Illustrated Guide to Eyebrow Piercings

The earlobes and cartilage are not the only places that can be pierced on an ear, the center is not the only spot that can be pierced on a tongue, and the eyebrow is not the only place that can be pierced on, well, an eyebrow. Before we begin, let's clear up one of the most prevalent myths about eyebrow piercings, the one that says half your face will go numb if it is pierced incorrectly. This is mostly false. In order for your face to go numb, nerves would have to be affected. Bundles of nerves tend to congregate near bone and beneath muscle. An eyebrow piercing is a surface piercing that, if done correctly, rests just below the skin; it should never go so deep that it comes anywhere near muscle or bone.

A typical eyebrow piercing is pierced vertically through the eyebrow, anywhere along the ridge. According to Wikipedia.org, "The usual place to pierce the eyebrow is at a 35 degree angle from the outside corner of the eye, however, it may be pierced anywhere along the eyebrow from directly above the eye, to the edge of the eyebrow." They take about 6-8 weeks to heal and because they are a surface piercing, they run the risk of migration (which happens when the piercing moves from its original location, either downwards, gradually, over time or because the body is rejecting the foreign object and attempting to push it outwards.) Barbells or captive bead rings are appropriate jewelry for standard eyebrow piercings.

Another type of piercing is the horizontal eyebrow which, obviously, is pierced horizontally across the upper brow ridge. It should be done with a surface bar, which goes into the skin at a ninety degree angle and travels under the skin at a constant depth (like a staple shape) rather than a curved barbell.

A bridge piercing goes through the bridge of the nose (the fleshy part at the tip of the nose between the eyes). Done with a straight barbell or surface barbell, the bridge piercing is not for everybody. If the skin between your eyes is very tight and not too fleshy, it may heal crooked or be a prime candidate for migration.

An anti-eyebrow piercing (sometimes called a tear drop) is basically a piercing on the place where your eyebrow would be if your face were upside down and your eyebrows were beneath your eyes instead of above them. It is also a surface piercing that appears to be adorning the cheek rather than the eye. As such, it should also use a surface bar rather than a barbell.

A spiral eyebrow is a variation of the standard eyebrow piercing, only instead of one piercing it is comprised of two or three consecutive holes. A special, spiral-shaped piece of jewelry is then looped through each of the holes.

Another variation on the standard eyebrow piercing is the T eyebrow. A T eyebrow piercing is essentially a standard vertical and a horizontal in immediate proximity to one another so that a "T" shape is formed.

Finally, two or more different types of piercing can be combined to form a multiple, or combination, piercing.