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Eyebrow piercings began to appear in the 80's and have grown in popularity since then. They are one of the only purely aesthetic piercings, with no recognized symbolic aspects associated with them. They draw attention to your eyes and the upper part of the face and either open up the gaze or intensify it.
Eyebrow piercings take about 8-10 weeks to heal and are easy to care for. In general, they heal without major complications, provided you keep it clean and keep dirty hands, makeup and hair away from it. If it becomes infected, they often swell up and / or form fluid-filled bumps or pimples at the hole. Warm saline a couple of times a day can usually take care of it fairly quickly. If it swells up within the first few days after you do it, it's probably not an infection. Read on for more info.
How to perform an eyebrow piercing can vary from piercer to piercer and with the customer's skin type. After washing and marking the area, many piercers usually pinch up the skin with forceps, stick on your exhalation, remove the forceps and insert the jewelry at the back end of the needle. Some piercers use a so-called "freehand" technique, where you pinch the skin with your fingers instead of with forceps. This can add a fraction of a second to the sting itself, but can reduce the swelling and the risk of getting a bruise from the forceps. As the forceps themselves are usually the most uncomfortable part of the piercing, the freehand technique is often less traumatic to endure. Which technology your piercer uses is entirely determined by your piercer and your anatomy. No technique is wrong and both can result in a perfect and beautiful eyebrow piercing.
Eyebrow piercings can swell slightly when done and some have a tendency to swell more, bleed, get a bruise and even a blue eye. This is especially true for people who are prone to bruising or bleeding a lot, or for those who have very "thin" blood due to medication, impending menstruation or other physical aspects. Do not expect it to happen, but do not be surprised if it does. Take care of the swelling as you do with other swellings: ice packs, keep the body part high (extra pillows when you go to sleep) or anti-inflammatory tablets where the active substance is paracetamol (as it does not have blood-thinning properties like some other medicines). The swelling usually goes down after a few days while a bruise can last a little longer. The more you struggle with bleeding, swelling or bruising, the longer it will last. Relax and let it heal.
As some eyebrow piercings last for several years, some may grow out after one or two years. This means that they gradually approach the surface as your body grows new layers of skin behind the jewelry. In general, most eyebrow piercings can emigrate / be expelled. This does not change the fact that your piercer has done something wrong, but there are some tricks to extend the life of your piercing. Emigration is simply the way your body takes care of jewelry that is put on flat skin. The universal thing here is that the better you take care of your piercing, the longer it will last. Playing with it, fingering, peeling, forcing it to lie flat, letting it become infected and washing it with harsh chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide can affect your piercing to grow out faster. Wearing jewelry that is too thin (less than 1.2mm), too short or too heavy can also speed up emigration. Usually you are already tired of your piercing before it reaches the surface, but if it grows out and you still want it, you can redo it when the scar tissue has healed (after a couple of months).
At Barbarella Bodypiercing, we make eyebrow piercings with curved rods, either in 1.2mm or 1.6mm thick. Some piercers put straight rods, but we believe that they run a greater risk of emigrating as they put more pressure forward and outward. Rings and horseshoes can be used, but we recommend that you wait until the piercing is healed.If you need to hide the piercing, once it has healed, there are transparent plastic retainers you can use.
The final look of your piercing depends not only on your jewelry, but also on the location. If you place it on the outer third of the eyebrow, the piercing can make your eye appear wider and more open. If you put it in the inner third, closer to the root of the nose, it gives a serious tone to the facial expressions.The most common location is towards the outer part of the eyebrow, just outside the arch of the eyebrow. This placement is satisfactory on most faces. The angle of the piercing can also be adjusted, from almost completely vertical to diagonal. A vertical placement draws more attention to the piercing itself, as opposed to the face. If you place it at an approximate 45-degree angle, where the lower ball meets the edge of the iris, it can emphasize the eyes, but the exact angle depends on the individual anatomy.
Overall, eyebrow piercings are one of the most user-friendly face piercings available. They do not hurt so much to endure, are easy to care for and they are flattering to most facial features. They give you very little to worry about, apart from maybe your boss and your mom.
Here we have collected different rings that fit well and look extra nice in a pierced eyebrow, keep in mind that it is important that you use the right size, just because a piece of jewelry is in this category does not mean that it fits your piercing!
Of course, most "regular" rings work as well and you will find them in your own categories.
The two most common ways to take care of a new piercing are:
Saline solution as recommended, you can mix it yourself and soak the piercing, you can also buy a ready-made solution in spray form: H2Ocean piercing aftercare spray which speeds up the healing with the help of natural sea salt and minerals. The spray should carefully remove each and every scab. It is packed sterile in a separate pressure vessel, thanks to this, cross-contamination is almost impossible. The spray is antibacterial and disinfectant. We also have a similar product: Recovery Aftercare Spray which is completely vegan.
Alternatively, you can wash with Barbarella Bodysoap. Take a few drops in your hand when you shower, lather up and soap the piercing. Let it work for 30 seconds. Rinse thoroughly with water afterwards.