Eyebrow Piercing

Eyebrow piercing has a short history. It started off during the 1970s and it was brought in by the Punk culture. Artists and celebrities of those decades helped this type of body piercing became popular.

This type of body piercing can be done along the brow line and it can be vertical or horizontal. If it’s not pierced deeply enough, it has the tendency to migrate. Furthermore, it gets irritated by eyebrow hair. That said, plucking your hair around this area can be very helpful. This is especially beneficial if you’re experiencing swelling in the area.

When you decide to have your eyebrow pierced, make sure that it’s done by a professional piercer. Then, ensure that you show the exact place to the piercer where you want the piercing to be placed.

What’s the recommended jewelry for eyebrow piercing?

The most recommended jewelry for eyebrow pierce is captive bead ring with 16 gauge. However, your piercer would initially use a larger piece of jewelry since the soft tissue found on your eyebrow swells easily. To prevent swelling, a captive bead ring or mini curved barbell is an ideal choice.

In some shops, the piercer will add a smaller jewelry as a replacement without an additional fee. After six weeks or so, you can have the jewelry changed at no additional charge.

When deciding on having eyebrows pierced, make sure that you know what exactly you’re getting into and the shop’s policies regarding it.

Aftercare

Your new piercing needs tender loving care. If you slack off on aftercare, it will only prolong your discomfort. The use of harmful products will only lengthen its healing process.

Most professional piercers will give their customers aftercare instructions and you should follow them to avoid complications. Unfortunately, more than 50% of all customers who undergo this type of piercing simply don’t bother to practice safe aftercare regimens.

When caring for your pierced area, make sure that you use sea salt and anti-bacterial soap. Each time you clean your piercing site, you should wash your hands first. Soak a cotton ball with clean, warm water before using it to wipe away crusts gathered around the site.

Put a small amount of anti-bacterial liquid soap to your fingertip and apply it to the affected site and the jewelry. It’s not necessary that you rotate the jewelry while applying the soap to the site.

Afterward, make sure that the site has been properly rinsed and that the soap has been completely removed. Use a clean paper towel to dry the area.

For many, rotating the jewellery while cleaning the area is ideal. However, for some people, this action can do more harm than good. The reason for this is that bacteria may still be on the jewelry which may be transferred inside the raw piercing when you rotate it. It can lead to irritation or infection. That said, it’s best to clean the piercing site and the jewelry without having to move it.

Healing Products

One of the best healing products that you can use is a tea tree oil. It’s a soothing liquid that refreshes any irritated piercing. But you should only use high quality diluted tea tree oil.

Another great product is emu oil. It also offers exceptional results when you try to help heal the piercing site.

Or you can go for a chapter solution — saline solution. It’s less expensive than these two oils but it’s as effective as the oils. Saline solution is said to be more acceptable replacement for sea salt soaks.

When cleaning the area, you should never use hydrogen peroxide. This chemical may be useful for killing bacteria but it can also kill white blood cells that help heal the site. As a result, it can cause irritation while it lengthens healing time.

Another no-no product is rubbing alcohol. This product can dry your skin while it irritates the raw piercing. It could actually lead to infection.

It’s also not ideal to use glyoxide as it contains hydrogen peroxide, which can only hinder your body’s ability to heal the site. Ear care solution, too, has hydrogen peroxide and harmful chemicals that can only aggravate the area.

You should also avoid antibacterial ointments as they can only clog your pores or kill the good cells in your body that are useful for healing the piercing site.

Is it okay to pluck your eyebrows after piercing?

During the healing process, it’s best that you should not be too hard on the pierced area. However, you can still wax, shave or pluck your eyebrows. Then again, you should do it with caution. Be careful when you work around the area.

Now, when the site has been completely healed, you can remove the jewelry to pluck or wax the area. Don’t forget to put the jewelry back. When you remove and put back the jewelry, make sure that your hands are clean.

Does it require shaving off the eyebrow hair before piercing it?

There’s no need to trim or shave off eyebrow hair prior to piercing. A professional piercer can pierce an eyebrow with bushy hair.

When the piercing grows out, it will migrate to the surface of your skin. This means that this type of body piercing isn’t permanent, even though it can last from a few months to a few years. But it really depends on you and your body.

On the other hand, if the piercing is rejected, your old layers of skin will fall off to allow new skin cells to grow beneath the surface. So, when the jewelry has a little skin left or the surrounding skin gets tiny or if the hair stops growing, you should take the jewelry out. Leaving it until it grows will only leave you with a severe scar.

However, if you still want your piercing, hang on to your jewelry. Then, have it done again once the site is closed and your brow feels back to normal.

Will it cause scarring?

Piercing involves puncturing your skin. And anytime you puncture or cut your skin, there’s always a chance of scarring. This means that you’re highly likely to experience scarring in the area. However, if you properly take care of the site, scarring should only be minimal. If there’s scarring, it’s concealed underneath the hair of your eyebrow.

Then again, if you don’t care for it or if you abuse it, the scarring will be more noticeable. That said if the piercing grows out, you should remove it before it gets to the surface, which may cause further scarring.

Now, if you’re left with a tougher tissue around the area, make sure that you massage it with emu oil or cocoa butter to minimize the scar.

How would you know if the site is infected?

Irritation is sometimes mistaken for infection. In the case of eyebrow piercing, infection is seen as inflammation to the area. There’s also soreness around the site. It can swell up for days, weeks or months after the piercing.

The entire area will get itchy and shiny. You will also experience green or bloody discharge. If you think that you’re having an infection in the area, you should continue cleaning it with sea salt solution.

Avoid touching the area with your dirty hands. It’s also not a good idea to apply hair products on the site.

If you need to hide your piercing for some reason, you should never cover it with a band-aid, long bangs or make-up. You need to allow the healing to complete and ensure that the jewelry remains on the site until the healing process is complete.

When the piercing is fully healed, you can already conceal it by wearing a glass retainer. It still keeps the piercing site open while it makes the site difficult to spot.

Thus, when you want to pierce your eyebrows, make sure that you won’t decide later on that you need to hide it while it’s still healing. Remember that it takes up to two months for the area to heal.

Is it possible to hit a blood vessel during piercing?

Your face is filled with nerve endings and blood vessels. That said, it’s indeed possible that a piercer may hit a nerve ending or a blood vessel. However, if you choose to have your piercing done by a professional, the areas with blood vessel and nerve endings can be avoided.

Before the procedure, your experienced piercer will pinch the skin to get a better feel of your skin and check if there’s a blood vessel in it. As long as it’s done by a professional piercer, this type of piercing won’t cause any problems.

Eyebrow piercing pain

When you get your eyebrow pierced, you will surely experience pain around the area. The kind of pain experienced is the same pain that you get to experience when you pluck your eyebrow hair. Since it requires puncturing the skin, you will likely to experience swelling and bruising.

How long will it heal?

It takes up to eight weeks for your piercing to heal properly. If you notice a pus-filled bump in the region, it’s clearly indication that the site is infected. Clean the area with the solution recommended by your piercer. And seek medical help, especially if it’s severely infected.

To avoid infection, you should follow the aftercare instructions of your piercer. You should also opt to have it performed by an experienced piercer.. While your eyebrow piercing is healing, avoid using wax and other hair removal products on the area. If you need to remove unwanted eyebrow hair, use tweezers, instead.

When you go to a hairdresser, make sure that you inform the hairdresser about the piercing on your eyebrow. It’s also a good idea to protect the area using a bandage.

Wash the area twice a day, during the first two weeks. Make sure that you only use an aftercare solution recommended by your piercer.

It’s also ideal that you keep the piercing site moisturized. And always watch it for signs of infection. If you see any, contact your piercer or your primary care physician.

While waiting for the site to heal, never play with the area or move the jewelry. As mentioned earlier, never use hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol when you clear the piercing area. Additionally, never take the initial jewelry out until the site is fully healed.

Conclusion

Whatever your reason is for getting your eyebrow pierced, it’s important to remember that this type of piercing requires commitment and dedication. You need to properly take care of it to prevent infection and complications. You should follow the aftercare instructions of your piercer. The tips mentioned above can make it easier for you to endure the pain while the site is healing.

 

 

References:

http://tattoo.about.com/od/bodypiercingforbeginners/g/pguide_eyebrow.htm

http://blog.bodyjewelry.com/tag/getting-eyebrow-piercing/

http://www.514ink.com/tag/celebrity-eyebrow-piercing/

http://www.infinitebody.com/more/jewelry-types/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyebrow_piercing