Lip Piercings: Labret, Lowbret, Madonna Pictures
68You may have thought that humans only have one set of lips, comprised of two separate entities, but lip piercings actually fall into eight separate categories. Lip piercing is an ancient body modification, still common among certain African tribes who stretch their lower lips to fit large, discus-shaped lip plates. The two most common piercings are done on the lip and the labret.
The basic lip piercing describes any piercing that penetrates the area directly surrounding the lips, usually along the bottom lip but sometimes found along the top as well. A lip piercing is pierced with a lip ring either directly in the center of the lip or just off to the side. It will almost always be pierced initially with a captive-bead ring, though after the wound has fully healed (which can take up to 4-6 weeks) you may later change to a stud if you so choose.
If you do change it to a stud, however, then it becomes a labret piercing (pronounced "la-brett", not "la-bray"). Confusing, I know, but try to keep up. Because this is an oral piercing, aftercare is important on both ends: the inside of the mouth and the outside. Your piercer should educate you on proper aftercare methods, generally involving a frequent Listerine rinse for inside the mouth and washing gently with antibacterial soap on the outside, done no more than twice a day.
A vertical labret passes through the direct center of the bottom lip. It differs from a standard labret piercing in that a curved barbell is inserted and both ends of the jewelry can be seen--one below the bottom lip, the other in the mouth between the lips.)
A lowbret is a horizontal labret that is placed as low as impossible inside the lip, just before your chin cartilage begins.
A vertical lowbret is placed vertically inside the mouth, piercing through the cheek and emerging close to the jaw line. The barbell used for this type of piercing needs to be at least 1.5" in length.
A horizontal lip piercing, as the name implies, passing directly through either lip at a horizontal angle.
A horizontal labret piercing, on the other hand, passes horizontally just below the lip.
The Madonna piercing (yes, she gets a piercing named after her) is sometimes called a Monroe piercing, named for the original beauty mark queen, Marilyn Monroe. A Monroe is located in the upper lip, slightly off-center to mimic the look of a beauty mark or mole.
A Medusa piercing is the opposite of a labret piercing, located in the direct center of the upper lip. It is sometimes called an "upbret" or "cleft" piercing. Images courtesy of BMEzine.
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
Well, Labret is probably pronounced as French. Labret said the French way SOUNDS like la-bray/la-brey...
I seriously want a vertical labret
I want a piercing sooo bad
From Wikipedia:
The pronunciation of the word "labret" has been heavily debated for years. Many people including industry professionals have often pronounced it as /l??bre?/. According to dictionary reference, it is pronounced /le?.br?t/. The root word is the Latin labrum, which means lip. The -et suffix, according to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, means "something worn on". So, the combination of the Latin labrum (lip) and the suffix -et (something worn on), creates labret - something worn on the lip.
i soooo want a basic lip piercing or a labret piercing.they are effin awesome!
I really want to get "snake bites" so bad. My dad say's its "distasteful" and all of the other stuff parents think of to not let their children do things to themselves. It just really aggravates me because i want this so bad, and i dont do anything not to deserve it, but my dad just wont budge. my mom doens't care and it just really angers the hell out of me. eh, im hoping for my birthday? ha, hopefully.
awesome,
i had my labret, i did it myself,
got bored with it,
was going to go for snakes bites or spider bites.
i now have my madoona or monroe
and i might go for angel bites or fairy bites.
love the lip piercings.
dopse it hurt
i just got my monroe piercing.. love it by the way!
my piercer told me use listerine and alcohol with some warm water
my question is ¿ is that good?the alcohol w/warm water for th crustines???
I Want A Vertical Labret , So Badly!I've Asked My Mom To Get My Nose Pierced & My Lip But ofcourse She Said No , ah I'll Have One By next year At The Latest!
hey does it hurt to get the morne piericing or no and how old do you have to be to get it doen with out parnets permisson
sup
i just got my labret done last week. i go to sleep at night and wake up with crust around the piercing is that normal if so how long does it last.
I got my lip piercing back in June. It did not hurt at all when my piercer was piercing it. The healing process was the only pain I felt. My piercer told me to use non alcohol listerine on the inside of my mouth and ear piercing cleansing solution on the outside. It took a while to get use to, but now I cant tell at all that i have one.
The Monroe is called a Monroe not a Madonna. Shes cool and all but it named after Marilyn Monroe...
I Got My Madonna Or Monroe Done Last Week, You Have To Be 16 To Get It Done Without A Parents Permission, And It Doesn't Hurt At All, Anyone That Says It Hurts Must Be Wimps xD
Byeee Guys xx
Okay, I just wanted to let you guys know. It says in oral piercing aftercare to use Listerine mouthwash. While yes, this can help, there is alcohol in it which can actually irritate the piercing and slow the healing process. A much better option is a mouthwash like Oral-B which is alcohol free.
where are snakebites and angel bites?? forgot some xD
the age for u to get tats or piercings depends on ur state. most states allow u to be at least 18, but it all depends jus do ur research. im 21 so im way over the age, lol. i jus got my monroe done yesterday (12/27/08). it didnt hurt altho i thought it would. i had my tonuge pierced 2x & the tongue didnt hurt except for when it swole up & had me talkin funny. but between the tongue & the monroe piercn, i would say the monroe was the most painless for me. i didnt even swell up & it doesnt bother me wen i chew or talk like the tongue did. also, it is not good to put alcohol, hydro peroxide, or neosporin on ur piercings because alcohol drys out the skin & neosporin will block the oxygen for it to heal.
my next piercing will be the belly ring.. i had it when i was 17 but took it out the next day it was soo painful. plus when i was in school i was into sports & stuff so it always interfered. ima get it again tho... im thinkin during next month.
btw, its called a monroe not madonna, hence madonna doesnt even hav a mole on her face. & its called a la-bray not la-bret, that jus sounds retarded 4real bro.
it is either a monroe OR a madonna, depending on what side you get it on. madonna is on the right side. monroe is on the left.
and if you look at 80s madonna, she did indeed have a mole on her face. she had it removed, but the name of the piercing still remains.
Is a lowbret on a guy a gay thing?
I'm planning on getting a piercing for my 18th birthday...and I just wanted to know if a lowbret would hurt?? If it hurts then I might go for the madonna...mail meh on myspace if yooh have something to say about the pain thinky with the lowbret www.myspace.com/ravenderouin. Thank you.
GETTING MY MONROE NEXT WEEK! FKKKK YEEEEEEEE
I got my Monroe about 5 months ago, and i L-O-V-E it. :)It's honestly my pride and joy!
I had my Labret pierced almost two weeks ago and I actually love it.I've already had my Monroe pierced for 18 months now but when I had that done it was numbed and my Labret wasn't. However, the pain I experienced from them was pretty much the same.
I was kinda disappointed with the Labret piercing though, not cuz of the position or anything but cuz I've always had a buzz from getting pierced (I have 10 all together) and the Labret, I didn't.Oh well lol : )
Lip piercings to me are like the painless piercings ever lol
x
I'm going to get two lowbrets and a vertical labret, then three tounge peircings soon! After I get my braces off that is. I already have an anti-eyebrow piercing.
I just got snake bytes and a horizontal lip piercing yestreday! (1/30/09) I had my right side of my lip pierced before and it hurt the first time... the second time i got it, it did not hurt... the left side hurt a little more and the horizontal lip piercing hurt like hell... Well I am kinda weak with pain but i'm glad I got it done! The thing that sucks... my grandparents are coming home in a couple of days... lets just say they hate piercing a lot!
Hey when you get a bottomlip piercing and you take out the ring can u see the hole?
hmmm
im thing about a madonna is it tru if u clean it with salt water it leaves no scar or is that a lie and how do u put in the retainer? looks comlicated
Just got my snakebites done lastnight :) and ... love em !!! lol someone said that their piercer told them to use alcohol ?!?!? ive not heard of that at all .. and i read a butt load of stuff before i got mine done ... i would use the listerine ( but i was told to dilute it half and half with water - like ina water bottle ) and a sea salt soak , no alcohol .
i want medusa reallllly bad;D
but everyone i say that to are like 'ewww'
i have my lip pierced:}
i also have my nose pierced! nose hurts more than lip ahah
Madonna? seriously, you mean Monroe.
To correct myself, the madonna and monroe are different. madonna is on one side and monroe is the other.
i've got a labret N it the bomb i just love the thing but at 1st it got really infected it hurt but now it the bomb like i said
can a lowbret piercing can use a circular lipring or just a simple lipring??..
i just got a lowbret 4 days ago =]
I got my medusa done 2 weeks ago i love it its a bit diff to but totally cute. im getting my snake bites done on sunday woop woop.
I didnt think it was very painful and healed really quickley i just used salt water on outside and mouth wash on insde.
I'm hoping my mom will take me on my 16th birthday to get snake bites.
But... that probably won't happen.
So, maybe I'll get a tattoo on my wrist instead.
Ive been searching for the term for a top lip labret. Ive seen it on a chik in an advertisment. Whats the real name for this piercing?
read the article....its a MEDUSA
your healing times in all your articles are wrong , if you were a piercer you would know that, but you arent -just a poser trying to act like they have all the piercing answers.
You are absolutely never to use any alcohol based products to clean any oral piercings. Abstaining from alcoholic beverages is also recommended. Any piercer who says otherwise is NOT a professional.
Healing time is 6-8 weeks, not 4-6.
Every other 6 weeks anyone can chaange any piercing. Make sure that you keep the piercing clean too. I have a Labret piercing, on my chin.
what would a double stud under the bottom lip on one side be called? my friend is getting hers done and idk wut its called
ive just had my lip done i love it, ive had it done a week its still kinda sore bt i cant wait to change it,, x
im so gonna get my lower right lip pierced now... how bad does it really hurt though... i have my tongue pierced and that didnt hurt at all..
alex gettin ur lower lip pierced dont hurt that much you can hardly feel it i had mine done today:)
ive had some of these done, ive got snakes bites and a medusa done on my lip :)
i got my labret pierced yesterday. my momma said i should have got it on the side cause it dont look right in the middle. but i just adore the darn thang.
You left out the Manson, snakebites, spiderbites and anglebites.
And tearing is awful. I ripped my week old lip ring and had to go to the emergency room.
I got a wicked infection after that.
But I still have it, and just got my spiderbites finished. [:
It looks SICK.
i just pierced my own lip but it's on the left side and now i wish it was on the right.
IM GETTING A PIERCING ON MY BIRTHDAY BUT IM SO CONFUSED BECAUSE I DONT TO MUCH KNOW WHAT I WANT YET MY MOM THINKS I SHOULD GET MY EYEBROW DONE BUT IDK. WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK IS MORE ATTRACTIVE...THE EYEBROW,MONROE OR LOWBRET OR THE LIP PIECING LIL WAYNE HAS [lol]?
omg my moms bf told me hur monroe hurt like hell neva a gain
I have many piercings. I recently got my monroe. I am 33 and waited to get the rest of my piercings later on in life after I had moved out of my Mother's house about 15 years ago. Most Moms and Dads will read you the riot act when u get a piercing or even talk about it. I got my tongue pierced when I was 21 and My Mama called me white trash, etc.etc. Wish she could see me now.
i got my lower lip labret done yesterday would it be puffy and llook like the falt end in my lip is sinking in it only like hurts a little i put cold things on it . is the puffyness normal and is it normal to have the flat end in side look like its singing in ...
i have snake bites and angle bites (= pretty sick huh?
i think im gonna get spider bites :) they're AWESOME!!
I have snake bites, labret and angel bites i love my piercings:)
I just got a vertical labret yesterday, and I'm so happy I got it done. It's a little bit swollen right now. It did hurt when I got it, but I have a high tolerance for pain so it wasn't bad at all. It didn't hurt after I got it done until later on, when it started to swell. I'm so excited for it to be healed!
I want two upper lip piercings- does anyone know what they'd be called on opposite sides of where a Medusa would go? Would that being tougher an area hurt worse?
Blahblahblahh
they're called angel bites
and no they don't really hurt, although i have a high tolerance for pain- i'm sixteen and i've had fourteen piercings. with angel bites it can just be uncomfortable eating for a while, they tend to get in the way of your teeth. i've had my angel bites for two weeks and i haven't had any problems so far.



Whitney05 says:
2 years ago
I was under the impression that it was la-bray, not la-brett... ? I've only ever heard 'la-bray' from tattooist and piercers, alike...