This
piercing is still a fairly new,
rare one. It is basically a
labret piercing that uses a
curved barbell and goes up through the outer top of the lip.
Traditionally (or about as traditionally as you can get with a newer piercing), these are done on the
center line of the face, much like a standard labret. However, they can be done
nearly anywhere on the lower lip line. Also, the choice to center the piercing on the lip or on the face line is generally chosen by the
piercer and the piercee. For people with
fuller lips, the center of the lip is more visually
appealing, but sometimes for thinner lips, the face line is more
suitable. This relies on the taste and decision of the piercee and piercer though.
The procedure for piercing it is much the same as with other oral piercings.
Mouthwash.
Swish.
Spit. And a dab of alcohol below the lip.
Then two places are marked -- both the
entrance and
exit holes. This part takes the longest, as you dont want a
crooked piercing, especially in such a prominent location.
Then the clamp (or not, depends on the piercer), and the needle. The curved barbell is then inserted. This initial barbell will be a few
millimeters too long, to account for
swelling and ease of cleaning. As with any piercing, a bar that's too long is better than one that's too short. After a few weeks, this can be switched with a barbell that actually fits.
The pain from the piercing is about what you would expect from any
soft flesh piercing -- not too much. Slightly more than a
tongue piercing, but no more than a
lip ring.
Afterwards, ice helps with swelling, as does
ibuprofen, if you're worried about it. The first few days to around a week, it may look like you have a bit of a
fat lip. But that quickly goes away.
There are two
physical difficulties when its first pierced. One is
drinking from cups and eating things that aren't
bite-sized. The other is that the longer barbell tends to get caught on
shirts when you don't know to be careful about it. However, after a couple days, its easy to be confident about drinking without the fear of
dribbling all over yourself. And after the first time or two you hurt yourself taking off your clothing, it becomes
natural to
take things off gently.
The benefits to this piercing over the standard labret is that it doesn't rub on the gums at all. This means no
gum erosion. It enters through the top of the bottom lip (
look in the mirror, its the line where your lip stops being your lip and starts being inside your mouth) and exits through the front, under the lip. Also, unless you have a strong habit of biting your lower lip, this is
nearly impossible to hurt your teeth on.
The vertical labret was my
ninth piercing, and one of the most
visually appealing. Ever since I'd first seen a picture of a girl with one, I wanted it. Never had a piece of metal through someone's body seemed so
soft, feminine, and sexy. On guys, it is quite stunning as well. There's just something nice about how it accentuates one of a woman's most
sensual features -
her mouth.