Lip Piercing
A lip piercing is a blanket term for any piercing that goes through the area surrounding the lips. This includes labret piercings, which are commonly centred under the bottom lip; side labret piercings, which are done on either side of the bottom lip; paired lower lip piercings ("snakebites"), side upper lip piercings "Monroe", and so on.
Vertical labrets are also lip piercings, however; they have a different healing period and standard jewelry, so they are listed separately. Click here to view the information for vertical labrets.
Philtrum piercings are also lip piercings, but also have different healing times. Click here to view the information on philtrum piercings.
A vertical philtrum is very similar to a vertical labret, although it takes longer to heal as it goes through more tissue. Click here to view the information for vertical philtrums.
Lip piercings tend to swell quite a lot, and then go down very quickly, so it is extremely important to downsize your lip piercing on time. The recommended downsize time for a lip piercing is 2-3 weeks after you get your piercing.
Once the piercing is comfortably downsized, the piercing will start to nest. This means the backing will sit comfortably against your lip and start to create a little pocket to sit in. This is not the same as embedding, which is when the jewelry is stuck and the skin is healing around it.
Healing Time (approximate): 3-5 months
Downsize: 2-3 weeks
Standard Jewelry Size: 16g
Standard Jewelry Style: Stud, flatback labret-style post