Exactly two days ago I went and got my lower lip pierced for the 4th time. I already had three labret piercings and this time I opted for a vertical labret right above my existing middle hole. I have seen this piercing (sometimes I've heard it called a "fairy kiss") on a couple of boys before but recently a new female co-worker had hers done and it looked fantastic. I'm not too much of a fan of the medusa pierce (she had her vertical done through the top lip) but I could definitely see myself getting it done on the bottom! When I want a new hole I feel like I have to get it done that same day so I couldn't wait to get off of work and go for it.
At A Glance Author platinum_garb Contact platinum_garb@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Burt Holes Studio 3rd Dimension Location Appleton, WI I drove the half hour to the shop I chose having already called ahead and telling my guy what I wanted done. He quoted me a price and I agreed and waited while he set up the needles and such. Then he took a good look at my face to start to measure everything up. He mentioned that doing the pierce with my labret stud in might be a pain in the butt so I offered to either take it out or put in a retainer. He pointed out that if we replaced the labret stud after he was done that the two balls (the bottom from the vertical and the regular labret) might rub and cause my vertical to stray to one side or the other. We chose to use a retainer in the end and I might add I can say now that was a good decision.
He used a toothpick and iodine to make his marks horizontally on the top of my lip and vertically down the front and checked and then re-checked them before he finally had me look at them in the mirror. I was happy with what I saw. Then we got down to business.
I sat down in his chair (my boyfriend was milling about nearby and one of my gal friends sat beside me). This was to be my 18th piercing but it was the first one this particular guy was going to do on me so I was actually a little nervous! I told him I was a little flustered because he hadn't pierced me before and he smiled and that made me feel a little better. I think as I get a little older I forget how much I love getting pierced and worry a bit too much right before hand. Oh well..
Anyway, he told me to breathe in and out twice (big, deep breaths) and on the third time he would put the needle through. It was just then that I realized I had never had a piercing that actually went through my LIP before and I thing my eyes probably bugged out pretty far at the notion. So anyway, he went in through the bottom and, yeah, it pinched a little but then (as always) adrenaline overcame me and I was perfectly content to be sitting in my piercer's chair with a needle in my body. My piercer and my friend both joked that they wished he had a camera accessible because I was making a pretty rad face with my mouth wide open and needle in tow. I just sat there really calm while he put the 14g curved bar in there and cleaned me up. We discussed aftercare and he said that when the swelling went down I should come back and he said he'd downsize the jewelry for me.
I'm still a little swollen but I'm keeping it clean and crust free and Im very happy I got the piercing done! It's not a piercing that I see too much of and that's cool with me. I've had to go buck wild with the Chap Stick to keep my lips hydrated and the first night my lips naturally pressed into one another which left a not so attractive indentation in my top lip (which now a day later has gone away!). I do find that I have to push it up quite a bit during the day (I'm quite afraid of that indent returning) but other than that the aftercare is just fine. I enjoy having the little ball on top of my lip. I've never been one of those people who likes to play with their tongue ring constantly but I like to roll the top ball of my vertical between my lips.
I would definitely recommend this piercing. The pain endured was nothing short of tolerable and the aftercare is simple. It's a cute piercing in my opinion for men and women. I went in expecting to get a 16g but all of my surrounding facial jewelry is 14g so we went ahead with the bigger stuff.