When you pierce your lip, it's known as a labret piercing. There are many different types of labret piercings available, but the aftercare for a labret piercing is always the same. As with any oral piercing, labret piercing aftercare is important to make sure your new piercing heals correctly. Any oral piercing presents its own challenges in healing, and the labret is no different.
No matter what type of labret piercing you have or where on your face it's placed, proper aftercare is key to its healing. Oral piercings are particularly prone to infection as particles of food can become trapped in the jewelry.
To make sure your piercing heals properly, it's important to follow the aftercare instructions of your piercer. You can also find a list of aftercare instructions offered by the Association of Professional Piercers. In general, you want to ensure you take these steps.
Make sure to wash your hands well before handling the jewelry or touching the piercing. Do not touch the jewelry except for washing.
Not all labret piercings go inside your mouth. Some go through the lip itself, it's important to know the external care instructions. You also need to ensure that the external part of the piercing is cleaned if it does go from the outside to the inside of your mouth. Make sure to wash your hands before using any of the following steps.
Lip piercings can get quite painful. Therefore, the Association of Professional Piercers recommends a few ways to help to manage the pain during the first few days.
It's also important to avoid lakes and pools while your piercing is healing. You might also want to consider taking eating a nutritious diet and taking supplements to stay healthy. If you have any questions, contact your healthcare professional or your piercer with questions.
During the healing process, frequently inspect the piercing site for signs of infection while caring for your new labret piercing. Explore symptoms associated with body piercing infections offered by StatPearls.
Contact your healthcare professional immediately if you have signs of infection. They can assess the infection and provide treatment.
A labret piercing can be found in the lip or cheek region of the face and can take on a few different forms. While the word "labret" can also mean a barbell-style piercing, there are many variations on a facial labret piercing. Check out a few different types of piercings available.
A vertical labret piercing begins in the lip, near the top, threads through the lip, and emerges lower down. This dual-headed barbell requires diligent labret piercing aftercare, as it has two potential sources for infection.
A snake bite piercing consists of two labret piercings, one on either side of the face beneath the mouth. Spacing may vary, but most snake bite piercings are typically located at the corners of the mouth.
Like the snake bite, a spider bite labret piercing consists of two piercings. A spider bite labret piercing is much closer together, however, with the barbells or hoops nearly touching one another in some cases.
A lowbret piercing is a labret as close to the chin as possible while still piercing the lower lip. Many also think of this as the traditional labret piercing.
The Monroe piercing can also be considered a labret piercing. This barbell is positioned on the side of the face. The only difference is the side of the face they appear on. The Monroe is on the left side of the face, while the Madonna is on the right.
It doesn't matter the type of labret piercing you get; the healing time is essentially the same. Your new labret piercing will heal completely within six to eight weeks, although results can vary. Practice proper labret piercing aftercare through the entire healing period to ensure a clean piercing that looks as good as you intended.