Vertical Labret Piercing

A labret piercing is one of the types of lip piercing, which is done below the bottom lip but above the chin. This is a slightly modified form of the standard labret piercing. In the vertical labret piercing, the inner hole is placed on top of the lip and not behind it. The form of the labret piercing, which begins through the center of the lower lip and exits on the inside of the mouth, is known as inverted vertical labret piercing. Any type of labret piercing is difficult to perform. The statement particularly holds true for vertical labret piercing. Only a person, who is very confident and experienced with piercing, can perform it well. It is generally not recommended to do vertical labret piercing on your own, particularly when you are not adept at it. The ideal option is to look for a reputed piercing studio and a professional piercer. All piercing professionals follow more or less a standard procedure for vertical labret piercing.

Procedure of Vertical Labret Piercing
The piercer will begin vertical labret piercing procedure by cleaning the area between the bottom lip and chin with a surgical scrub. He would take a surgical pen or a marker to mark the spot so that you get to wear vertical labret piercing jewelry exactly where you wish to. Now, the piercer will hold the skin around the marked region taut with the help of a clamp. He will pull your bottom lip a bit away from your face. He is supposed to perform this particular step carefully so that the skin does not slip away and disturb the alignment of the needle during the actual piercing process.

With all these steps, the piercer has prepared the area between the lower lip and chin to get pierced. It is now time for the actual piercing. He would take a 14-gauge needle and sterilize it with 70% ethanol solution. He would put the needle on one of the marks and push it through the skin. Insertion will cause you a sudden pain. The piercer will put the jewelry, selected by you, in the piercing. You would most probably be asked to choose a jewelry in accordance with the thickness of your lips. A suitable jewelry gets accommodated well even when the skin swells after piercing. The labret piercing cost is generally less than US$ 25. However, the same depends upon the location of the piercing studio and experience of the piercer.

Aftercare for Vertical Labret Piercing
You need to take a few measures for labret piercing aftercare. This would minimize risks of labret piercing problems like infection. The foremost is to maintain high level of hygiene. Make sure that the piercer makes use of well-sterilized instruments and works on you in a clean environment. After getting labret piercing done, do not eat, smoke or drink at least for the next 3 - 4 hours after piercing. Do not smoke, chew tobacco, have alcohol and drugs till the piercing pain goes away and the wound heals completely. All these items are believed to interfere with the body's natural ability to cure an injury and bring the normal state back.

Do not touch the piercing unnecessarily, at least never with unwashed hands. You need to clean the pierced area with a salt solution once or twice a day. Make it by mixing a cup of distilled water with a teaspoon of non-iodized salt. Use a new, good quality soft-bristled toothbrush for cleaning your teeth. Always keep the brush and your mouth clean. Try to rinse your mouth with a mouthwash after eating. It will be great if you suck on an antibacterial or anti-inflammatory throat lozenges. If possible, do it for minimum 15 days after getting labret piercing. If the pain caused by piercing seems unbearable, you may take over-the-counter pain killers like Ibuprofen to get some relief.

Merits and Demerits of Vertical Labret Piercing
Vertical labret piercing has some merits over the standard labret piercing. In labret piercing, the back of the jewelry is present inside your mouth. It is located such that it rests near your gum line. Therefore, it erodes the gums and scrapes the teeth enamel. The erosion can be to a extent where loss of tooth occurs. This is particularly the case when you don't wear a jewelry of correct size and do not take proper care of the labret piercing. Contrary to all these, vertical labret piercing has got no part of the jewelry on the inside of the mouth. There is only a barbell which goes through the lip, enters at the top and exits from the bottom. However, there is one demerit of vertical labret piercing over the standard form of labret piercing. It is that it does not allow you to eat certain foods such as sandwiches during the healing period. You need to be careful that food does not press on or irritate the piercing as it enters your mouth.

Now, you have enough knowledge to decide whether you should go for vertical labret piercing or not. A point worth mentioning here is that this type of body piercing is not very common yet. If you fail to find an expert on vertical labret piercing, do not approach any piercer and become his first trial. Search for a piercer who is experienced, knowledgeable, and is willing to answer all your piercing related queries. The result will be worth all your effort.