You can get pierced in more places than most people realize. Beyond the classic earlobe, piercings are done across the ears, face, mouth, torso, and genital area, with over 50 distinct named placements across the body. Some spots heal in weeks, others take close to a year, and your anatomy determines which ones are actually possible for you.
Ear Piercings
The ear alone has more than a dozen distinct piercing locations, which is why “ear piercing” can mean very different things depending on where exactly the jewelry sits.
The lobe is the most common starting point: a puncture through the soft, fleshy tissue at the bottom of the ear. You can stack multiple lobe piercings vertically or arrange them in a triangle pattern. Lobe piercings rate only a 1 or 2 out of 10 on most pain scales and heal in roughly 6 to 8 weeks, making them the easiest entry point.
Moving up the ear into cartilage, options multiply quickly. The helix runs along the outer rim from the top of the ear downward, and piercings can sit anywhere along that curve. A forward helix sits where the rim meets your head near the top front of the ear and tends to be significantly more painful (7 to 8 out of 10). The conch is the broad, flat area of cartilage forming the inner bowl of your ear. The tragus is the small flap of cartilage that partially covers your ear canal. The daith passes through the innermost fold of cartilage, the tight ridge closest to your ear canal. The rook sits in the uppermost ridge of your inner ear, just above the tragus and daith. The snug goes through the inner ridge along the outer rim and is one of the most painful ear piercings, rated 7 to 9 out of 10.
An industrial piercing connects two separate holes with a single long barbell, typically spanning across the upper cartilage. Not everyone’s ear shape can support one. All cartilage piercings take considerably longer to heal than lobes, generally 6 to 12 months. Cartilage also has poor blood supply compared to soft tissue, which contributes to slower wound healing and a higher chance of infection.
Facial Piercings
The face offers several well-established piercing sites. Eyebrow piercings typically pass vertically through the outer third of the brow ridge. Bridge piercings sit horizontally across the bridge of the nose between the eyes. A nostril piercing goes through the side of the nose, while a septum piercing passes through the thin tissue between the nostrils (not through the cartilage itself, if done correctly). Facial piercings, including earlobes, eyebrows, and lips, generally heal within 6 to 8 weeks.
Cheek piercings, sometimes called dimple piercings, sit on the cheek itself and mimic the look of dimples. These carry more risk than most facial piercings because the cheeks contain salivary glands and a dense network of blood vessels.
Lip and Mouth Piercings
The area around the mouth has an enormous number of named placements, each defined by its exact position relative to the lips.
A labret sits just below the center of the lower lip. A vertical labret passes through the lip itself so both ends of the jewelry are visible on the face. The Ashley piercing (also called an inverted vertical labret) enters through the front of the lower lip and exits inside the mouth, showing only one decorative end. Snake bites are two piercings placed on opposite sides beneath the lower lip. Spider bites are two piercings placed close together on the same side. Dolphin bites are two piercings close together beneath the center of the lower lip.
Above the upper lip, a Medusa piercing sits in the philtrum, the small groove between your nose and upper lip. A Monroe goes above the left side of the upper lip, mimicking Marilyn Monroe’s beauty mark, while a Madonna mirrors it on the right side. Angel bites combine both sides. A Jestrum (vertical Medusa) passes vertically through the philtrum so both jewelry ends are visible. Dahlia bites sit at each corner of the mouth. Canine bites involve four piercings total, two above and two below the lip on both sides.
Inside the mouth, a standard tongue piercing goes through the center of the tongue. Venom piercings are a pair of piercings placed side by side on the tongue, sometimes called frog eyes. A tongue web piercing passes through the thin tissue connecting the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. Oral piercings heal relatively fast, typically 3 to 6 weeks, thanks to the rich blood supply inside the mouth.
Torso Piercings
The navel (belly button) is one of the most popular body piercings outside the ears. It usually passes through the skin on the upper rim of the navel. Healing takes up to 9 months because the area is constantly subjected to bending, friction from clothing, and contact with waistbands. If you have a very shallow or tight navel, your anatomy may not support this piercing well.
Nipple piercings can be done on any body type. They typically pass horizontally through the base of the nipple and take several months to fully heal. Pain varies considerably from person to person, but the area is nerve-dense and most people rate it as moderate to high.
Surface and Dermal Piercings
Surface piercings sit on flat areas of skin where there isn’t a natural fold or edge of tissue to pass through. They use a special barbell shaped to sit flush against the body, with entry and exit points on the same flat plane of skin. Common surface piercing sites include the nape of the neck, the collarbone area, the sternum (between the breasts), and the hips.
Dermal piercings (also called microdermals or single-point piercings) use a small anchor implanted beneath the skin with a single decorative top visible on the surface. These can theoretically go almost anywhere on the body. Popular spots include along the collarbone, the cheekbone, the lower back, the sternum, and the hips. Because they lack a second exit point, dermals rely on tissue growing around the anchor to hold them in place. This makes them more prone to rejection or migration over time than traditional piercings, especially in areas with a lot of movement or friction.
Genital Piercings
Genital piercings are more common than many people assume, and most are chosen for a combination of aesthetics and increased sensation.
For people with vulvas, the most popular option is the vertical clitoral hood (VCH) piercing, which passes vertically through the fold of skin covering the clitoris. It’s generally considered lower risk than piercing the clitoris itself, which could cause nerve damage. A horizontal clitoral hood piercing crosses the same tissue in the other direction. Inner and outer labia piercings can be placed at various points along the vaginal lips. The Christina piercing is purely ornamental, sitting where the outer labia meet below the pubic mound. A triangle piercing passes beneath the clitoris at the base of the hood and requires very specific anatomy to be done safely.
For people with penises, the Prince Albert enters the urethra and exits on the underside of the glans. A frenum piercing passes through the skin on the underside of the shaft. Other options include the ampallang (horizontal through the glans) and the apadravya (vertical through the glans). Genital piercings can compromise barrier contraception, so that’s worth factoring into your decision.
Jewelry Materials That Are Safe for New Piercings
What goes into a fresh piercing matters as much as where it’s placed. The Association of Professional Piercers recommends implant-grade titanium, implant-grade steel, solid 14-karat or higher gold (nickel and cadmium free), niobium, platinum, and certain types of glass including fused quartz and borosilicate. Gold-plated, gold-filled, and vermeil jewelry do not meet the standard for initial piercings. Sterling silver and low-quality steel are common culprits behind irritation and allergic reactions in fresh piercings.
If you have any known metal sensitivity, implant-grade titanium is typically the safest choice. It’s the same material used in surgical implants and is well tolerated by the vast majority of people.
How Anatomy Affects Your Options
Not every piercing works on every body. Industrial piercings require a pronounced outer rim of ear cartilage with enough of a shelf to anchor both ends of the barbell. Daith piercings need a deep enough fold of inner cartilage for the jewelry to sit properly. The triangle piercing requires very specific vulvar anatomy and should only be attempted by a highly experienced piercer who can assess whether the tissue can support it safely.
A good piercer will evaluate your anatomy before committing to a placement. If a particular spot doesn’t have enough tissue depth, blood supply, or structural support, they should tell you and suggest an alternative rather than force a piercing that’s likely to reject or heal poorly. Rejection rates are highest in surface piercings on flat areas of the body and in piercings placed through very thin tissue, so the more unusual the location, the more important it is to find someone experienced with that specific placement.