Interested in a labret piercing but not sure where to start? You came to the right place! We'll cover common questions like "how long does a labret piercing take to heal?" and "how much does a labret piercing cost?". Our guide covers everything you need to know about a labret piercing and labret studs.
First, let's clear up some confusion. There's a type of piercing called the labret. The jewelry typically worn in this piercing is also called a labret or labret stud. The reason this can be confusing for some is that labret jewelry is very popular, versatile, and can be worn in many piercings. In other words, you could wear a labret (jewelry) in your helix piercing. So, if there's one takeaway to remember, it's that there's labret jewelry and a specific piercing called a labret. Now that that's out of the way...
The labret piercing is located below the bottom lip, in the center. The labret is an ancient piercing, and in many cultures, materials like bone, horn, or stone were used. Fun fact: we actually carry stone and glass options for stretched labrets, for those interested in going old school.
A professional piercer will use a hollow needle to puncture through the bottom area of the lip. Before getting pierced, let your piercer know the type of jewelry you plan to wear. This will determine the angle and distance from your lip you're pierced at.
The piercer will decide on the gauge of the labret piercing. Typically, it's 16 to 12 gauge. Just as the name suggests, the initial jewelry for this piercing is labret jewelry, also known as a labret stud.
To accommodate for swelling, piercers use a longer labret post. Once the swelling subsides, you can downsize to shorter jewelry. Ask you piercer when you should be back to downsize the jewelry. It's usually within a few weeks after getting pierced.
For many people, it's about five out of 10. As piercings go, it's not too bad, but the area around the lips is generally pretty sensitive, so there will be some discomfort. Piercings that penetrate the lip, like a vertical labret, are more painful. It's worth noting that vertical labrets are named for their position, but they don't use labret jewelry. Vertical labrets actually use curved barbells.
The final labret piercing price will vary. The cost can range from $35 to $100 or even more. The price depends on the piercing studio, the piercer's experience, and the type of initial jewelry selected. Opt for high-quality jewelry like implant-grade titanium to make the healing process smoother.
The healing process for a labret is anywhere from two to six months. You'll see shorter healing times listed in some places, but that's for the lucky few. Piercings around the lips often take longer to heal because of the constant movement of the lips. You're eating, drinking and talking. It may take longer than you expected to heal.
You'll want to keep taking good care of it for even longer, maybe even nine months to a year. Wearing jewelry that fits properly and not changing it until it's fully healed is essential. It may be tempting to switch to new jewelry, but be patient. The last thing you want to do is disrupt the healing process.
Follow your piercer's aftercare instructions. Clean the outside of your piercing twice a day with saline spray and the inside with an alcohol-free mouthwash. Just like any other piercing, don't touch it!
What does cleaning your piercing look like? Wash your hands before you begin. Spray the saline solution on the outside of the piercing and let it sit for a couple of minutes. You can let it air dry or use a clean paper towel to pat dry around the piercing.
For the inside of the mouth, gently swish around an alcohol-free mouthwash. After eating or drinking, you'll want to rinse your mouth with clean water to keep bacteria from building up. Get a new toothbrush with soft bristles and be gentle brushing around the area. The reason you don't want to use your old toothbrush is that it probably has a lot of bacteria on it. You can gently clean crusties with some of our aftercare products too.
Other aftercare tips to consider:
Remember to downsize your jewelry once the swelling goes down. This will help prevent accidentally biting down on a labret post that's too long.
When it comes to jewelry, there are several options. Of course, there’s the labret. When you shop around, you may see labret jewelry referred to as labret studs, flat-back earrings, and the threadless labrets as push pin studs. They're all labret jewelry.
Other jewelry options are lip rings, circular barbells, captive bead rings or twist barbells. Ask your piercer for your labret piercing gauge and labret piercing length or diameter of the jewelry you can wear. You want to make sure the jewelry fits properly to avoid gum and tooth damage.
Though labret piercings are usually 16 gauge to 12 gauge, they can also stretch. If you have a stretched labret, you'll need larger gauge labret jewelry.
If you plan to wear rings in your piercing, or stretch it, make sure to talk to your piercer so they can ensure the best placement for your piercing.
If you want a piercing that draws attention to your lips, you can't beat labrets. They're elegant and beautiful, and there's a wide variety of gorgeous jewelry you can wear in them.
SHOP OUR LABRET SELECTION HERE
How do I pair chains with a labret?
Short chains, which we carry on our site, can be worn with healed labrets. You can wear them either outside the lip, connecting two labrets together, or around the lip, connecting the front and back of the labret. Like most piercings that interact with the lips and mouth, you'll want to be careful when doing this to avoid damage to the teeth when chewing or getting something caught on the fragile chains and breaking them.
This is an amazing look, but it's typically for a night out rather than an all-the time-thing. That's not to say that you can't, but you'll need to be extra careful around it if you do try to wear it 24/7.
Although the traditional lip labret piercing is centered under the lip, any lip piercing is technically a labret. That means anything from a snake bites piercing to a Madonna piercing is also a labret.
Lower side labrets, as the name implies, are where the piercing is located to the left or right of the center. A labret stud, ring, or circular barbell are popular jewelry choices. Similarly, shark bites or spider bites are technically double labret piercings.
For those who want to stretch, a lowbret piercing is an option. This lower lip labret piercing, is also centered but it goes as far down as the lip allows. The location of this piercing allows more room to stretch. However, there may be a greater chance of gum damage due to the piercing location.
There are many more labret or lip piercing variations like the philtrum piercing, vertical labret, Ashley piercing and much more. It can get confusing, but don't worry, we cover all these lip piercings in a different blog.
Labret piercings and other lip piercings, except for vertical labrets, have a higher risk of damaging your gums and teeth. Anyone considering lip piercings should keep this in mind. If you have issues with your oral health or are worried about your oral health, this might not be the piercing for you.
If you have braces, you should wait until you get them off to get this piercing. The jewelry can irritate the piercing or even get stuck in your braces. If you have any oral health concerns, talk to your dentist. Remember, your oral health comes first.
Do labrets damage your teeth?
They can. Any piercing worn inside the mouth can potentially cause tooth and gum damage. Labrets that are misaligned with the teeth behind them or ill fitting jewelry can cause issues over time. Discussing these issues with your piercer beforehand is important. If you notice any damage to your teeth or gums, consult your dentist immediately.
Are labrets leaky? Will my drinks drip from my labret?
Don't worry! Unless you have a stretched labret with no jewelry in it, you won't have to worry about leakage. A normal labret won't leak when you drink liquids. You may drool a bit until you get used to drinking with it, but that's mostly due to swelling at first.
It is common for people with healed labrets to take the jewelry out and squirt a stream of liquid through it like a squirt gun. Everyone does it. You can't help it. But don't try it until the piercing is fully healed! Once it is, we know you'll do it.
How long should I wait before drinking alcohol or coffee?
Avoid alcohol or caffeine while you're still experiencing swelling or bleeding. Drink cold liquids first, especially during the early stages of healing. Once things have healed up, you can reintroduce other liquids. Avoid citrus, like lemonade, as this can burn. Avoid alcohol for the same reason. And coffee is probably fine if you need the caffeine, but stick to cold brew to avoid irritation and swelling.
How do you kiss with a labret? How long should you wait to have oral sex after a labret piercing?
Lots of people wonder how you kiss with a labret piercing. The answer is basically just like normal. Getting used to it doesn't take too much. Be a little careful when first going in for a kiss, but once you've tried it, you'll find that it comes easily.
Before engaging in serious kissing, make sure you are fully healed. This can take two to six months or longer. For one, your partner's mouth germs can be different from your own, and their gerns can cause irritation or infection. And all that smooching is likely to irritate the piercing itself, just like touching it would. Little pecks are okay, but save that make out session for a little ways down the road.And the same goes for oral sex for basically the same reasons.
How do you pronounce labret?
Labret comes from the Latin word, labrum, meaning lip. Since it has a Latin origin and not French, as many people think, the correct way to say it is lah-brett and not lah-bray.
Labret piercing vs vertical labret: what's the difference?
Even though they both have the word labret, they are different piercings. A vertical labret is pierced upward through the lip. It goes vertically through the center of the lower lip and exits just below the lip. It does not go through the inside of the mouth like a labret does. This piercing is a great option if you have oral health concerns. Learn more about the vertical labret piercing here.
A labret is any piercing around the lip. The piercing goes through the outside of the lip and exits through the inside of the mouth.
What if my labret is going inside my lip?
This usually means you're swelling too large for the post of your labret. You'll want to go see your piercer to get a longer post to allow room for the swelling. Having a piercer measure you for the right length is important. A post that's too long can increase the risk of infection by allowing more food and items to get stuck in the piercing.
Now that we've covered what you need to know about a labret piercing, let's answer some questions about the labret stud or labret jewelry. First off, yes, you can wear a labret stud or simply a labret in a labret piercing.
Are labrets the same as flat-back earrings?
How do labrets work?
Insert the post from the back of the piercing until it pokes out the front. Then screw in the end. Over time, a threaded labret may become loose. Check it regularly to make sure it is securely screwed in place and hasn't fallen out. Otherwise, you'll be left with just the post.
Threadless labrets solve this problem neatly, and a lot of folks opt for those. But if you do go threaded, take our advice and get a spare end. We've got tons of great options for affordable ends. You can typically add them to your order for just a couple of bucks. And then you'll always sleep easy!
Sometimes the ends come loose while you sleep. People usually find them in the morning after searching, but sometimes they disappear forever. Threadless labrets work very similarly to threaded labrets, but with a minor change (see below).
How do threadless labrets work?
So incredibly well! Check out the video below for our guide to using threadless ends themselves. But for the basics, know that a threadless labret will not unscrew, making losing the end a real rarity. They use a post that creates its own internal tension to hold together, instead of a screw.
They're really easy to put in and take out, too. And they reduce the 'fidget' habit that most threaded labret wearers develop, where they keep checking their labrets to make sure they're screwed in tight.
They don't reduce the other fidget habit, where you spin the labret with your tongue and move it side to side. That's more of a feature than a bug. It's part of what makes labrets fun!
How do I measure my labret? What are the most common labret sizes?
The two significant measurements are gauge and wearable. The gauge is how thick the labret is. The wearable is the length of the labret where it is worn in your piercing. The wearable is like the amount of space you have between the back of the labret and the end. Kind of like the tree trunk, between the roots and the branches. See the image above for a quick reference to the wearable!
Since labrets can be worn in many piercings, there's no one-size-fits-all. Ask your piercer to measure you for the gauge and length to make shopping easier.
Can I wear labrets as earrings?
Yes! Regular jewelry stores now sell labrets as "flat back earrings." The flat back of the labret is more comfortable than a regular earring post that pokes out.
This is extremely convenient for people with multiple ear piercings. They don't have to take them out every night to sleep. People often find labrets comfortable enough to wear in their ears all the time. If you have a lot of ear piercings and your ears are still too sensitive to sleep with labrets in, consider using a donut pillow.
How do I wear a labret in my nostril?
You'll want to get a labret with the same wearable as the nose bone or stud that you'd normally wear. When in doubt, go a bit bigger to leave room. You don't want it to fit too tight.
Why would you wear a labret in your nostril? They're a little hard to get in, since you have to put the post inside your nose. So you definitely need a small finger to do it. If you're working over the sink, don't forget to put down a towel so nothing goes down the drain if you drop it! But once they're in, a labret can reduce tickle or make a little extra breathing room. They also stay in place really well. If you're using a threadless labret, you'll want to adjust the bend in the pin (see above) to make it easy to remove.
What you don't want is to be tugging on it or trying to get your fingers in your nose to hang on to the post. Using an insertion taper or labret tweezers can help insert and remove a labret in your nose piercing. And having some longer nails can really make this change a breeze!
How do I wear labrets in my helix and other ear piercings?
The labret I use for my lip is a threadless labret. This type of jewelry is really easy to remove. All you need to do is gently pull it out.
The new jewelry I'm using is a clicker ring. A clicker ring is super convenient because you just pop it open. Get your clicker ring ready for insertion.
Now, take your clicker ring and carefully insert it into the piercing hole. Once it's in place, just click it closed. It's as simple as that!
And that's it! You've successfully changed your labret jewelry. Changing your labret jewelry can be quick and easy if you follow these steps.
Hopefully this guide will get you into the world of labrets with all the knowledge you need.
Did this answer all your labret questions? If you've got a question we didn't cover, please email us at help@bodyartforms.com and we'll answer your question directly!
