While piercing your own lip poses increased risks of complications and infection, people choose to do it for varied reasons. Even as you choose to do your own piercing, there are safe ways to do it painlessly with quality needles, kit and using the right gauge tools. Below, find out how to pierce your own lip painlessly.
How to Pierce Your Lip or How to Pierce your Own Lip
Before anything it will be best to set things clear- home lip piercing is not safe. It is recommended that you get all your piercings done by a professional. This way, you are less likely to develop complications as you also lower the risks come with doing piercing yourself such as infection, disease transmission or you may simply get the piercing wrong. A crooked lip piercing will sure look stupid on you. Professional piercers have a way of determining accuracy and use the right tools to allow easy wearing and removal of jewelry without it hurting.
If you have to do your own lip piercing for one reason or another there are things you can do to make the procedure safe and less painful. Below is how to pierce your lip at home safely with different tools:
While most people go for sewing needles and safety pins, a lip piercing kit is the best method for home lip piercing. Piercing with a kit ensures that you follow the necessary safety and sanitary measures since most come with instructions and aftercare sheets.
In a lip piercing kit, you will find: a hollow needle, a pair of gloves, disposable clamps and alcohol swabs. They may also have numbing patches.The needles are made of stainless steel and can be autoclaved. You can get this kit at your local beauty store for as low as $10.
With a hollow needle, the procedure is less painful- the needle has a sharp laser sharpened end which goes in easier with less resistance. It also takes out flesh on its way making enough room for jewelry.
While the lip is one of the safest places to do own piercings, you should never pierce your lip with a safety pin or sewing needle. Piercing your lip with a sewing needle is very painful and may result into a crooked piercing. Even so, if you have to use one, it should be preferably new. Sterilize it in boiling water for at least 15 minutes.
Piercing guns- Most people ask whether it is safe to pierce your own lip with a piercing gun. While this may be the most common method used for ear piercings, the Association of Professional Piercers discourages the use of guns on soft tissue such as the lips. Piercing guns cause excessive blunt and give small gauge holes which may not be sufficient for lip jewelry.
How to Pierce Your Lip without Hitting a Vein?
Going to a professional is the best chance you have of not hitting a vein. However, if you are still inclined on doing your own piercing, with proper marking you should be able to avoid hitting a vein. From the inside of your lip, you should be able to clearly see the small greenish fine capillaries and veins. Make a mark that does not go through any of those. Hitting a vein can cause you to bleed too much or experience severe pain.
How to Do a Lip Piercing and Hide It
It is important to note that once you get a lip piercing, it will be quite a challenge to hide it. The initial jewelry has to stay in place for at least two weeks. Removing it sooner even for a few hours will lead to closer and you may have to re-pierce it. Simply avoid contact with those you are trying to hide the piercing from. Once the piercing is completely healed, you can change jewelry to a clear stud or retainer to make it less noticeable.
How to Pierce Your Own Lip at Home without Pain
Most lip piercing kits will come with numbing patches. If not, you can always buy them from a drugstore or chemist in your local area. There are also numbing creams, sprays and medications that can help you do your piercing without it hurting.
There are many DIY lip piercing procedures online from people who claim to have done their piercing without any problems. The APP has noted that teenagers are the ones who seek to do home piercing and hide it without their parents knowing. While underage individuals have to have parental consent, they can easily get piercing kits online or through mail order.It is also of great concern that needles that are not disposed off properly can be used by multiple people and pose the risk of disease transmission.
How to Re Pierce Your Lip
People may have to take out their jewelry for various reasons. Some piercings can close up very quickly. Removing jewelry before the piercing is healed could lead up to closure just a few hours after you take out your jewelry. This is the most common reason why people get their lips re-pierced. In such cases, do not try to force the jewelry back- simply allow the piercing to heal and go for a repeat piercing.
Note that, when you get your lips re-pierced, the needle goes through the previous scar tissue which makes it more painful than the initial piercing. This is because scar tissue is tougher and thicker meaning there is more resistance. It will even be more painful if the original piercing is not completely healed.
While going back to your piercer is the best option, most people do not see the need to pay at least $50 so that someone else can do the re-piercing while they can clearly see where the previous piercing was. Well, this may sound cheap but can be very dangerous. While you easily do this at home, it is important to remember that- re-piercing your own lip increases the chances of getting an infection. To do your own piercings, always make sure you have the right equipment, follow the proper technique and maintain high sanitary standards.Do not use fabric needle. Here is how to re-pierce your lip,
- Clean your needle or buy prepackaged which has been autoclaved
- Dry saliva off your lip with dry paper towel
- Use the original piercing as the accuracy mark so you know where to drive the needle through
- Rinse out your mouth with mouthwash and sterilize the jewelry
- Wear clean vinyl or rubber gloves and you are ready to start
- Begin from the inside and got through the muscle tissue before going to the skin- the muscle will give you less pain as compared to the skin on the outside
- Slip your jewelry though the end of the hollow needle. As you pull the needle out, you will also be pulling the jewelry out
Allow the piercing to heal in its own time and always remember to clean it with saline solution or alcohol- free mouthwash. Dispose off the needle and the gloves appropriately. Note that as much you should not do your own piercing, you should never let an unqualified friend do the piercing for you. You know your pain tolerance and are able to go at your own pace.
How to Pierce Your Lip Painlessly
Getting your lip piercing done by a professional is the best way to have it least painless. While it is normal to feel pain when doing your own lip piercing, there are ways you can do it with less pain. Still, this depends with how much pain you can tolerate. Simply use the proper tools, technique and a way of numbing.
Here is how to pierce your own lip painlessly
Numbing
A needle going through your skin is painful as it sounds. With different levels of pain tolerance, for those who cannot stand up to the pain, you should have a numbing option before-hand. Ice is the easiest and best way to numb the lip area and should be done before marking of the spot.
It is important to note however that using ice makes the area that is going to be pierced stiffer making it harder to get the needle through. This makes the time it takes to get the needle through even longer. This is method can make the whole procedure quite wet and messy. Simply place an ice cube on a small paper towel and rub it on the area in circular motions for 15-20 minutes. Proceed to the piercing immediately after removing the ice cube. You can also use ice to numb the area and reduce pain after the piercing. Other ways of numbing include; rubbing alcohol, numbing sprays, creams and oral medications.
Pierce from the Inside Going Outwards
Most professionals recommend that a lip piercing should be done from the inside going outwards to reduce the pain. This is simply because there is more nerve supply close to the surface of the skin on the outside meaning that once you start from the outside, it is going to take longer to feel the pain. Starting from the inside means that you have to go through the less painful muscular part before getting to the skin. While this may be true, most piercers report that once the lip is well numbed, it does not really matter which way you go first.
Once you get to the piercing, rather than pushing the needle through the skin, try applying pressure on the lip so that there is less force used to get the needle through the skin. This way, you will take less time which means less pain perception.
Use a Straight Hollow Needle
Using the correct needle will also ensure that the process is fast and painless. Using a blunt unsterile needle may cause more trauma and increase the risk of infection. While you can use sewing needles and safety pins, using a hollow piercing needle ensures that the flesh in the way of the piercing is removed to leave enough space for the jewelry.
Remember that piercing your own lip may be painless but dangerous. Make sure you follow step by step aftercare rules as the risk of infection for own piercings is increased to 1 in every 3.
Lip Piercing Needles
When it comes to own piercings, people use lots of different tools. The most common include the piercing gun, sewing needles and safety pins. The best lip piercing needles should be straight and hollow with laser sharpened end- this is designed to make the piercing least painful. Make sure that you needle is pre-cleaned. Most packaged needles are carefully autoclaved though it does not hurt to be sure. If you are using a sewing needle, be sure to boil it for at least 15 minutes before using it.
A piercing clamp or gun may seem easy and fast but they are not the best for lip piercings. Piercing guns cause blunt force trauma because they are just forcefully pushed through the skin. They may trap bacteria and allow no room for the jewelry to move around. Most piercing guns are small gauge and may be far too thin or short to accommodate for the jewelry and the swelling.
The professional piercing needle is used together with a pair of forceps and clamp to help align the needle accurately on the mark. Lip piercings can be done with any lip size gauge but most commonly it will be between 18g to 14g depending on your preference. A lip piercing done with a piercing gun will be gauge 20 or 22.
Unlike piercing guns, hollow needles take out the skin and make room for the jewelry.
Once you decide to do a lip piercing at home, it is recommended that you get a professional lip piercing kit. These can be found at your local beauty store. Check out the jewelry section at Walmart or Ebay.
Important to note: Lip piercing needles and tools should not be used by untrained consumers as they pose a significant risk of disease transmission. The Association of professional piercers has shown a particular concern on how easy it has become for teenagers to buy piecing kits by mail order or on the internet without their parent’s consent. They use these tools to do piercing on themselves or their friends posing the risk of complications and accidents due to lack of needle disposal guidelines.
The APP insists on the fact that piercing kits for sale to the general public represent a serious potential health hazard. It also recommends piercer education and training in order to perform safe, sterile and accurate piercing.
Lip Piercing Kits
Lip piercing kits have tools necessary for safe and quality piercing- you can buy these kits at Sally’s beauty store, Walmart or Ebay. You can also but home lip piercing kits online from DHgate in the UK or Amazon. Lip piercing kits are safe- most of the tools are made with stainless steel and can be autoclaved. In most lip piercing kits for sale have, disposable clamps, a catheter needle of whatever gauge you choose, a pair of vinyl or rubber gloves and alcohol swabs.
You can also buy lip proper lip piercing kits at Hot Topic- an American retail chain store that specializes in pop culture accessories. Their stores are located in almost all regional shopping malls.
Lip Piercing Gauge
Lip piercings can be done in different sizes depending on the type and style of jewelry. The standard gauges for lip piercings are 18g -10g. On average, gauges 16-14 are used for most initial lip piercings to accommodate for the swelling- they can be later changed to smaller gauge jewelry.
There is a lip piercing jewelry size chart designed to help you find the right jewelry for you since most people cannot even remember when it comes to the time that they have to change their lip jewelry. You find these gauge charts in jewelry stores and piercing studios.
The picture below will shows the different standard measurements for barbells, CBR’s and horseshoe rings for lip piercings
Sources:
APP information: safepiercingorg.com
Do it yourself piercing: Hub pages
Lip Piercing: Glam check
How to pierce your own lip: Wiki Howour
