Tongue piercing - pain and healing time, consequences and reviews with photos

Tongue piercing is one of the most popular types of piercings. Lots of young people get tongue piercings.

What are the benefits of tongue piercing?

Unusual, erotic, shocking, very fashionable.
Heals quickly.
There is no trace of the piercing left, the channel is healed within a day.

Tools for tongue piercing: tongue holder or oval window clamp, catheter needle No. 16, No. 18.

Earrings: for the first puncture and healing, it is better to use a polyethylene barbell earring, 18-19 mm long. This is a length with a margin for tongue swelling. After 3-6 weeks, when the canal is fully formed, the barbell can be changed to another (14-16 mm).

Attention! If you have gold crowns in your mouth, then you cannot wear steel piercing jewelry for a long time. A “galvanic couple” occurs, and constant irritation of the mucous membranes is possible. In this case, you need to use plastic or titanium tongue decorations.

Treatment before piercing the tongue: the mouth should be rinsed with a 3% (diluted 1:1 with water) hydrogen peroxide solution. Rinse - 5 minutes. A banana earring with an unscrewed ball should be immersed in an antiseptic solution for 15-20 minutes (95% alcohol, disinfectant solutions).

Place of tongue piercing: the main landmarks are the central line and the frenulum of the tongue. The injection point is located under the tongue in the midline, without affecting the frenulum.

What is tongue piercing

This is a surgical operation, although short, but dangerous, which involves piercing the tongue with the subsequent insertion of a special earring - a barbell. Common decorations are vertical bars made of surgical steel or titanium. The earring is double, it can be seen both from above and from below. Another type, horizontal, is a frenulum piercing under the tongue. Making such a puncture is much easier - there is less blood, pain, healing is faster. Jewelry comes not only in the form of a barbell, but also a staple, a ring, a carnation.

Types of needles

There is a wide variety of needles that have different diameters and purposes. Below are the types of piercing needles that are most often used for the procedure.

Designed for piercing the ears and nose. It is worth noting that these types of piercings are the most popular among many people. The instrument used to perform the puncture has an internal diameter of 0.8 mm.

This type of needle has diameters of 1.4 mm and 1.2 mm. These sizes also allow this needle to be used for nose and ear piercings. Nose piercing is carried out in different parts, for example, on the bridge of the nose or the tip, and have different decorations. Using this needle, the earlobe, cartilage, outer part of the ear or the helix of the auricle can be pierced.

It is a tool whose outer and inner diameters are 2 and 1.6 millimeters. With the help of such a needle it is convenient to pierce the eyebrows. The decoration can be placed in different places, for example, above the eyebrow, and at different angles. It is worth noting that the choice of location is determined not only based on individual wishes, but also on physiological characteristics.

Thanks to the sizes of 2 and 1.4 mm, piercings are carried out in the navel, tongue and nipples. Instruments for these types of piercings have a catheter that allows you to insert the jewelry into the hole.

This type of special needle is mainly used for setting tunnels. This is due to the size of the instrument, which has an outer diameter of 4 mm and an inner diameter of 3.8 mm. The procedure for installing tunnels involves making a hole for decoration, which will gradually stretch to the required size.

Piercing should be performed only with high-quality needles that are made of material that does not cause an allergic reaction or irritation. It is worth noting that not only the piercing process, but also the further healing of the wound depends on the instrument used.

Source

Why is the tongue pierced?

It is widely believed that tongue piercing is done for sexual pleasure, which the earring gives the partner, causing additional sensations. However, girls often get pierced simply for the sake of fashion or to self-identify with a group of people belonging to a specific subculture. Another reason is the desire to stand out, to become different from everyone else.

Contraindications

Piercing is quite popular these days. But tongue piercing is not available to everyone. Before you decide to have surgery and go to the specialist, you need to study the list of contraindications:

allergy to antibiotics;
pregnancy period (the risk of infection poses a serious threat to the expectant mother and baby);
allergy to metals;
diseases of the nervous system;
poor blood clotting;
oral diseases;
epilepsy;
some autoimmune diseases (diabetes mellitus, hemophilia).

Tongue piercing is a modern procedure that helps a person stand out among the “crowd.” But before you decide to have a puncture, you need to evaluate all the disadvantages, consequences and dangers of a difficult operation.

Sources used:

Harden, Blaine. Coming to Grips With the Enduring Appeal of Body Piercing, The New York Times
A. Stirn (2003): Body piercing: medical consequences and psychological motivations., The Lancet
Wikipedia material

Pros and cons of tongue piercing

Piercing always attracts attention, making the wearer stylish and arousing the interest of others. By agreeing to this complex procedure, a person feels special and shows individuality. There are several reasons to get a piercing:

A person liberates himself, tries something new, partly shocks those around him, challenging the routine and ordinariness of gray everyday life.
This type of piercing is easily hidden and is not noticeable. Without removing the jewelry, you can show it or hide it.
During kissing and oral sex, the earring additionally stimulates the partner’s sensations and adds exoticism to the relationship.
During healing, you have to follow a diet for a long time, so you can lose weight by losing your usual diet, which will please those who want to lose excess weight.

If you want to impress others with a tongue piercing, you will have to put up with the following inconveniences:

The first thing that awaits those wishing to get a tongue piercing is the painfulness of the procedure.
Healing is long and uncomfortable. It will take several months for complete recovery.
The operation is expensive. It is better to do it in a clinic with an experienced specialist, rather than at home. Saving in this case is not worth it.
When contacting a bad surgeon, there is a high probability of infection due to unsterile instruments. We are talking not only about infection of the wound, but also about more serious diseases: hepatitis and herpes.
You will have to put up with dental damage. This is a consequence of the fact that the earring is often chewed. When chewing, there is a high probability of touching the decoration.
The pleasure of showing off an earring increases the risk of gum disease. Having a foreign object in the mouth, especially with insufficient care, boys and girls get an increase in the number of bacteria and infection of the oral cavity.

Does it hurt to pierce your tongue?

According to reviews from those who have undergone the operation, the puncture itself is a matter of seconds, quite tolerable. It will hurt later, during healing. The tongue is highly sensitive. Because this organ is in constant motion, with a wound in the middle, it will hurt until it heals completely. To reduce pain:

have the operation performed by a trusted specialist;
care for the wound;
do not smoke;
do not drink alcohol;
talk less at first;
Avoid hot, spicy foods.

How to pierce the tongue

It is preferable to get your piercing done at a salon as this procedure is considered surgery. In order to choose the right place for a puncture without damaging blood vessels and nerves, the doctor must have the appropriate qualifications. Tools and gloves use disposable or sterilized ones. The sequence of actions is as follows:

The mouth is pre-treated with an antiseptic; sometimes Lidocaine is used for anesthesia.
The tongue is grabbed and fixed with a special clamp, then pierced with a needle from the bottom up.
Finally, jewelry is inserted into the puncture site.

Possible complications

If the operation was performed poorly, the tongue will be very sore after the piercing. Signs of an inflammatory process (redness, severe swelling, itching) will begin to develop on the surface of the soft tissues. Healing of the wound surface will occur slowly.

If negative consequences develop, an emergency visit to the doctor is necessary. Treatment of the inflammatory process consists of treating the wound surface with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory solutions. Your doctor may also prescribe antibacterial injections.

How to pierce your tongue at home

You need to choose a well-lit room so that there is a place to lay out the instrument. Use only disinfected clamp, needle and earring. Wash your hands with soap and wipe with a disinfectant solution. Perform actions wearing disposable sterile gloves:

Treat your mouth with an antiseptic.
Choose a puncture site in the middle, closer to the tip of the tongue, there are no large blood vessels there.
Pinch the tongue with tongs, then use a special needle to pierce it strictly perpendicular to the surface.
Use a catheter to insert the earring.

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Possible signs of infection

If an infection is added to post-traumatic inflammation, local and general symptoms of infection occur. Their appearance is associated with a protective reaction at the local and general level of the body in response to chronic inflammation and changes in the microbial composition in the oral cavity. Accordingly, there are differences between local (in the oral cavity and on nearby tissues) and general manifestations of the infectious-inflammatory process associated with a cascade of reactions to the pathological process. These symptoms can appear at any time.

Local symptoms include:

increased pain;
the appearance of a twitching pain that can spread (give) to the ear, nose, submandibular area, and head;
the tongue “tastes” hot, a change in its relief occurs;
increased swelling;
in the mirror you can see redness, sometimes whitish films, veins of blood vessels;
the appearance of cloudy discharge, possibly with an unpleasant taste and odor [4].

General symptoms:

increased body temperature;
chills;
body aches;
decreased appetite;
increased fatigue;
enlargement of local lymph nodes (on the neck, on the back of the head, behind the ears) [4].

How to care for a pierced tongue

Care involves treating the wound with antiseptic solutions such as Chlorhexidine, potassium permanganate or soda. For the first 2 weeks, rinse your mouth as often as possible, always after meals. After ten to fourteen days, instead of rinsing with an antiseptic, use a decoction of chamomile or calendula. Do not be overzealous so as not to deprive the natural antiseptic - saliva - of its protective properties. The barbell also requires care. For the first two weeks, brush it with a soft toothbrush. Afterwards, regularly remove the barbell, clean and disinfect it.

Recovery period

The most painful and unpleasant sensations occur during the recovery period. Until the wound surface heals, a person must observe strict restrictions.

On the first day after surgery, the surface of the tongue is very sore and swollen. These changes are normal, pain is the result of soft tissue trauma, and swelling is the cause of damage to lymph flows and blood vessels. The swelling may last for several days.

The wound heals within 2-3 weeks. Complete healing of the wound surface occurs 3-4 months after surgery.

During the first weeks after surgery, you should be careful about your diet. It is important to exclude all spicy, smoked, salty foods from the menu. Dishes should not be hot. It is optimal to eat liquid, fresh, warm food.

Caring for a pierced tongue

The basis of tongue piercing care is the treatment of soft tissues. Every day, twice a day, the wound needs to be treated with antiseptic solutions (Chlorhexidine, a solution of baking soda or potassium permanganate).

For the first 2 weeks after surgery, you need to rinse your mouth after eating. The first days, rinsing is carried out with antiseptic solutions (Chlorhexidine). In the future, you can rinse your mouth with decoctions of medicinal herbs (chamomile, sage, calendula).

Barbell care

For 2 weeks after the tongue piercing, you need to clean the barbell daily with a toothbrush. After this time, it is necessary to regularly remove the “decoration”, thoroughly clean it of surface contaminants and disinfect it in a Chlorhexidine solution.

Consequences

The result of poor quality work by the master will be pain and inflammation, prolonged treatment and slow healing. Even if the tongue was pierced in a medical institution, difficulties may arise with subsequent proper care:

If the procedure was unsuccessful, usually at home, there may be complications: severe bleeding, infection of the wound, inflammation. As a result, long-term treatment with antibiotics is required.
The swollen tissue will make it painful to chew, speak, and swallow.
For the first time after the operation, you will have to eat liquid, fresh, non-hot food, so as not to injure the wound and not slow down healing.
After the operation, special care, rinsing, and cleaning of the rod will be required. Be prepared that after healing, care will also be necessary.
The diction will change and a slight whisper will appear.
Since an earring or barbell in the oral cavity is a hard foreign body, it will touch the teeth and damage the enamel. Cracks and chips are constant companions of tongue piercing.
Partial loss of taste is possible if the nerves have been damaged. Only an experienced surgeon knows the right point so as not to disturb the nerve endings.
When a piercing is constantly worn, the tissue grows and scars form, which can only be removed surgically.

Sound advice about studs and more

Photo from the site: vipcosmetolog.ru

It is worth knowing many nuances and details about piercing if you really decide to get such a piercing for yourself. It is clear that the easiest way to do this is to consult a specialist in a salon, but not everyone has such an opportunity.

Important

It is important to understand that your first barbell in the tongue must be made of those metals that do not oxidize. Niobium, as well as high-quality Teflon, are suitable if it is not possible to purchase a barbell made of platinum or gold.

It is worth knowing that proper care for your tongue piercing begins even before you actually get the piercing done. The choice of bar is extremely important; it must be completely smooth, even without samples, not to mention engravings or patterns. Otherwise, it will simply injure the wound. It will hurt you, but it may take months to heal.
Choose two rods, the first for the healing period, and the second for wearing constantly. A permanent stud will be somewhat shorter and may compress the swollen tongue, causing pain and discomfort.
The final healing of the puncture wound should occur within two months, but this is not the end of the torment, and you will have to take care of the piercing for the entire period of wearing the barbell.
Experienced people who have more than one earring on their body, including tongue piercings, recommend eating your favorite “snacks” first, so that later you will crave less and it will be much easier to hold out.
Before putting your hands in your mouth, for example, changing a barbell, tightening its lock, or just checking how the healing is going, you need to wash your hands thoroughly with soap so as not to cause an infection, which you will then have to fight for a long time.
If you can’t live without a toothbrush, and after a week you definitely need one, you need to boil it in a soda solution for at least five minutes before brushing. The procedure must be repeated every time you decide to brush your teeth.
After the wound and the canal have completely healed, you will need to clean the bar approximately once a month, pulling it out completely. Moreover, after cleaning, it is advisable to boil the decoration; this can also be done in a soda solution.

In addition, it is worth knowing that the final healing of the canal will not occur earlier than in four months. Therefore, you will have to handle your own tongue extremely gently and carefully.

How much does a tongue piercing cost?

To make jewelry bring joy and not darken your life, go to a salon or medical facility. Many clinics offer tongue piercing services, here is an overview of the cost of the procedure in Moscow institutions: