What are some things that I should know if I am going to get my clit pierced? I have been hearing a lot about [genital piercings] lately, and it's something I have been thinking about. I found some stuff on the Internet, but I am not sure what is right and what isn't, so do you have any advice?
Could Like IT
Oooh, what a great question! We have a number of fantastic piercing places here in Madison, so for this one, I turned to two expert campus-area piercers: Chris Ziebell of Affliction Tattoo & Body Piercing on Regent Street and another piercer in the downtown area who preferred to remain anonymous; I'll call him Piercer X. They provided me with firsthand knowledge of how genital piercings are done, who's getting them done and additional important things to know.
First of all, some of you may immediately ask, ""Who on earth would let a stranger with a needle near her hoo-ha?"" The answer may surprise you. ""I do [clit piercings] all the time...and from feedback it is the best thing women can do,"" Ziebell said. Piercer X also described the piercing as ""very common"" and said he has had female clients who had never had an orgasm until they got a piercing: ""It's not a guarantee, but it can definitely help.""
Elayne Angel, the author of The Piercing Bible who estimates she has performed over 40,000 piercings, echoes this last point: ""I have had more than one client confide in me that she had never had an orgasm ... until after I had performed her [piercing]!""
However, every one of these experts is quick to note that the clitoris is usually not what's pierced in a ""clit piercing.""
Instead, it is the clitoral hood that is bedazzled. The clitoral hood is the fold of tissue that covers the clitoris. Since the clitoris itself is so highly innervated, Ziebell cautioned, ""If one false move is made, all feeling is lost forever, and I don't want that on my conscience."" Indeed, Piercer X explained many women who come in requesting ""clit piercings"" are actually looking for a clitoral hood piercing: ""I sometimes spend part of the time going through the names of the hills and valleys down there so I'm sure I know what [a client] wants,"" he said.
Once everyone is on the same page, there are two types of clitoral hood piercings: vertical and horizontal. As the names imply, this just means the piercing will be placed vertically or horizontally through the hood.
Piercer X says he places 95 percent of hood piercings vertically. ""It kind of goes with the body ... [the female genitals] run up and down,"" he said. Additionally, a vertical piercing tends to provide more stimulation to the clitoris; for a horizontal piercing to be stimulating, a woman must have an exposed clitoris, and most female-bodied individuals have their clitorises partially or completely covered by the clitoral hood when the clit is not aroused.
There are also a number of other options female-bodied people can explore in addition to or instead of a clitoral hood piercing, e.g. the outer and/or inner labia or a fourchette (perineum) piercing.
Costs and care for genital piercings are pretty standard; depending on the piercing, it can run anywhere from $50-$80, including jewelry. The piercing itself stings for a second and may be sensitive for a few days. A pantyliner for the first few days may be beneficial; the piercing won't gush, but you may have a couple droplets of blood you'd prefer to keep off your underwear.
To avoid rare complications, such as infection, Piercer X recommended soaking the piercing in warm sea salt water: ""It's the closest you can get to irrigating with saline,"" he said. For the genitals, he recommended using a warm compress of white paper towel or gauze. You'll also need to wait at least a few days to start enjoying your new piercing. Both Ziebell and Piercer X recommended avoiding sex for a week or so because of the tenderness of a fresh piercing.
However, both piercers noted a hood piercing is generally ""very quick to heal,"" taking four to six weeks. Neither reported seeing greater complications from genital piercings than from any other types.
Finally, although Piercer X said he has heard very few-and-far-between stories of two partners with piercings having them lock together during sex, after the piercing is fully healed, it should not pose much risk to any partner. It's important to use barrier methods while the piercing heals, even if you and your partner are monogamous or fluid-bonded, but posthealing, so there is no increased risk of infection.
On that note, genital piercings generally do not interfere with condom or barrier use; Angel notes medical studies of this have not been done, but as she explains, genital piercings are smooth, without sharp pokey edges, and thus should not increase breakage (try putting a condom over your hand while wearing a ring to see how this works).
An extra-large condom or a condom with a large tip may prevent the condom from stretching tightly over a penis piercing, further minimizing likelihood of breakage.
Whew! I'm out of space, but there's a ton of stuff I wasn't able to include (including some stuff on piercings for male-bodied people), so if you're interested in learning more, shoot me an e-mail or call one of the reputable piercing salons in the campus area. Thanks to the experts who helped me out this week, and thanks again for the great question—here's hoping you glitter, CLIT!
Please send anymore questions about painful procedures in the netherregions to sex@dailycardinal.com.
