Lip piercings are named for where they sit rather than what they look like, and the names are a mess. Some are anatomical, some are named after celebrities, and several are named after animals for no reason anyone can defend.
This page puts all of them in one place, and sorts them by the two things that actually decide which one suits you: which lip it sits on, and whether it opens inside your mouth.
Photo by Jake Guild via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Every lip piercing compared
| Piercing | Where | Count | Opens inside the mouth | Pain | Healing | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labret | Below the lower lip, centre | 1 | Yes | 3/10 | 2-3 months | $30-70 |
| Medusa | Philtrum, above the upper lip | 1 | Yes | 3/10 | 2-3 months | $30-70 |
| Monroe | Above the upper lip, one side | 1 | Yes | 3/10 | 2-3 months | $30-70 |
| Ashley | Through the lower lip, centre | 1 | Yes | 4/10 | 2-3 months | $40-80 |
| Vertical labret | Up through the lower lip | 1 | No | 4/10 | 2-3 months | $40-80 |
| Jestrum | Down through the upper lip | 1 | No | 4/10 | 2-3 months | $40-90 |
| Snake bites | Lower lip, one each side | 2 | Yes | 3/10 | 2-3 months | $60-140 |
| Spider bites | Lower lip, both on one side | 2 | Yes | 3/10 | 2-3 months | $60-130 |
| Angel bites | Upper lip, one each side | 2 | Yes | 3/10 | 2-3 months | $60-140 |
| Angel fangs | Two vertical labrets | 2 | No | 4/10 | 2-3 months | $80-160 |
| Dahlia | Corners of the mouth | 2 | Yes | 4/10 | 2-4 months | $60-140 |
| Shark bites | Lower lip, a pair each side | 4 | Yes | 3/10 | 2-3 months | $120-240 |
The smiley is often grouped with these but is a different thing: it passes through the thin web of tissue joining your upper lip to your gum, and it is invisible unless you lift your lip.
Start with the teeth question
This is the decision that matters most, and most people arrive at it backwards, after choosing a look.
Every lip piercing with an opening inside your mouth puts a flat disc against your inner lip. Fitted correctly it touches soft tissue and nothing else. Fitted badly, or left on an over-long post after the swelling drops, it presses on your gum line, and the recession that causes does not grow back. Enamel wear from jewelry contacting teeth is the other risk.
Three placements avoid this completely because they have no opening inside the mouth:
- Vertical labret — lower lip, a bead above and below.
- Jestrum — upper lip, the vertical version of a medusa.
- Angel fangs — two vertical labrets side by side.
The catch is that all three need specific anatomy: a lip with enough projection for a curved bar to sit inside it. A thin lip rules them out, and a piercer should tell you so.
If your dentist has already flagged gum recession or enamel wear, start here rather than with a standard labret.
Single or paired
Paired placements are not simply two of the same piercing. Two things change.
Symmetry becomes the hard part. Faces are not symmetrical, and two points measured evenly from your centre line often do not look even. This is why paired piercings should be marked and done in one appointment: a piercer can adjust both against your face at once, which is far harder when the first has already settled.
Swelling multiplies. Two fresh wounds in one lip swell noticeably more than one, and four swell a great deal. For the first three to five days that means clumsy speech and difficult eating. Have soft, cold food in before you go.
The names, decoded
| If someone says | They mean |
|---|---|
| Madonna | A Monroe on the right instead of the left |
| Viper bites | Spider bites |
| Joker bites, dahlia bites | Dahlia |
| Inverse vertical labret | Ashley |
| Vertical medusa | Jestrum |
| Philtrum piercing | Medusa |
| Double vertical labret | Angel fangs |
Two names are close enough to cause real mix-ups at the counter: angel bites are two studs above the upper lip, and angel fangs are two vertical labrets on the lower lip. Different lip, different jewelry, different piercing.
The safest approach with any of these is to describe the placement you want, or show a photograph, rather than trusting that your studio uses the same vocabulary you do.
What every lip piercing needs
Whichever you choose, the fundamentals do not change:
- Downsize on schedule, generally at two to four weeks, or three to six for the vertical placements. The starting post is deliberately long to allow for swelling. Leaving it in afterwards is the single most common cause of problems on lip piercings.
- Implant-grade titanium, threadless or internally threaded. See the materials guide.
- Two routines while healing. Sterile saline outside twice a day; an alcohol-free rinse inside after eating, after anything but water, and after smoking. Never alcohol-based mouthwash.
- Tell your dentist, and have them check the gum margin behind the piercing at every appointment. They will spot recession long before you do.
- Soft, cold food for the first fortnight, and small bites.
The aftercare guide covers the routine in full, and piercing bumps covers what to do if a lump appears.
Which one should you get
If you want a single, straightforward lip piercing: a labret below the lower lip, or a medusa above the upper.
If teeth are your concern: a vertical labret, assuming your lip suits one.
If you want a pair: snake bites on the lower lip or angel bites on the upper are the reliable choices.
If you want something asymmetric: spider bites.
If you are drawn to a dahlia, read that page first. It is the least reliable placement here, and the reason is anatomical rather than avoidable.
Frequently asked questions
What are the different types of lip piercings?
The main ones are the labret, medusa, Monroe and Madonna, Ashley, vertical labret, jestrum, snake bites, spider bites, shark bites, angel bites, angel fangs and dahlia. They differ by which lip they sit on, whether they are single or paired, and whether the jewelry passes into the mouth.
Which lip piercing hurts the least?
The standard labret, medusa, Monroe and the paired versions of those all sit around 3 out of 10, because the tissue is thin and the needle passes quickly. Vertical placements such as the vertical labret and jestrum are about 4, and dahlias are 4 as well.
Which lip piercing is safest for your teeth?
The vertical labret, jestrum and angel fangs, because none of them has an opening inside the mouth. Every other lip piercing puts a flat disc against the inside of your lip, which can press on the gum if it is not sized correctly.
How long do lip piercings take to heal?
Most take two to three months. Dahlias take longer, two to four months, because the corner of the mouth never stops moving. All of them need downsizing within the first few weeks once the swelling drops.
What is the difference between snake bites, spider bites and shark bites?
Count and position. Snake bites are two piercings, one on each side of the lower lip. Spider bites are two close together on the same side. Shark bites are four, arranged as a pair on each side.
Which lip piercing is easiest to hide?
None of them hide well, because they sit in the middle of your face. A clear or skin-toned retainer makes any of them much less obvious, but unlike a septum piercing none of them can be genuinely concealed.
Can I get more than one lip piercing at once?
Paired placements such as snake bites and angel bites are normally done together, because marking both at the same time is how a piercer gets them even. Four at once, as in shark bites, is possible but many piercers would rather stage it.
Sources
- Association of Professional Piercers - Suggested aftercare for oral piercingshttps://safepiercing.org/oral-aftercare/
- Association of Professional Piercers - Jewelry for initial piercingshttps://safepiercing.org/jewelry-for-initial-piercings/
- American Dental Association (MouthHealthy) - Oral piercingshttps://www.mouthhealthy.org/all-topics-a-z/oral-piercings
Placeholder author profile. Replace with a real, named APP piercer before launch.
Placeholder medical reviewer. Replace with a licensed RN, NP, PA or physician before publishing any health content.