what you need to know about nipple piercings

People take practiced body modification for literally centuries, but nipple piercings are a trend that come and become.

"Appointments spike when a new celebrity shows off her pierced nipples," says Brian Keith Thompson, chief piercing officer at Torso Electric tattoo and piercing salon in L.A. ICYMI, that includes areola mode icons Rihanna, Kylie Jenner, Bella Hadid, and Miley Cyrus.

In that location'southward besides definitely been an overall interest in the nipple over the past couple of years (#FreeTheNipple), fueling the fire for bedazzled nips.

And then if y'all're intrigued by the idea or thisclose to walking into a piercing studio to become your own, peep this primer to, er, nip all your questions in the bud (or should I say puppet?).

Does a nipple piercing injure?

While nipple piercings may feel bang-up subsequently—or, ya know, eventually—the actual moment when a needle goes through your nipple feels exactly as you'd imagine information technology to. "Nipples are packed with nerve endings, then be ready for pain," says Debra Jaliman, Medico, a New York City-based dermatologist.

Simply know that just how painful the piercing is varies from person to person. "Some people experience excruciating pain for a divide second; others are like, 'Oh, that was it?'" says Thompson.

If you're stressed out, sleep-deprived, or a few days' deep into a bender, you'll probable feel more pain since your trunk is in a compromised state. Then, like, don't do that.

"The hurting is a rite of passage—if it didn't hurt a lilliputian, it wouldn't be as cool or monumental."

"The pain isn't and then bad that it should ever stop yous from getting the piercing," says Thompson. "And it'southward basically a rite of passage—if information technology didn't injure a footling chip, information technology wouldn't be as absurd or monumental." (Preach.)

How long exercise nipple piercings take to heal?

On boilerplate, a nipple piercing needs about vi months to heal. Information technology tin can be quicker—say, iv or five months if you care for it properly (don't worry, those tips are coming adjacent)—just healing is a natural body process that y'all tin can't really rush.

Why so long, you ask? Mainly because your upper torso doesn't become a ton of claret flow, and blood is what carries the oxygen and nutrients your cells need to repair trauma (aye, a piercing is trauma).

"Your body builds a fistula, which is like a tunnel through the nipple that seals off both outer points then the area can heal inward," Thompson explains. "It may seem similar you lot're healed subsequently ii months because things look fine from the outside, and then you might be a picayune less cautious or more rambunctious with it."

The result? You end up communicable your jewelry on a top (ouch), which tin cause swelling and irritation, or touching it with dirty hands, inviting infection.

On that note: Since the body knows your nipples are (biologically speaking) for breastfeeding a child, your immune arrangement can create bug, too, Thompson adds. In some cases, your body could reject the piercing (information technology is a foreign object afterward all), which typically requires removing the nipple jewelry to avoid a serious infection.

All that said, in well-nigh cases, when y'all're pierced by a skilled, aseptic piercer and using high-form metal jewelry (equally in gold, platinum, or titanium), your nipples volition bounce dorsum just fine halfway through the year.

Are there whatsoever risks associated with nipple piercings?

A piercing punctures your skin, poking a hole in your immune system's first line of defense. Wherever y'all get i, there will exist risks. If you plan to get a nipple piercing, Jaliman says infection (bacterial or viral), bruising, and irritation are all possibilities. (These are the aforementioned with whatever body piercing, though.)

To avoid infection, since that is, past far, the most common issue: Make sure the the tools used to pierce your nipples are completely sterile, Jaliman stresses. The area should exist cleaned with a peel disinfectant or alcohol earlier you lot get started.

If you take a metal allergy—looking at you, nickel—be certain the piercer uses stainless steel or ameliorate. Afterward that, information technology's up to you to take adept care of your piercing.

Are at that place whatsoever benefits—volition a piercing make my nipples more than sensitive?

Groovy question. While at that place's no scientific inquiry that a nipple piercing will change the nerves in the area or increase nipple sensitivity, a lot of women say they notice a departure after.

"It could be more of a mental thing—a placebo effect," says Thompson. "The aforementioned way yous notice more than Audis the second y'all purchase an Audi, a nipple piercing makes you naturally pay more attention to your nipples. So they may seem more sensitive simply because y'all're suddenly more mindful of them."

That said, nipple piercings practice raise the appearance of your breasts. "Inverted and flat nipples are really common, and piercing them pushes the tissue upwards a piddling then they look more pronounced," Thompson explains.

Even if you take regular/pointy nips, a trunk piercing there gives them more of a profile. And that, for some women, makes them feel actually sexy. Which can, of course, translate to a hotter sexual practice life.

Absurd, so how practice I find the right piercer?

Virtually of the prep comes down to finding a piercer who will do a skilful job, and with whom y'all feel comfortable—you're going to be baring your breasts to this stranger, after all.

Hither's how to find yours, every bit recommended by the Association of Professional Piercers (APP):

Go recs from a friend with piercings.
Check out online reviews, and compare feedback.
Visit the infinite in-person and make sure the staff washes hands, wears gloves, and uses pre-packaged, sterilized needles.
Take a peek at the piercers' portfolios.
Telephone call your health department to check that the studio you've selected is licensed.
Look out for the APP document displayed on the piercing studio wall.

How practice I take care of my nipple piercing?

Again, your piercer should offer you detailed aftercare instructions, but you definitely want to make sure they clean the surface area before things get started. Jaliman recommends using "an antibiotic ointment correct afterward the piercing and throughout the healing process."

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"Make sure to keep up with your nipple piercing aftercare," she emphasized. For at least four (but typically 4 to six) weeks, Jaliman recommends using a special spray on the piercings: The APP suggests an additive-gratuitous, pre-mixed saline spray formulated for piercings.

Thompson recommends the "less is more" approach, keeping the area clean by showering once a day (with gentle, fragrance-free soap). "Your torso doesn't really need help to heal the area, aside from maintaining a salubrious lifestyle"—you know, staying hydrating, eating clean, sleeping well, managing stress, and exercising.

During the first couple months, you'll also desire to skip hot baths, pools, lakes, and hot tubs (giant teeming petri dishes that they are), and comprehend the piercing with a waterproof bandage if yous do partake, suggests the APP.

Too, consider a tight cotton shirt or a sports bra for sleeping. (Again, you don't want the jewelry getting pulled out.) For itching, Jaliman suggests an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream.

What does a healing nipple piercing look like?

Await some bleeding and some crust to form effectually your piercing every bit it heals—practise non remove the jewelry to clean, because the hole tin can rapidly close.

Xanthous discharge is normal and a sign of healing, but whatsoever fluid that looks green, brown, or streaky red is a sign of infection. Likewise, if the skin feels hot to the touch, your lymph nodes or bloated, or yous feel like you lot're getting sick (you lot have a fever or chills), see your doctor ASAP.

Wait a minimum of seven to ix months earlier changing a nipple piercing, Jaliman says, unless you lot find you're allergic to the metal in the jewelry. In that case, see your piercer to swap information technology out—unless, again, y'all find signs of infection (e'er get to a doctor in that event).

What kind of jewelry should I utilize in my nipple piercing?

Some people have metal allergies: Avoid attaching anything made of nickel to your body, and instead opt for surgical stainless steel, Jaliman says. Titanium, platinum, gold, niobium, or certain polymers and glass are all solid options, likewise.

If y'all are getting a nipple piercing, you're probably looking at one of three styles: A ring, a barbell, or a bent barbell.

What will my nipple look like if I take it out?

As mentioned, removing your jewelry might mean the pigsty closes chop-chop, so avoid taking it off for long stretches. If you practice and it begins to heal, Jaliman says in that location could be a keloid (or a fleshy, raised bump—some people are genetically prone to keloid formation) or a scar.

Most of the time, the scarring is hardly noticeable, says Thompson, but if you keep your jewelry in for decades versus a couple of years, you'll probably have that fistula and hole forever.

It really depends to the size of the hole you create—the typical fourteen- or 12-judge size will heal so nicely after removing the jewelry that you probably won't be able to tell it was ever there.

Can you get a nipple piercing and withal breastfeed?

Yous can, although y'all shouldn't get a nipple piercing and immediately render to breastfeeding. The piercing needs to fully heal (hopefully that's obvious).

"Having had a nipple pierced does not affect the child breastfeeding or milk production," Jaliman says. So only accept out the jewelry and go along the expanse clean, and you should be fine.

(Again, as always, be hypervigilant about infection—contact a doctor if you notice hurting, redness, swelling, or discharge.)

Okay, but what is it actually like?

Still non sure if information technology'south for you? These v women spill all the juicy details about their nipple piercings—from whether the pain was hellish to, yep, how the unexpected metal accessories affected their sex activity lives.

"I love surprising people with information technology."

"I got my piercing almost four years agone, during the summer after my sophomore year at college. I had wanted it for a minute, merely didn't know I would actually get through with information technology until I was checking in at a piercing shop about the price and logistical stuff. Earlier I knew it, I was topless and flat on my back as my piercer, Zoe, poked a pretty long needle through my nipple and left information technology there while she prepared my jewelry. That was weird.

"Information technology hurt a lot, and honestly, if I had known what it would experience like, I may take skipped it. I am actually glad I have it, though, and I love surprising people with it. It makes my nip much more sensitive, which I like, considering I didn't really have much sensitivity before. I've heard about women with larger breasts take less sensitive nipples. Not sure if its true, but it was for me." —Mara W.

"The piercing definitely made me more than aware of my nipples."

"I got a nipple piercing when I was 20 and kept it in for probably eight years before I removed it. The piercing itself was non what I thought it was going to be. I'd had friends who got them and told me, 'It doesn't hurt about as much as you call back information technology will.' This was unhelpful; I waltzed in thinking it wouldn't really hurt, so the pain actually caught me off guard.

"Just it wasn't just the hurting—it was the whole experience. I was told an amateur would be doing the piercing. I was like, 'Okay. I can bargain with this.' They told me to take off my shirt and bra, and then I was sitting there shirtless with my least favorite, most modest roommate and half-dozen strangers crowding effectually me. The amateur picked upwardly a needle to prep information technology, and his paw was literally shaking to the bespeak where the principal piercer was like, 'Whoa. Fix it downward. Calm down. This is no big deal.' Actually instilling confidence in me, guys. When he picked the needle back up and was nearly to jam it through my nipple, the other piercer yelled, 'STOP!' The other piercer grabbed the needle and was similar, 'Look, it's barbed. You practice non desire to apply this one for the piercing.' Finally, the deed was washed. Information technology was much more painful than I thought it was going to be because I had expected information technology non to injure. The pain was precipitous and searing, but in the thou scheme of things, it was nonetheless manageable.

"At the time, I was dating my now-married man, and he just rolled his eyes at the whole thing. He didn't intendance one way or another if I had one, so from an 'exotic' standpoint, it didn't make a bit of deviation. The piercing definitely fabricated me more aware of my nipples, and that awareness probably made me more sexually enlightened every bit well. Once it healed up, I will say it added some spice to our sexual practice life. Information technology made my nipple more sensitive and tingly. He could tug on it with his teeth, massage it, or picture it, and it would elicit greater arousal."—Laura W.

"I don't call up even deciding to go a nipple piercing."

"I imagine it was one of those things that seemed like a good idea at the time. I do, however, retrieve getting it done. The piercer was a much older man. It felt strange whipping out my chest for him, but he took it similar a 24-hour interval of work. Now, I take an boilerplate amount of piercings—ears, olfactory organ, tongue—but, my god, the pain of a needle sliding slowly through my nipple is i that I never want to feel once again.

"To exist honest, I've found that nipple piercings merely ever changed my sex life if my partner was into it. My ex would observe it interesting, merely my current boyfriend idea if he played around with it too much it would hurt, anoint him. I actually constitute that it was less sensitive than my non-pierced nipple, but I judge the fact that it was there to play with made it more erotic. Information technology seemed to be just as pointless as my tongue piercing, really, and when I accidentally ripped it out with my bracelet about a year ago—a story I hear is pretty common—I never decided to go back and become it redone. Interestingly, now that it'south not there anymore, I discover that that nipple is much more sensitive than the other." —Jess 1000.

"Once I sat up and looked in the mirror, I was instantly aroused."

"It was the weirdest thing. I had a dream that I was getting my nipples pierced, and when I woke, I was intrigued past the thought of it. I started to practise research, and by the end of the week I had them done. The experience was nervus-racking, of course. I was sitting in the parlor like, 'What the heck am I doing here?!'

"I sparked a convo with a young lady who was getting her nose pierced, and that set my nerves at ease. Then, I heard my proper name chosen, and in that location went my nerves again. The room was common cold and very sterile. I removed my elevation and bra and lay on the leather chair. My nipples were erect from the common cold chill. The tech told me to take a deep jiff, then boom. She put the bar in my left nipple, and I felt it in my toes. My adrenaline kicked in; and so it was time for the right 1. That was the painful ane, as it's my sensitive side. I felt the claret rush through my entire body. I lay there a while. Once I sat up and looked in the mirror, I was instantly aroused.

"The ride domicile was interesting. The vibration of the train was erotic. All the same in full adrenaline style, I felt myself climaxing. What a blitz! My kickoff intimate encounter was also amazing. The touch of his natural language circling my nipple and the bars fabricated for an explosive orgasm, and it has ever since. I'm a put-together, professional flagman and female parent. The thought of this clandestine being subconscious under my clothes is so sexy to me. I'm aroused by the slightest touch or tap, and I would not accept them out any fourth dimension shortly!" —Yamil J.

"My partner says that they sense of taste like metal."

"I got them done a calendar month autonomously: the left first, then the right. I'chiliad a side-sleeper, so I figured that doing one at a fourth dimension was the best arroyo, and I think I made the right option. The offset hurt worse, generally because I was more nervous and thus more tense. My nipples are naturally not that sensitive, so compared to the stories I have heard from others virtually the pain they experienced during the piercing process, I had a pretty like shooting fish in a barrel time overall.

"Subsequently getting them washed, my nipples are definitely more sensitive than they were before. That'south a big bonus because I didn't get much from my partner touching my nipples before. There definitely is a level of circumspection that both my partner and I have gotten used to having, but I think that a bigger issue than annihilation sex activity-related is simply getting dressed. You accept to be conscientious taking apparel on and off, and things like open knits and mesh are commonly a no-no.

"My partner says that they taste similar metal, but he doesn't really mind information technology or detect in the moment. Overall, I enjoy having them mostly for aesthetic purposes—they're super cute and switching out jewelry is fun—and I come across myself having them at least for another yr or two." —Chloe M.

Claire Lampen Claire is a freelance writer covering sex and gender.

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Source: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/sex-and-love/a19912072/nipple-piercings/