Labret Piercing [60 Ideas]: Pain Level, Healing Time, Cost, Experience

Thinking how to add some sparkle to your shiny smile? The labret piercing will highlight the beauty of your lower lip and give you a real rock star look!

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What Is a Labret Piercing

Labret lip piercing is a single perforation behind the bottom lip. It is located in the center below the lip, but it is not attached to the lip itself. This piercing gets its name from the jewelry, commonly used for this kind of perforation – labret.

Although labret piercing is relatively simple, there are some variations of this piercing:

Side labret piercing. It is a quite popular modification, which is located on one or both sides of the bottom lip. Side labret piercing has its own variations such as snake bites (perforations on each side of the lip) or spider bites piercing (two perforations on one side close to each other).
Off center labret piercing. It is a good choice for those, who don’t like symmetrical piercings, as it is moved a little bit off the center below the bottom lip. It is identical to the original labret, with a slight change of placement only.
Vertical labret or eskimo piercing in German. It is done with a curved barbell instead of a universal labret, and it exits through the top of the bottom lip. Therefore, two sides of jewelry are visible, one above another.
Horizontal labret piercing. Same as vertical, it has two visible jewelry ends, but this time, they are placed horizontally. It is located right in the middle of the lower lip and makes two holes placed next to each other.
Inverse vertical labret or inverted labret piercing or ashley. This piercing type requires the same procedure as an original labret perforation, but it is located entirely on the lower lip. Thus, inverse vertical labret piercing has only one visible jewelry side in the middle of the lip.
Lowbret or chin piercing. It is a single perforation, which is located far below the bottom lip, where the lip tissue meets the gum line. This is a good choice for those, who like their piercing to be stretched, as a labret gives enough space for this modification.

Should You Go for It

Let’s look closer at this popular lip piercing, and find out its common pros and cons:

Pros

The labret is one of the most popular body piercings due to the diversity of its styles and variations. So to say, you are not restricted to one exact placement, and you are free to experiment with double or single perforations, on the side or in the middle of the lip. In addition, a labret is a suitable decoration for everybody, whether you are a guy or a girl.
Labret piercings can favorably highlight the shape of your lips. The shiny jewelry would make you smile attractively and uniquely. The choice of jewelry is also wide, so you may get a rocky or sexy look with multiple perforations.

Cons

Thinking about lip piercing, always remember that your mouth is full of bacteria, so it is quite easy to get unwanted infections. Therefore, you have to be very cautious while choosing a piercer and jewelry to insert. Make sure you are ready to take intensive care of your piercing to avoid side effects.
Labret piercing requires some restrictions during the initial healing. Be prepared to change your eating and drinking habits for the first couple of weeks.
You would find certain simple daily things to be difficult to perform. For example, eating some food like apples, corn on the cob (everything you need to bite before chewing) or drinking coffee-to-go would appear to be a real challenge due to the foreign object inside your lip.

Procedure

The original labret piercing procedure is quite simple.

However, it is strongly recommended to avoid performing it by yourself.

To get a safe procedure, go to a professional piercing studio.

Before the procedure, you should make sure that the place is clean and the instruments are properly sterilized. The piercer will mark out the labret location with a surgical pen, and fix the lip with a special clamp.

When the placement is agreed, your bottom lip will be perforated by a hollow needle from the inside to the outside direction. Then, the initial jewelry will be inserted. After the procedure, you will be given aftercare rules, which you obviously must follow.

You can watch the actual procedure below.

How Does It Hurt

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Labret piercing pain may vary depending on the piercing type performed. In general, the pain level is considered to reach no more than 5 points out of 10 on the pain scale.

However, if the perforation is made on the lip itself, the pain would be stronger, as the lip area is more sensitive than the skin tissue.

Moreover, it would hurt more, in case you perform any kind of double piercing. But you can always reduce the pain by taking aspirin or Ibuprofen.

Healing and Aftercare

The initial healing, which would require more intense aftercare, will take from 3 to 5 weeks only.

However, entire labret piercing healing time for the inner wound can take up to few months.

The healing time depends on your individual characteristics, such as the general health and your skin’s ability to regenerate.

To make the piercing heal faster and last longer you should stick to some aftercare rules, among which:

Oral hygiene maintenance. Make sure to wash your mouth regularly.
Choosing to shower over taking a bath to avoid bacteria.
Washing your clothing and bedding regularly.
Touching the piercing (only if really needed) with clean hands.
Permanent piercing cleaning.

How to Clean

As a labret piercing is located outside and inside of your mouth, you should consider different cleaning procedures for both areas.

Use a non-alcohol mouthwash to rinse your mouth every time after eating.

For the outer part, you will need to have a special solution, which you can buy in a shop or prepare yourself.

To make a saline yourself, put a quarter of a spoon of salt to a glass with warm water. Soak the piercing with this liquid once a day or more for 5-10 minutes.

Goods to Buy for Proper Aftercare

Piercing aftercare spray – choose if you don’t have time to make saline solution every time you need to clean your piercing

Healing sea salt solution specially for piercing care – choose for diy saline soaks

Dr. Piercing’s medication filled swabs – use in combination with sea salt solution or spray for better cleaning

Organic tea tree oil – use to avoid piercing infection/bump

What to Avoid During Healing

Remember about several restrictions related to any lip piercing:

Avoid playing with the jewelry, and try not to remove it until the piercing is fully healed.
Do not use alcohol, spicy foods, and hot drinks.
Avoid kissing and any oral contact.
Avoid applying beauty products to the piercing area.
Do not share your drinks or food during the initial healing.
Avoid swimming in public swimming pools.

Risks

What may happen to your piercing, in case you do not take the needed care and something has gone wrong?

Rejection and migration. The human body can reject foreign objects sometimes, so your jewelry can migrate and be pulled out of the skin. The jewelry size and the metal are important players here. So make sure with your piercer that the jewelry chosen is suitable for your body architecture.
Teeth damage. It is quite common when the jewelry rubs the gum or teeth from the inside. You should consider this fact before getting the labret pierced, and inform your piercer in case you experience any further difficulties.
Infection. It is very easy to get infected with the open wound in your lip. Although it is normal to have the lip sore and swollen during the first days after the procedure, it should not last for a long time. Moreover, if you experience redness, bleeding or excessive pain, you must see the doctor immediately.