Nipple & Navel Piercings

Nipple

Nipple piercings have increased in popularity over time. They were in our top 5 most popular piercings for the the last couple of years!

For initial healing, we start nipple piercings with straight bars. Rings tend to move too much and can put pressure on the piercings, leading to bumps or scar tissue, longer healing, or greater chance of migration. We have all sorts of barbell options available, from basic ball ends to gems and precious metals.

For some, rings can be an option once the piercings are healed, but the necessary diameter to prevent damage to the piercings can be larger than expected.

“Standard” placement is horizontal, but any angle can be pierced, including vertical and 45º angles. For placements other than horizontal, rings don’t work very well.

Healing time for these piercings is typically 6 to 9 months but may take longer for some individuals.

Nipples are almost always “pierce-able.” It is important to give sufficient healing time after any surgery in the area for complete healing and for circulation to return to normal in the area. After more invasive surgery, such as augmentation or reduction surgery, we recommend at least 6-12 months of recovery time before piercing.

Inverted nipples can also pose a challenge. Most commonly, folks will have a “level 1” inversion, where the nipple is inverted when relaxed, but will easily pop out. This level doesn’t seem to make much difference for nipple piercings. “Level 2” inversions are a little more intense, but are still able to be returned to “normal”. They may retract again once pressure is removed. The tissue is a little tighter than with Level 1 inversions, which seems to cause a bit more swelling and longer healing times. This may mean jewelry will need to be upsized and downsized a few times during the healing process. Occasionally, the inversion may be strong enough that healing times are greatly lengthened. If this is the case, it’s often beneficial to remove the piercings and repierce at a later date. The second set of piercings generally heal much easier. Nipple piercings will help reverse inversions, sometimes without full healing of the piercings.

For “Level 3” inversions, where the nipple will not pop out at all, nipple piercings are not recommended.

Service:	Service Fee:	Duration:	Description:
Nipple Piercing, Single	$50.00	30 minutes	Male or female nipple piercing service, one side, horizontal/vertical/45o/etc. Click to book.
Nipple Piercing, Double	$75.00	30 minutes	Male or female nipple piercing service, both sides. Click to book.
Nipple Piercing, Simultaneous	$100.00	30 minutes	Male or female nipple piercing service, both sides. Two piercers will pierce simultaneously for a faster, easier experience. Click to book.

Navel

Navel piercings are one of the most anatomy-dependent piercings and can be one of longest healing as well. It’s important to avoid high-waisted pants and anything else that would put pressure on the piercing while it heals.

An “ideal” navel will have a pronounced “shelf,” a deep enough opening to comfortably accommodate your jewelry, and won’t collapse when you sit down. With a navel this shape, initial jewelry will be a curved barbell, with or without gems. We estimate that only about 30-40% of folks have a navel with this shape.

For navels that aren’t quite “ideal” but still have enough of a shelf to support a healthy piercing, a “floating navel” piercing may be an option. The main difference is that the jewelry will have a small disk or ball on the bottom, with the decoration at the top. This smaller bottom helps take pressure off the piercing for easier healing. Dangles can be added to the top of healed piercings for extra bling. For some, a j-curve may be a viable option for bottom decoration once healed.

For others, it may be best to pierce the bottom instead. Some folks have a more pronounced rim on the bottom, rather than the top.

Another factor in the “pierce-ability” of a navel is surgical scarring. First, your body needs to recover from surgery so that there isn’t extra strain on your immune system, and circulation has returned to normal in the area. For more extensive surgeries like tummy tucks, it can be difficult if not impossible to successfully heal a navel piercing afterwards. Surgeons often leave very little tissue to support a piercing and rarely shape a pronounced lip. The circulation in the tissue can be negatively affected for months, if not years, after the procedure. Elasticity of the skin is often compromised as well, making rejection more likely. For these reasons, we do NOT recommend navel piercings after tummy tucks.

Healing time for this piercing is typically 6 to 9 months but may take longer for some individuals.

CONSULTATIONS:
Because this piercing is so dependent on anatomy and our availability is so limited right now, we strongly recommend a video consult with our piercers prior to booking an appointment for the piercing. We can do an anatomy consult during your appointment, however, if you do not get a piercing service of any kind during your appointment, there will be a $60 cancellation fee. Please consider a backup piercing!

 

Service:	Service Fee:	Duration:	Description:
Navel Piercing Video Consult	$15.00	15 minutes	Book this service for a video consultation with on of our piercers to see if you are a good candidate for a navel piercing. We’ll also be able to show you what jewelry options would be available for your anatomy. Click Here.
Navel Piercing, Single	$50.00	30 minutes	Navel/belly button piercing service: standard top, bottom, or angled. This piercing requires a consultation with the piercer to make sure it will fit your anatomy and lifestyle. Click to book.
Navel Piercing, Double	$75.00	30 minutes	Double navel/belly button piercing service: top/bottom or paired sides. This piercing requires a consultation with the piercer to make sure it will fit your anatomy and lifestyle. Click to book.