Sex 101: Genital Piercings

By Chana | May 9, 2012 at 11:11 am | 4 comments | Genital Piercings, Sex 101 | Tags: Genital Piercings, Piercings, Self Expression, Sex 101

Piercings have always been something we associate with self expression, just like tattoos, hair colour, and the clothes we wear. But not all piercings are created equal, especially when it comes to genital piercings. Surprise, surprise, not all genital piercings are going to increase sexual pleasure. In fact, many genital piercings are done for aesthetic reasons, just like, say, an eyebrow piercing. If you’re thinking of getting a genital piercing, here are some tips that might help you out a bit.

First things first: get to know your body. You know when you’re friend got her lip pierced and you thought “damn, she has such thin lips, that looks so bad on her.”?  Not every genital piercing is for everyone. Everyone’s anatomy is shaped differently so certain piercings may not work so well. I would say talk to some piercers once you’ve figured out which genital piercing you want.  Different piercers say different things, so get as much professional input as possible, and go with what you trust.

The next thing you want to do is find a piercer that you can trust, and is reputable. Genital piercings are a bit more expensive than other body piercings, but don’t be tempted to go to some random head shop downtown that says they can do it for $50 (trust me this is not a piercing you want to cheap out on). Depending on what you want pierced and where you go, you can be looking at around $100, more or less.

Step three, prep yourself for the piercing both mentally and physically. Try to be as relaxed as possible, take a friend with if you want. I made sure I had a friend to hold my hand when I got hood and labia done. It’s also good to go with someone so that if you’re feeling light headed afterwards you have someone to help keep you comfortable, get home safe, and hold your stuff if you can’t. Also make sure to eat something beforehand, you’re less likely to feel faint if you have nothing in your stomach. Keep in mind that the thought of getting pierced hurts more than the piercing itself. Just relax and breath deeply, and the whole thing will be over before you know it. If you’re a woman and feel weird about having a guy pierce you, many tattoo shops make sure that a female piercer will do the job. The piercer wants you to be as relaxed as possible so that everything goes over smoothly, the more you wiggle and scream the less confident the piercer will feel with taking a needle to your genitals. The piercing itself takes no time at all, and happens so fast that there’s really nothing to scream about.

The final step is the aftercare, which is pretty basic actually. The piercer will most likely give you an aftercare instruction sheet which will tell you when and how to clean your piercing. Some shops sell a piercing soap, which you might want to pick up. You can also use a simple non-scented soap you can get at the drug store. If you want to be extra clean, or are noticing some mild irritation, try doing a salt rinse (with sea salt) or make a paste from an aspirin tablet and leave it on the piercing for 5-10 minutes. If you feel unsure, check in with your piercer. Also, pick up pantyliners (both for men and women) to lessen direct contact with bacteria. And remember, once you feel ready for action, use condoms because this will help limit the amount of bacteria your piercing will come into contact with.

Remember that different piercings take different amounts of time to heal. Be sure to ask your piercer about this and to always listen to your body, if you feel irritated you may not be healed enough to engage in sexual activity just yet.

Female Genital Piercings: Estimated healing time

• Vertical Clitoral Hood 4-8 weeks
• Horizontal Clitoral Hood 6-8 weeks
• Triangle 2-3 months
• Inner Labia 4-6 weeks
• Outer Labia 2-3 months
• Fourchette 2-3 months
• Clitoris 4-6 weeks
• Princess Diana 4-8 weeks
• Christina 8-10 weeks

Male Genital Piercings: Estimated healing time

• Prince Albert 4-6 weeks
• Dolphin 4-8 weeks
• Ampallang 4-6 months
• Apadravya 4-6 months
• Frenum 4-6 months
• Lorum 2-3 months
• Hafada/Scrotum 2-3 months
• Dydoe 2-3 months
• Guiche 2-3 months
• Pubic 2-3 months

 

Female Genital Piercings

• Vertical Clitoral Hood: Rests vertically along the clitoris. This piercing can increase sensitivity and is a very popular genital piercing.
• Horizontal Clitoral Hood: Rests horizontally against the clitoris, though only if the clitoris is prominent enough for the ring to make contact. This piercing with the right anatomy will increase sensitivity.
• Triangle: Rests horizontally behind the nerve bundle of the clitoris. Optimal anatomy is symmetrical with a protruding hood. This piercingwill increase sensation.
• Inner Labia: Hoop or horseshoe ring is applied to the inner labia.
• Outer Labia: Hoop or horseshoe ring is applied to the outer labia.
• Fourchette: A vertical bar is placed at the edge of the vagina resting on the perineum. Women with a pinchable flap or fold of tissue at the end of the vagina best suit this piercing.
• Clitoris: This is a very rare piercing and should only be done with a highly trained piercer and on the right anatomy where the clitoris is very prominent.
• Princess Diana: Parallel vertical piercings on the clitoral hood.
• Christina: A vertical piercing on the pubic bone.

 

Male Genital Piercings

• Prince Albert: Pierced through the urethra. Can be done on uncircumcised men as well.
• Dolphin: Similar to the Prince Albert only placed lower down the shaft on the underside.
• Ampallang: A horizontal bar through the head of the penis. This can increase sensation for the wearer and partner.
• Apadravya: A vertical bar through the head of the penis. This passes through the urethra and heals faster than an ampallang.
• Frenum: The traditional frenum is on the underside of the penis, through the pinchable surface tissue, not going through the shaft itself. It is usually places so that a large ring or frenum loop can be worn through the piercing around the head. Generally this piercing is placed far down enough for there to be room for a Prince Albert as well.
• Lorum: Like a frenum piercing, the lorum is placed in between the shaft and scrotum.
• Hafada/Scrotum: This can be placed at the sides or down the centre of the scrotum.
• Dydoe: Pierced through the rim of the glans and usually done in pairs. Optimal anatomy for this piercing is to have a large well defined rim.
• Guiche: A horizontal piercing placed at the male perineum, between the scrotum and the anus. Works best if there is a good amount of pinchable tissue. Can increase sensation for the wearer.
• Pubic: Pierced at the end of the shaft resting against the pubic region. Can increase sensation for partner when brushed up against the clitoris.

To find out more about different genital piercings visit the Piercing Bible.