Could your anatomy keep you from getting a piercing?

Industrial piercings

A standard industrial piercing is basically two helix piercings, connected by a single barbell. It sounds like it would be an easy piercing to get but it has some basic requirements in order to work. There needs to be a deep enough fold at the helix to support the barbell and the flat of the ear needs to be low enough that the barbell never touches it. A barbell that is touching the flat will begin to rub and dig into the ear cartilage, a problem made infinitely worse if you sleep on it.

*Alternative: consider a vertical industrial or floating industrial instead.

Navel piercing (Belly piercing)

A standard navel piercing requires a large “lip” at the top of the belly button and (like any piercing), enough tissue to support the jewelry. The bottom of the jewelry should sit in the cup of the belly button, the top should be at the top of the lip of the belly button. The jewelry should NEVER go through the navel itself. On a properly done belly piercing, you should only see the top and bottom ends of the belly ring. You shouldn’t be able to see the barbell itself.

*Alternative: talk to your piercer about getting the bottom of the belly button pierced, or trying a floating navel piercing. These can be more accessible, depending on how your belly button is structured.

Eyebrow piercing

The eyebrow piercing requires a thick pad of tissue in the section of eyebrow that’s being pierced. If your piercing is sitting in an area with minimal tissue, that’s a recipe for rejection.