Hi, I am a 15 year old male and I am from Ireland. My piercings include an eyebrow at 1.2mm (16g), a tongue at 1.6mm (14g), an inner conch at 1.6mm (14g), a standard lobe at 1mm/standard size (about 20g or 18g) and my vertical labret at 1.6mm (14g).
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When A month ago Artist A Piercer Studio A Studio Location Ireland I always loved the vertical labret piercing, I have only seen two in real life and I am fascinated by them.
I HAD to have it. My mum allows me any piercing I want so that was not a problem at all. I was not afraid of the pain but I had heard that it was an "Ouch!" piercing.
So on the start of the summer holidays, my mother and I entered a piercing studio which I had not yet been pierced in, but I had heard good stuff about it from friends.
I choose to not name the studio for personal reasons.
When I went in there was no people ahead of me waiting to get pierced which I was very happy about.
About a week before I got my vertical labret piercing I constantly had my lips moisturised with vaseline, a tip I had picked up on a piercing forum. I am so happy I did because your lips WILL get very dry because you will be unable to lick them!
I told the piercer I wanted a vertical labret and she smiled at me.
She spent literally over 25 minutes marking it which I was very impressed by. She even brought in the tattooist who was in another room to come in and check the placement.
I couldn't have been in better hands.
She was using a Catheter needle (Most places in Europe use this type of needle, though it was my first time being pierced with one) and I was interested in it as I have heard mixed reactions about them.
First she told me to lie down, but then she told me i better sit up. I was sitting on a long leather sofa with cushions behind me, very cosy indeed!
She clamped my lip quite tightly and inserted the needle, going from bottom, up.
She got it half way in and told me that she had to wait for about 3 seconds and push it out the top so that it will be straight.
1...2...3... AGH!
okay, that hurt a lot. I was quite surprised actually, I thought it would not hurt that much! By far my most painful piercing. But do not let that put you off, everybody is different. I thought my eyebrow piercing did not hurt at all but my sister said hers was very painful.
She inserted a 1.6mm x 13mm (14g x 1/2") straight barbell with 4mm balls (Not my favorite choice of jewelery, I was really worried about migration and the straight barbell).
The 13mm was HUGE and she told me that even that might be too short, even though my lips are naturally average size.
Even though it didn't look its best I was in love.
My lip was non-stop throbbing until I took a few Nurofen. I did not leave the house for 4 days because my lip was so swollen.
About the fifth day the swelling drastically decreased and I put in a 1.6mm x 10mm (14g x 3/8") autoclaved barbell (Which I purchased from here!).
The balls were about 4mm though and I had 2.4mm balls which I put on instead. It looks really good with them because you do not notice it instantly. It immediately sat better with the curved barbell also.
Aftercare was pretty easy. Sea Salt Soaks about once a day and wiping off the lymph with a cotton wool bud (Q-Tip) after a hot shower. It used to lymph a lot but now its after calming down.
Its been almost 3 weeks now and I still have my lips covered in vaseline, at ALL times, and my lips thank me for it!
It gets caught on forks very often. And I have not even attempted to eat apples yet!
It gets a lot of comments, nearly all good. I really suggest a vertical labret to anyone looking for an unusual, easy-healing piercing.
If you are getting a vertical labret (which you probably are, or else you would not be reading this!) I strongly suggest you get/do the following
- Vaseline. Moisturise you lips (top and bottom) often before hand.
- Straws. You will be unable to drink from a cup/glass for quite a while.
- Make sure you get pierced with a curved barbell.
- Have some sort of pain killer or something to bring down swelling.
I wish you the best of luck with your vertical labret, so far mine has been a dream, very easy to live with. *TOUCH WOOD!*