Well, a surface piercing is any piercing that follows the plane of the skin rather than piercing through it; essentially any piercing on the skin’s surface rather than through the skin from one side of the body to another, hence the term “surface piercing.”
What is the difference between a surface piercing and piercing?
The surface piercing pierces flat areas of the body, like the chest or upper cheek. While other piercing types typically feature an entrance hole and an exit hole that’s usually directly behind the entrance hole, surface piercings feature entrance and exit holes next to each other on top of the skin.
What is the difference between a hip piercing and a pubic piercing?
Hip piercings are surface piercings on the hip. Pubic piercings refer to surface piercings in the pubic area for both men and women. Tragus surface piercings vertically pierce the skin next to the tragus.
What are the risks of a surface piercing?
Surface piercings have a much higher risk of rejection than other piercing types. Since it lays flat beneath your skin, your body is more likely to label the jewelry as a threat and start to push it out. If you choose the right jewelry, properly care for it, and get it pierced deeply enough, you should enjoy your surface piercing for years to come.
What is the best material for a piercings?
Surgical: A skin tube is created in which the jewelry can be placed. Flexible Jewelry (Tygon): Plastic tubing has become a popular material for surface piercings. Tygon reduces the amount of pressure on the skin and can be a great choice on areas where surface bars cannot be used.
What piercings are not surface?
Non-surface piercings include the earlobe, ear cartilage, lip, or tongue. These types of piercings go all the way through the body tissue — in one side and out the other.
Is belly button a surface piercing?
The belly button piercing is a surface piercing. This means that the jewelry is pierced through a skin fold. This is done in the same way as a cartilage piercing. The skin fold is held with a clamp and a needle is pushed through.
What is the difference between a dermal and a surface piercing?
A surface piercing has an entrance and an exit with a surface bar connecting the two. A dermal anchor is a single point piercing with only one hole in which the dermal anchor base sits. Neither of these piercings are “traditional” in the way a nostril or lip piercing is.
Is a neck piercing a surface piercing?
A neck piercing is a series of surface piercings done to emulate the appearance of a bite on the side of a person's neck. A barbell is placed in the skin of the side of the neck.
What's a Marilyn piercing?
What is a Monroe Piercing? A Monroe piercing is a single stud piercing directly above the upper lip on the left side. Named after Marilyn Monroe, the piercing is located in the same spot as her iconic mole.
What belly button can't be pierced?
Unfortunately, if you have an outie belly button, you most likely won't be able to get it pierced. Some people believe that outie belly button piercings are the only "true" belly button piercings because they actually involve piercing the inner part of the navel.
Is a nose piercing a surface piercing?
Popular Placement for Surface Piercings But basically any piercing that goes underneath the skin to join two points rather than through the body itself (such as a cheek or nose piercing) can be considered a surface piercing whether that means it's on your wrist or leg!
How long do surface piercings last?
A healed surface piercing can last from a few months to a lifetime. The human body resists foreign objects including piercings. Rejection occurs when it is "easier" for the body to push the piercing out like a splinter than it is to heal a fistula (skin tunnel) around it.
Can you change a surface piercing yourself?
A. Surface barbells aren't as easily dislodged as dermal anchors, which means that you should be able to change your surface bar tops by hand with little trouble once your surface piercing has fully healed.
Are eyebrow piercings surface piercings?
An eyebrow piercing is a vertical surface piercing, wherein a twelve to eighteen gauge cannula needle is inserted through the bottom of the eyebrow and exits through the top of the eyebrow to permit insertion of jewellery.
Is a bridge piercing a surface piercing?
A bridge piercing, also called an Erl piercing, runs horizontally across the bridge of the nose. It's technically considered a surface piercing since the bridge typically isn't fleshy enough for a dermal. The jewelry is inserted through your skin, usually at the narrowest part of your nose or right between the eyes.
How painful is a surface piercing?
Often, to complete your surface piercing, your piercer will simply pinch the skin that you want pierced and stick the needle straight through. With this process, the surface piercing shouldn't hurt more than other piercing types in fleshy areas.
Is a belly button piercing a dermal piercing?
Belly button dermal piercings Belly button dermals are dermal piercings placed around the belly button area on your torso – Most of these are either found above or below the belly button.
Is a navel piercing the same as a belly button piercing?
A belly button piercing, also known as a navel piercing, is a piece of jewelry that's typically inserted through the skin, directly above the belly button.
How deep is a belly button piercing?
1/2″ to 1″Standard belly button piercings are placed through 1/2″ to 1″ or so of skin above the belly button, down and out through the upper lip of the navel cavity. The end result should be that the bottom ball of your belly button ring nestles right over top of your belly button.
Do belly button piercings make you look skinnier?
Does getting a belly button piercing look good? Yes, because it draws the eye in - AKA it makes you look slimmer. It's simple science: the eye is drawn to the piercing so your stomach automatically looks flatter.
What is a surface piercing?
Surface piercings are different than most piercings. A proper surface piercing is pierced with a barbell, shaped like a staple with two 90 degree angles, one on either end. With the shape of a surface barbell, it becomes harder for the body to push the jewelry out. With improper jewelry, healing is more difficult.
What is the best piercing technique?
Surface Bars: The best option for surface piercings. Surface bar s are shaped similar to that of a staple, with 90-degree angles on either end of the barbell. Punch and Taper: This is a newer technique that is supposed to reduce the chance of migration and lesson healing time.
How many piercings does a corset have?
In many cases, the corset may run just two sets of 4 piercings, but sometimes they will run along the entire back. Many women get the piercing before a party or special outing, and remove the jewelry, in this case CBRs, before they have a chance to leave visible scars.
What happens if a piercing is not able to drain dead tissue?
Improper Drainage: If the piercing is not able to drain the dead tissues, migration can be a problem.
What is a tygon piercing?
Surgical: A skin tube is created in which the jewelry can be placed. Flexible Jewelry (Tygon): Plastic tubing has become a popular material for surface piercings. Tygon reduces the amount of pressure on the skin and can be a great choice on areas where surface bars cannot be used.
How to clean a piercing?
You should clean the piercing with a saline solution, or a mild sea salt mix. Depending on where the piercing is, you can pour the saline in a small dixie cup, and flip the cup over onto the piercing.
What is the best way to clean a neck piercing?
You should clean the piercing with a saline solution, or a mild sea salt mix.
What is surface piercing?
Surface piercings are piercings that are found on flat parts of the body, giving a double-pierced look that sits flat against the skin. A surface bar follows the plane of skin, while a standard piercing is pierced through the plane. Standard piercings have an entrance hole with an exit hole that is usually directly behind the entrance hole, ...
How long does a surface piercing last?
This leaves less skin to keep the piercing secure. The body will push it to the surface of the skin causing it to "grow out". Proper placement and jewelry selection by an experienced body piercer can help alleviate this problem. A healed surface piercing can last from a few months to a lifetime.
What does it feel like to be rejected from a piercing?
Additionally as a recipient of a piercing you can recognize rejection or infection as a general warmth, irritation or an itchy sensation. As soon as you notice or think you notice rejection happening go to a professional body piercer or general practitioner immediately.
How to clean a piercing?
Always start by washing your hands before cleaning your piercing. The best way to clean it is to use a saline solution or non-iodized sea salt solution , not agitating the piercing. The piercing should be cleaned a few times a day for the first few weeks. Avoid rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide as they will slow the healing process by drying and killing the new healthy cells. Staying away from ointments such as bacitracin is also ideal - this limits the oxygen transport in the covered tissues .
Where is the entrance hole on a piercing?
Standard piercings have an entrance hole with an exit hole that is usually directly behind the entrance hole, whereas with a surface piercing the entrance and exit holes are next to each other on the skin surface.
Where is the hip piercing located?
Hip piercing: located on or beside the hips (on the pelvis near the hips bones).
Can a surface piercing heal?
Surface piercings can be difficult to heal. They are the most likely to reject as they only break through small amounts of skin. This leaves less skin to keep the piercing secure. The body sees the body jewelry as a foreign objects and can "reject" it. It will push it to the surface of the skin causing it to "grow out".
How long do surface piercings last?
That means that the average lifespan of a surface piercing is 5-7 years, unlike standard piercings which can last a lifetime.
What is a microdermal piercing?
Microdermals, also called dermals, single point piercings, and surface anchors, are singular piercings. They have bases shaped like a small shoe with a long side and a short side. These bases sit inside the skin, and you can screw whatever gem or adornment you want to wear into them.
What is skin divers?
Skin divers are an alternate to Microdermals we tried in the 90s, and quickly realized they didn’t work. These have a small round base and the gems and tops are welded, meaning they can’t be changed. Not only does this leave you stuck with the same piece, but they don’t hold up well over time. Some piercers try to tout these as better, but the obvious limitations of the tops being unable to be changed alone make these less than ideal. What happens if the gem becomes damaged or has issues? You are still stuck with the same piece. Not a great idea.
Do microdermal piercings hold up well?
All surface work is fragile, but Microdermals in particular. They don’t often hold up well to catches and snags. That being said, consider where you get your piercings. Center of the chest is a popular placement, but cross body purses and seatbelts will get snagged often.
Can microdermal piercings be removed?
I’ve written an entire article specifically about Microdermals ( here) but the same applies to surface barbells. Being that the bases of these piercings can’t easily be removed or changed, they need to be the correct material. Ask good questions, and make sure you trust what your pierces uses.
Is it bad to put a curved barbell in a piercing?
While we did experiment with curved barbells in the 90’s, we quickly figured out they do not work for surface piercings, and just put pressure on the tissue eventually causing rejection. There is never a reason a curved barbell should be put in a surface piercing.
Is surface piercing fun?
Surface piercings overall are super fun, unique piercings. As long as you can accept the temporary nature of these piercings, they allow for a whole new range of cute choices when it comes to being pierced. But, given their temporary nature, it’s even more important they are done correctly, and by a skilled piercer.
How to do a surface piercing?
To complete a surface piercing, the piercer will pinch the skin in the area where you want to be pierced and stick the needle straight through. The puncture will then be filled with either a curved barbell or surface/staple barbell, depending on where you got pierced.
What is the difference between a dermal piercing and a surface piercing?
The main difference between a surface piercing and a dermal piercing is that the surface piercing has an exit point, while the dermal piercing does not. A surface piercing consists of any piercing done on flat areas of skin, like the cheekbone or the nape of the neck.
What is dermal piercing?
Visit Instagram. A dermal piercing is a single-point surface piercing. This means that there’s one entry point and no exit point. Instead of securing the jewelry with a backing located behind the piercing, a dermal anchor is inserted beneath the dermal layer of tissue, leaving the dermal top to sit atop your skin.
Can a dermal piercing be removed?
The dermal piercing, while mild, enters into the realm of body modification. The procedure will feel a little more medical in nature, and when you want to have your dermal piercing removed, you’ll have to have it done by a professional, since the anchor sits within your body.
Is a belly button piercing a surface piercing?
Technically, eyebrow piercings and belly button piercings are included in surface piercings, but since they’re so popular, they’ve earned piercing categories of their own. To complete a surface piercing, the piercer will pinch the skin in the area where you want to be pierced and stick the needle straight through.
Where do piercings appear?
By Meghan O'Neal. You might have noticed the seemingly magical piercings appearing on chests, cheeks, arms, and even fingers and hips. Somehow, gemstones beautifully adorn areas of the body that seem impossible to pierce.
Do anchors come with a needle?
However, some prefer the smoother styles for a less permanent option. Dermal piercings are done with either a needle or dermal punch.
Why do people use surface piercings?
Because they do not penetrate through the body, they can be placed virtually anywhere.
What is the difference between a surface piercing and a dermal piercing?
Dermal piercings and surface piercings offer a very different look because they don’t have a separate entrance and exit point and just stay on the surface of the skin. The jewelry lies along the surface and is held in place by an anchor located just below.
How are surface piercings anchored?
Surface piercings are anchored using barbells that are shaped like open staples. A hollow needle is used to pierce the skin and act as a guide for the barbell to be inserted. When it has been properly positioned, decorative jewelry tops can be put in place. A surface piercing is more invasive than a dermal piercing because the barbell must be guided under the skin for a specific distance, while a dermal has just one point of entry. Surface bars tend to leave much larger and more obvious scars if the piercing rejects or migrates.
Can you do a dermal piercing with a needle?
Dermals can be done with either a needle or a dermal punch. At Almost Famous Body Piercing, we do dermal piercings using the needle method. Dermals are single point surface piercings which differs from the traditional surface bar piercing.
Can you use sea salt for a piercing?
With proper care, they typically heal quickly and efficiently. As with any other body piercing, we recommend non-iodized sea salt soaks and glycerin soap washes to help heal your new piercings. Read our post on how to use the aftercare products we suggest.
Where to use surface bars?
Dermals and surface bars are often used on areas of the body such as the hips, above the cheek bone, chest, nape of neck, lower back or anywhere else a person chooses to place them and has enough skin of moderate thickness to pierce.
Can a surface piercing hurt?
Both dermals and surface piercings can be very painful when snagged on hair or clothing, so it’s imperative that you choose a place on the body that isn’t mobile or you can choose to be continually conscious of the area in which you choose to be pierced.
How to avoid getting a piercing?
Avoid smoking, using public telephones, and sleeping directly on your new piercing. ALWAYS make sure you wash your hands before touching your piercing/its jewelry. Resist the urge to change your initial jewelry prematurely - it's worth the wait to do it correctly.
What gauge is a surface bar?
Jewelry: initially, a surface bar will be used ranging from 18 gauge (1mm) to 14 gauge (1.6mm) in thickness with the length varying depending on the ear's anatomy
Is a tragus piercing prone to rejection?
Even in the best of conditions (experienced piercer, ideal anatomy, and use of a surface bar), a vertical tragus surface piercing is prone to migration and rejection. For this reason, you'll want to visit your local piercing professional to see what their expertise has to offer and whether or not if the surface tragus piercing is even an option ...
Is a tragus piercing a surface piercing?
The true vertical tragus piercing actually passes through the cartilage of the tragus, but in this case we'll be discussing the increasingly popular surface piercing version of this look. This piercing passes through no cartilage and is classified as a surface piercing, not an ear piercing. This piercing isn't recommended for those new ...
Do surface piercings migrate?
As we've already mentioned, surface piercings are more prone to rejection or migration from your skin than your typical body piercing. While some people's bodies may openly welcome foreign objects such as body jewelry, other types of immune systems may not be as happy with a new surface piercing.
Does a sideburn tragus piercing go through cartilage?
Also known as the sideburn tragus piercing, this procedure does not go through any cartilage, so the healing process is different than that of the cartilage ear piercings we've mainly discussed so far in this series. This also means that the pain level will be different than typical ear piercings of the cartilage (most claim it's worse).
What is surface piercing?
A surface piercing is more similar to a typical piercing. The piercer uses a needle to make an entrance and exit hole. They then insert a surface barbell as an anchor and close it off with the jewellery end.
What is the difference between a surface piercing and a dermal piercing?
At the core of a number of the differences between surface and dermal piercings is the difference in tools. A surface piercing using a traditional piercing needle to create the holes. Dermals, on the other hand, use a dermal punch to make the hole.
How does a dermal piercing work?
Dermals are more unique in their technique. The piercer uses a dermal punch to “punch” a single hole in the skin. They then insert a dermal anchor into the hole. The jewellery is inserted into the anchor, giving it the appearance of floating on the skin.
Do surface piercings require a professional touch?
Both surface and dermal piercings require a professional touch. Because of their placement, they have a higher chance of rejection than other piercings. A professional piercing and shop help to ensure a successful piercing.