Body Piercings & Their Suggested Jewelry

Also known as surface-to-surface piercings, these piercings tend to reject because of anatomical mechanical stress. Surface piercings are temporary in all but the rarest instances. A few of the standard piercings, such as those of the eyebrow and Guiche, could be considered surface piercings if the area is flat.

Various types of jewelry have been used in attempts to successfully heal surface piercings. Some piercers feel that larger-gauged (10ga +) jewelry will maintain the piercing longer. Others have tried using monofilament nylon and teflon with the idea that the flexibility of the material will reduce mechanical stress on the piercing. Stainless Studios have designed a barbell specifically for surface piercings which reduces the pressure between the jewelry and the tissue.

Areas most commonly attempted include the Madison (piercing made at the base of the neck, between the collarbones); the loose skin under the chin; along the forearms or wrist; in the male pubic area.

Elayne Angel of Rings of Desire commented on the topic of one successful forehead piercing:
I did a forehead piercing on a woman named Jen, about 6 years ago, and it is still in place. I began with a straight piece of 14 gauge monofilament and used a traditional forcep procedure. It took about 8 weeks to heal pretty well but she waited about 3 months to change to a slightly bent barbell. It was very successful, I think in part because her tissue was pretty pinchable. I was able to start with a significant amount of tissue, about 5/8".

The piercing is usually made through the web of skin between the thumb and forefinger. It must not intersect the muscle tissue.

Handweb piercings are temporary in all but the rarest instances. The mechanical stress created by hand movements causes the piercing to reject. Handweb piercings greatly interfere with daily activities. Elayne Angel of Rings of Desire maintained a handweb piercing for several years which eventually rejected.

Initial jewelry: Straight and curved barbells in 14 to 10 gauge, 1/4" wider than the width of the piercing to accommodate swelling.

The uvula is the little "punching bag" in the back of the throat. Most piercers feel that the risks of performing the piercing are too great to even consider performing the piercing.

During the Association of Professional Piercers Open Meeting in May 1997 , two lectures on anatomy and safe piercing were presented by doctors Martin Goldstein and John Ward . Both discussed the risks of injesting and inhaling jewelry, risk of infection travelling upwards into the sinuses, and the risks of swelling creating an airway blockage.

While technically not the first person to perform the piercing, Jon Cobb is credited as the inventor and promoter of this piercing having performed about a dozen. Jon Cobb says that it is a dangerous piercing and he does not recommend trying it. He no longer performs uvula piercings.