Intimate piercings

Detailed guides for individual intimate piercings are in production. They will be written clinically, illustrated with anatomical diagrams rather than photographs, and medically reviewed like everything else on this site.

This page covers what applies across the category.

What makes them different

Anatomy is decisive. More than anywhere else on the body, whether a given placement is possible depends on individual anatomy that cannot be assessed from a photograph. Several widely requested piercings are simply not suitable for many people. A piercer who examines, explains and then declines is doing the job correctly.

Healing varies enormously. Some intimate piercings heal in four to eight weeks because the tissue has an excellent blood supply. Others take months and demand care. There is no single figure for the category.

Jewelry sizing is critical. Initial jewelry is sized to allow for swelling, and downsizing on schedule matters more here than almost anywhere, because ill-fitting jewelry in these locations causes pressure injuries rather than just irritation.

Choosing a piercer

This is not a piercing to shop on price.

• Choose someone who performs these regularly, not occasionally.
• Look for membership of a professional body such as the Association of Professional Piercers, and use their find-a-piercer directory as a starting point.
• Ask to see healed work, not fresh photographs.
• Expect a private room, a proper consultation, and clear consent at every stage.
• You may stop at any point, before or during. A professional will expect that and will not pressure you.

If a studio is dismissive of questions, will not discuss anatomy, or makes you uncomfortable in any way, leave. There is no piercing worth ignoring that instinct for.

Aftercare in general terms

The core principles are the same as everywhere else: sterile saline twice a day, hands off, no rotating, no early jewelry changes, and implant-grade jewelry from the start. See the general aftercare guide.

Specific to this category:

• No sexual contact until your piercer says the piercing is healed, and barrier protection for considerably longer, since a healing piercing is an open wound.
• Loose cotton clothing while healing.
• No swimming until fully healed.
• Expect more bleeding in the first days than with an ear piercing, because these areas are well supplied with blood vessels.

When to seek medical care

Same-day medical attention for spreading redness, heat, thick coloured discharge, swelling that increases after the first week, severe pain, difficulty passing urine, or fever.

Tell the clinician it is a piercing and leave the jewelry in unless they instruct otherwise.