Do you know that lip piercing is ranked as the third most popular piercing type in the world? Probably, you wonder why it is so famous. It is time to discover more about lip piercing names and types!
What is a Lip Piercing?
Lip piercing is a body modification type, puncturing lips, the surrounding area or the lip frenulum. The formed opening is decorated with a designated jewelry. There are many different types of lip piercings, so you could choose your perfect one.
Lip Piercing Names
Here you are proposed to check the diagram with the list of different lip piercing types.
Below we created a chart that describes every lip piercing type and provided general information on pain level, healing time and price.
| Name | What is it | Pain | Healing | Cost |
| Snake Bites | Double puncture of the lower lip. It is located at an equal distance from the center and it resembles a snake bite. | 5/10 | 6-8 weeks | $50-$80 |
| Angel Bites | Double symmetrical puncture, located on both sides just above the upper lip. | 6/10 | 7-9 weeks | $50-$80 |
| Cyber Bites | Double piercing, located in the groove of the upper lip and below the bottom lip. | 5/10 | 6-12 weeks | $50-$80 |
| Spider Bites | Double puncture under the bottom lip. The openings are located close to each other and to the mouth corner. | 4/10 | 4-12 weeks | $40-$80 |
| Vampire Bites | Double piercing of the bottom lip. Looks similar to the snake bites | 5/10 | 6-8 weeks | $50-$80 |
| Canine Bites | Multiple punctures, performed at four corners of the mouth. It is located on the upper and bottom lips. | 6/10 | 8-12 weeks | $30-$60 |
| Dolphin Bites | Two openings, made close to each other, below the lower lip. | 5/10 | 7-9 weeks | $50-$80 |
| Shark Bites | Two openings, made close to each other, below the lower lip. | 7/10 | 8-12 weeks | $80-$90 |
| Monroe | One facial puncture, located above the upper lip on the left-hand side. | 3/10 | 8-12 weeks | $30-$50 |
| Madonna | One facial puncture, located above the upper lip on the right-hand side. | 3/10 | 8-12 weeks | $30-$50 |
| Medusa / Philtrum | Single piercing, located above the upper lip, under the philtrum. | 4/10 | 3-6 weeks | $40-$85 |
| Labret | Single puncture, located under the bottom lip. | 5/10 | 6-8 weeks | $40-$65 |
| Vertical labret | Lower lip puncture, located in the middle of the lip and below it. | 6/10 | 8-12 weeks | $40-$70 |
| Lowbret | Modification of the labret piercing, located at the very bottom of the chin. | 5/10 | 6-8 weeks | $40-$70 |
| Dahlia | Double piercing, located at the mouth corners. | 7/10 | 12-20 weeks | $20-$80 |
| Ashley | Horizontal labret piercing, located in the center of the bottom lip. | 6/10 | 10-14 weeks | $40-$70 |
| Smiley | Single puncture, located in the frenulum of the upper lip. | 5/10 | 4-8 weeks | $40-$80 |
| Jestrum | Single puncture, centered in the upper lip. | 5/10 | 3-6 weeks | $40-$85 |
Read more about the most and least painful piercings.
Upper Lip Piercings
There are many upper lip piercing names, and we are going to discover them below.
Medusa / Philtrum
The piercing is done just below the nose septum, which is called “philtrum”. Medusa is located in the groove under the upper lip and, therefore, the beautiful lip shape is well highlighted.
Medusa piercing is the most popular lip piercing type and it can be successfully combined with other facial piercing types.
All you need to know about medusa piercing in our guide.
Smiley
This piercing type gets one of the cutest lip piercing names thanks to its functionality. Smiley becomes visible when you smile and show the beautiful teeth line. It’s the second most popular lip piercing.
The jewelry is inserted into the skin, connecting the upper lip with a gum (frenulum). The common earring for smiley piercing is the circular captive bead ring.
Find out more about smiley frenulum piercing.
Angel Bites
Two-sided piercing above the upper lip represents the angel’s teeth track. Angel bites piercing is literally a combo of Madonna and Monroe.
Though it is double piercing, it is usually recommended not to perform them simultaneously. The reason is that facial piercings cause more risks and it is always safer to make multiple holes separately.
Read more about angel bites piercing.
Monroe
Single upper lip puncture resembles the famous Marilyn Monroe’s beauty mark. It looks charming and gorgeous, and would better fit for girls. Usually, the jewelry is worn on the left side.
Read more about Monroe piercing.
Madonna
However, you can make piercing like Monroe on the right. In this case, the piercing would be called “Madonna”.
Read more about Madonna lip piercing.
Jestrum
Jestrum is a variation of medusa piercing. However, in this case, a curved barbell goes through the upper lip. Both ends of the jewelry are visible: one under the nasal septum and another in the middle of the upper lip.
See more about jestrum piercing.
Bottom Lip Piercings
Among bottom lip piercings, there are some really extraordinary.
Labret
Labret is one of the most popular lip piercings. It is located under the bottom lip, and not inside it, as you may believe. The effect of “going through the lip” happens because of the jewelry shape. Labret can be done in different variations and combinations with other piercing types, such as the snake or spider bites.
Read more about labret piercings.
Vertical labret
A modification of labret piercing with two openings, instead of one. Vertical labret goes through the bottom lip, and the jewelry is visible from both spots: on the lip and under it. The curved barbell is typically used for this piercing type in order to fit better inside the lip.
Snake Bites
This piercing type resembles a snake fang or bite. Two opening are located on the same distance from the middle of the bottom lip. The same name is used for the cheek, tongue and brows piercings. The best jewelry choice for the snake bites is rings or studs.
We created a detailed guide on snake bites piercing.
Shark Bites Piercing
It’s a quadruple puncture of bottom lip. 2 in the left and 2 in the right corner. The best jewelry – tiny studs.
Read more about shark bites piercing.
Ashley
Ashley or horizontal labret is placed in the middle of the bottom lip. It goes inside the lip and shows the barbell ball outside. You may try the single, or close to each other, double Ashley piercings.
Read pros and cons of ashley piercing in our guide.
Lowbret
Lowbret is a single or double perforation of the skin, located down the chin. It is not a very famous piercing type, but it would definitely fit for body modification fans. Lowbret can make a good combination with other facial piercings, such as Monroe or Medusa.
Dolphin bites
This type of piercing represents two punctures, located under the bottom lip. It is supposed to look like dolphin bite tracks, you just need to use your imagination! The jewelry is centered, like with snake bites piercing. The distance between openings may vary depending on your own preferences.
Read more about dolphin bites piercing.
Horizontal
Two lower lip surface punctures that usually connected by straight or curved barbells.
The complete guide on horizontal lip piercing.
Spider Bites
Double puncture is usually made on the bottom lip, on the one side of the mouth corner. However, you may try it on two sides. In this case, you would have four symmetrical openings.
Unlike cyber bites, this piercing type is better to perform at once, as the openings are close to each other and the healing process would be easier. Spider bites piercing is a good fit for guys, but with cute jewelry, it looks pretty for girls as well.
Bottom & Upper Lips Piercings
Here you can see some interesting bottom-upper piercing combinations
Vampire Bites
Two holes are made in the mouth corners on the bottom lip. The procedure is the same as with snake bites piercing. However, this piercing type looks more like vampire fangs, as the original vampire bites piercing is performed on the side of a neck. For vampire bites, lip piercing, the black rings jewelry would fit best.
Cyber Bites
This piercing type represents a combination of labret piercings and Medusa. It is unusual and complicated, as it is located on the upper and bottom lips at once. Two symmetrical central holes are made for cyber bites piercing. This piercing is quite popular, as you can try different jewelry combinations, such as hoops and studs, or a captive beaded ring and barbell.
Canine Bites
Four pieces of jewelry are worn on both sides of the lower and upper lips. Basically, canine bites is a mixture of snake and angel bites. With this piercing, attention should be paid to the exact location of the jewelry. It is important to keep them symmetrical. It is better not to combine canine bites with any other facial piercings to avoid your face looking over pierced.
Dahlia
It is not one of the classical lip piercings. Dahlia or double corner is placed near or outside or at both mouth corners. Therefore, the cheeks need to be perforated. It looks a little bit creepy and reminds of the Joker character from the Batman movie.
Read more about dahlia piercing.
Most Common Part of the Lip to Get Pierced
The most common upper and under lips piercings are:
- Monroe,
- Medusa,
- Labret,
- Smiley.
They are cute, least painful and relatively easy to perform.
What is the Rarest
The most painful and crazy piercing ideas are dahlia and canine bites.
They are quite odd, and, therefore, rare. However, experienced piercing-lovers never hesitate to try new kinds of body modification.
Things to Know Before Procedure
It is important to remember that most lip piercings are external and internal at once. Having oral jewelry is always risky for the mouth, gums, and teeth. It is quite easy to get multiple infections without the right care.
Also, in case you smoke, the lip piercing is not a good idea. Smoking would infect the wound and you would need to take care of unpleasant side effects. As you can see, there are always some pros and cons of any piercing procedure, so it is up to you to choose.
Procedure
The lip piercing differs from other piercing types by its location and the necessity to take additional care of the mouth area. The first thing to do is to reduce salivation. Medical tampons should be placed on the salivary glands.
Then the piercing place and the instruments should be sanitized. The piercer should mark out the puncture location with the surgical pen, in case the piercing is performed outside.
After this, the lip is fixed by the special retainer and sharply perforated by a 14-gauge needle. Then, the jewelry is inserted. When the procedure is done, the wound should be disinfected and you must get the lip piercing care instructions from your piercing master.
To get more information on the lip piercing procedure, watch the videos:
Healing and Aftercare
If you take care of the piercing properly, the healing time would be 1 to 3 months. If something has gone wrong during the healing process, you need to recognize the problem fast and consult with a doctor or piercer. The piercing procedure itself is supposed to be quite painless, however afterward, the opening may become swollen or red.
To avoid this, you must follow some aftercare rules, given below:
- Try to avoid hard and solid food for a few days after the procedure
- In case the wound is swollen or painful, suck small ice cubes and take Ibuprofen
- For the first couple of hours, do not drink or eat
- Do not touch or play with the piercing, unless you clean it
- Do not remove the initial jewelry until the piercing is completely healed
Read more about how to clean a piercing.
Cleaning
Always remember to clean your piercing in time to stay away from dangerous implications.
- Keep oral hygiene: rinse the mouth with salt water every time after eating or drinking
- Gently wash the jewelry once a day with antibacterial soap
- Twice a day clean your piercing with a salt solution (8 ounces of boiling water + a quarter of a teaspoon of salt)
- Use a numbing cream for lip piercings to reduce pain
All aftercare tips are based on information at the Association of Professional Piercers website.
Recommended care solution
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Read more about best piercing care products to choose.
Best Jewelry Types
The initial lip piercing jewelry should not be very complicated, try to choose a labret stud or ring for the first time. However, for each piercing type, there is plenty of designated jewelry.
For example, for piercing above lip you may choose labret, hoop or captive ring. For piercing on the lip, it is common to wear pretty curved barbells.
As for metal, we recommend 14k gold as the best option.
How Much Does a Lip Piercing Cost
For different lip piercings, you may find different prices. For lip piercing on average:
- In the US, you would pay from $30 to $80.
- In the UK, the price would be £20 – £60.
- In Europe, cost €25 – €70.
Find out more about how much do piercings cost.
Experience
https://youtube.com/watch?v=S-9EJ32hzWI
https://youtube.com/watch?v=yTDPUcQ5G3o
