A Monroe piercing sits above the upper lip on the left side, in roughly the spot Marilyn Monroe’s beauty mark occupied. It passes through the lip tissue and exits inside the mouth, so a small disc rests against the inner lip and a decorative end shows on the outside.
It is one of the few piercings named after a person rather than an anatomical landmark, and that naming causes most of the confusion around it.
Photo by Sara Marx via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Monroe, Madonna, or just a lip piercing
Monroe is the left side. Madonna is the right side. That is the entire difference: same tissue, same pain, same healing, same jewelry, same risks.
Plenty of studios have stopped distinguishing them and will simply ask which side you want. If a price list shows only one of the two names, it almost certainly covers both.
Angel bites are a Monroe and a Madonna together, one on each side.
Placement
The piercing sits above the upper lip and below the nostril, off to one side, close enough to the lip to read as a beauty mark rather than a cheek piercing.
There is more room for judgement here than in a centred piercing like a medusa, because there is no midline to anchor to. Your piercer will place it against the shape of your lip and the position of your nostril, mark it, and hand you a mirror. Look at it straight on and in profile before agreeing, because a mark that looks right head-on can sit oddly from the side.
Pain
About 3 out of 10. The tissue above the upper lip is thin, and the needle passes quickly.
The swelling in the first three or four days is what people remember. It is more noticeable than a lobe or a nostril because it is in a part of your face you use constantly, and it can make speech feel clumsy for a couple of days.
Healing
Two to three months. Like all piercings that exit inside the mouth, the inside heals faster than the outside and both look finished before they are.
- Days 1-4: peak swelling and tenderness, awkward eating and speaking.
- Weeks 1-3: swelling drops, crusting outside, a light white discharge inside.
- Weeks 4-12: the channel finishes maturing.
Downsize at two to four weeks. The initial post is deliberately long to allow for swelling. Once the swelling is gone, that spare length is a bar sitting loose against the inside of your mouth, and it will find your gum and your teeth.
The upper gum
The flat disc inside your lip should rest against soft tissue, not against the gum above your front teeth. Sustained contact there causes gum recession, and recession does not grow back.
This is a fit issue, not an inevitability:
- Downsize on schedule. An oversized post is the single most common cause.
- Ask for the smallest comfortable disc. Less surface, less pressure.
- Tell your dentist, so they check the gum margin behind the piercing at each visit. They will notice recession long before you do.
Enamel chipping comes from clicking the jewelry against your teeth out of habit. Worth catching early.
Aftercare
Two environments, two routines. Sterile saline twice a day on the outside, and an alcohol-free rinse inside after eating, drinking anything other than water, or smoking. Alcohol-based mouthwash is far too harsh for a healing oral wound.
Soft, cold food for the first week or two, small bites, and nothing hot near the jewelry. The aftercare guide has the detail.
Jewelry
Flat-back labret stud, 16 gauge, implant-grade titanium, long post to start and downsized to 5 or 6 mm once the swelling drops. Threadless or internally threaded only. See the materials guide.
Once healed, a small gem or a plain ball are the usual looks. Rings are possible but sit awkwardly on an upper-lip placement, which is why most people keep a stud here permanently.
Cost
$30 to $70 in a US studio, plus $20 upwards for jewelry. It is priced as a standard lip piercing. Tip 15 to 20 percent.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Monroe piercing?
A single piercing above the upper lip on the left side, placed where Marilyn Monroe's beauty mark sat. It passes through the lip tissue and exits inside the mouth, and it is worn with a small flat-back stud.
What is the difference between a Monroe and a Madonna piercing?
Only the side. A Monroe sits on the left of the upper lip, a Madonna on the right. Everything else, the pain, healing, jewelry and risks, is identical. Some studios use the names interchangeably and simply ask which side you want.
Does a Monroe piercing hurt?
About 3 out of 10. The tissue above the upper lip is thin and the needle passes in a moment. The swelling over the next few days is more noticeable than the piercing, and it can make speaking feel odd briefly.
How long does a Monroe piercing take to heal?
Two to three months. It looks settled on the outside within a few weeks, but the channel is still maturing internally for a good while after that.
Will a Monroe piercing damage my gums?
It can if the flat back sits against the upper gum rather than the soft inside of the lip. That is a fit problem rather than an inevitability. Downsize on time, ask for the smallest comfortable disc, and let your dentist check the gum margin.
Can I hide a Monroe piercing at work?
Only partly. A clear or skin-toned retainer makes it much less obvious, but it sits in the middle of your face and will not disappear the way a septum retainer does. Consider that before piercing if your workplace is strict.
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
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This article is for education only and is not medical advice. If a piercing is hot, swollen, spreading redness, oozing yellow or green discharge, or you have a fever, see a doctor today.