by I'd pull it into my mouth with my teeth and hide it in my cheek. When they'd walk away I'd push it back through with my tongue and everyone was none-the-wiser. Anybody who must hide a piercing has their own method, if you get a 14 gauge piercing you can probably put a plastic retainer in it right away no problem, but everyone is different and everybody has a different pain tolerance. So if you know you're a pussy, then keep that in mind.

4. I think they say up to 3 weeks, but really only 1. I was changing it out within the first few days no problem. Everyone is different but like I said 1 week it should be healed enough.

5. There is a special kind of mouthwash you buy, I can't remember the name of it but I may be able to ask a friend later and find out. Basically any mouthwash that DOESN'T have alcohol in it is good. Avoid dairy or you could get a yeast infection in your mouth (thrush) for maybe the first two-three weeks. I mean you don't have to avoid EVERYTHING with dairy in it, like butter should be fine, anything with dairy baked in it, recipes with dairy cooked into it, but stuff that is straight dairy or known to cause problems, yogurt being the big one, straight milk, I think ice cream in some cases, should be avoided for the first two to three weeks. Labret piercings, when dairy is avoided and the proper mouthwash is used, have a relatively low infection rate compared to other piercings (belly buttons have a HUGE risk for infection when pierced, for instance) and are very low maintenance.

Something else to note, if you use metal posts and you know that you fidget with things in your mouth (i.e. I bite EVERYTHING, you should see all of my pens), they should be avoided and you should either go with plastic or if you still like the look of metal try to go with a capture bead hoop or horseshoe one. Personally I think they look nicer anyways, I usually wear the horseshoe style ones because like I said I bite on it if I wear a post. That and with the horseshoe ones you get to put on TWO separate acrylic balls instead of just one. Also the metal tends to come in different colors, right now mine is a black hoop with one yellow ball and one green ball to match my awesomeness .

The reason I'm bringing all this up is that if you do wear a post and fidget with it and bite down a lot on the backing of the post, then you WILL ruin your teeth and regret it. I'm not even talking over time, either, I'm talking that your front teeth will be ruined in just 3-4 years and will start to rot. If you do choose to wear posts then make sure they are as short as can fit your lip, this also cuts down on fiddling with it because it's not jutting into your mouth and annoying you, the backing is snuggly up against the inside of your lip.

My favorite style, horseshoe style (so you know what I'm talking about):

See how you get the option of two different color balls and they are on the ends of a hoop of whatever color? I like it because they provide the most customizability, they cut down on fidgeting, and are the easiest to put in and take out.

Posts:

Many people like them because they're more casual, less extravagant, more discreet than the horseshoe or capture bead, and don't get in the way of lipstick. Some people are also bothered by the feeling of something wrapping around their lip all day. I generally avoid them because I'm a known teeth ruiner, but as shown by the picture, I do wear them on occasions when I'm being more casual or it seems to go better with a particular outfit.

Capture Bead Hoop:

I had to SEARCH for this picture, I wasn't even sure I had a picture of me with one in because I don't really care for them, they're my least favorite style. They take steady hands to put in, snap out a lot (the ball doesn't screw in, it CLICKS in IF you're lucky...and that's a BIG if). They don't provide the color customizable fashion-awesomeness that horseshoes do (they usually come as a hoop with the same color ball, and there's only one ball, as seen in the picture), but I always throw them in as an option because some people like them. Some have no problems putting them in, practice I guess, and they have the same effect as the horseshoe ones while being more sleek and discreet.

Hope some of this stuff helps, like I said I can try to find out the name of the particular mouthwash that 99% of piercers recommend later, I just can't think of it right now because I had mine done about 4-5 years ago. If you can think of anything else you want to know, then ask away.

Edited October 10, 2009 by Chernobyl

[Lilly420]

Wow, thanks so much for all the good info! I didn't even consider the effect it may have on my poor teeth D: Hmm... I think I'll get my cartilage done first since that's easier to hide (just use my hair lol) but I still really want this done, especially if the general consensus is it hurts less than gauging or getting the lobe pierced and it heals withing a few weeks. Any other info you guys want to post would be awesome!

[Soulrev]

I had mine done like 5 months ago. I didn't even feel it, no joke. The clamp hurt the worst and that was nothing. I just felt pressure on my lip and she said she had the needle in already. It took about a week to heal. I just used non-alcoholic mouthwash after I ate and smoked, and used a q-tip with some regular antibacterial hand soap and warm water on the outside. It never gets sore and it doesn't rub on my teeth since I got it done low enough to be out of the way.

And I don't like the hoop either. I usually wear a spike stud.

Edited October 10, 2009 by Soulrev

[Marmee_Noir]

Just for the record, I've had my lip pierced for 12years and it wasn't gauged. I had it pierced with a 12guage needle. Anyways to the point after 12 years of never had a problem. It's still as good as when I first had it. No stretching or whatever. I went to a pretty high end piercer back in the day who specializes in more out of the ordinary piercings and jewelry.