| Glossary Terms for Labret Piercing |
- 1 Body piercing is a form of body modification. It involves piercing a part of the human body and subsequently inserting and keeping a foreign object in the opening until the wound heals. This forms a tunnel of skin (called a fistula) around the foreign object, thus creating a suitable place for wearing different types of body piercing jewelry. The term "piercing" typically refers to this hole. One example of this process is the common ear piercing. Some cultures practice piercing as part of religious traditions. In industrialized countries, most piercing is performed for ornamental or sexual reasons.
- 2 Lip piercing is the practice of piercing one's lip with a stud (barbell or labret) or ring. This practice has some historical precedent, but is known by most as an activity of the youth. A decorative item is worn in the piercing; commonly a single-ball barbell (also referred to as a 'post'), captive bead ring, spike or, nowadays, an inert plug. Traditional labrets were often clay disks. The labret piercing is a relatively straightforward procedure; the lip is held away from the mouth with a clamp, whilst a hollow needle (14g/1.6mm as standard size) is pushed through, usually from inside-out. The jewellery (which should be a little larger than normal, to accommodate for swelling) is then inserted into the end of the needle, which is then removed and the jewelery fastened. Oral piercings heal very quickly and resist infection, but stick to sensible after-care, such as watered-down Listerine and/or salt-water mouthwashes, daily. See also Body Piercing Aftercare for more information.
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