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Eyebrow Piercing
By definition, this is a kind of body piercing done at the eyebrow, though vertically. They fall under the umbrella name of facial piercings. If you go in for one, you could have a piercing done anywhere along the eyebrow from just above the eye to the edge of the eyebrow.
This is also a kind of surface piercing with the same kind of after care issues that all surface piercings have. Each eyebrow piercing takes 6-8 weeks to heal, but can be easily irritated even by casual contact on your part which can lead to bigger problems. Even slight traces of makeup along the eyebrow can irritate the piercing and infect it.
History and culture: Eyebrow piercing is a contemporary fad, like most surface piercings. They are quite common nowadays and are socially acceptable too, just as navel and nose piercings are.
Historically, it is the fallout of the philosophy of the 1990s which said, “If it protrudes, pierce it.” Today, the eyebrow piercing has become very popular, despite the problem of piercing. A form of surface piercing, it is a placement of permanent jewellery in a sensitive part of our body where no skin fold exists.
For best results, if you have a heavier eyebrow ridge or thick tissue under the brow line, your piercing will heal better and easier. But if you have a flat brow, it will cause tension across the pierced and will end up in the healing area being rejected. You could also encounter a “healing out” or a situation where the body pushes the jewellery to the surface of the body, as if pushing away the foreign body or the new jewellery.
When the jewellery is rejected, the pierced area is very sore and painful. When this happens, listen to your body and have the jewellery out of your eyebrow.
Always have this piercing done by a skilled and trained piercer, and never with ear piercing guns. A lot of variation may be experienced in terms of placement along the brow line, and the extent of the piercing into the facial tissue. If your piercer has suggestions, listen to him.
Do you wear spectacles or sun glasses? Before you go in for an eyebrow piercing, check the placement and size of your jewellery so that it doesn’t go against you, physically or visually. If you pluck or wax your eyebrows, have them done before you have a piercing as otherwise you will have to pluck away the stray hair that grows.
Jewellery: Usually, barbells, curved barbells and captive bead rings are worn in eyebrow piercings. But these jewellery types put a lot of pressure on the sensitive spot of the eyebrow and cause irritation or migration over a period of time, especially when the piercing is fresh.
For this piercing, don’t use surface bars or other kind of jewellery in the initial jewellery for fear of migration or rejection in eyebrow piercings. This is especially so in the initial piercing. Whatever you choose to wear, see that it doesn’t irritate your skin.
Since the eyebrow is a sensitive area and close to the eye, take especial care of the piercing done here. Deal with an experienced piercer who can give you good after care advice.