Questions You’re Too Scared to Ask About Vagina Piercings

Piercings may no longer be taboo, but some are still shrouded in mystery. Genital piercings, and particularly vagina piercings, aren’t discussed as openly or freely as ear, nose, or lip piercings. The area is far more intimate, and some women may be afraid to ask certain questions. Fear not, we’ve answered all the questions you’re too scared to ask about female genital piercings.

What types of piercings are there?
Professionals use the term “vagina” piercings, but vulva would probably be more accurate. There are tons of different types of piercings out there- vertical and horizontal clitoris piercings, inner and outer labia piercings, and also fourchette and Christina piercings. It ultimately comes down to a women’s anatomy to determine which piercings work best.

How do I find the right piercer?
It’s a lot harder to find a good piercer when it comes to vagina piercings. It’s not like professional piercers can advertise that sort of work on their Instagram. Many of them only have images of that type of work in their portfolios in the shop. Read some reviews, ask friends, and once you’ve found a reputable piercer ask what sort of vagina piercings they’ve done before.

Will it bleed?
Not a ton, but if you rip it out that’s a whole other story.

How old do I have to be?
In Ontario, a person needs to be 18 years or older to get genital or nipple piercings. Even if a person has parental permission, this sort of piercing can’t be given to anyone under 18.

Do I need to shave before?
Nope, piercers are able to work with whatever hair you have down there.

How much does it hurt?
Of course, it hurts, but the pain isn’t unimaginable. Most people find the pressure put on the skin before the needle goes in to be the most painful part of the process.

Will it increase sensitivity?
Some people say it does for them. The piercing may add some spice to your sex life, but it won’t necessarily increase sensitivity to the area. What happens is the piercings increase stimulation to the area.

What aftercare is there?
Trust us, you’ll want to make sure any piercing near your vagina is well taken care of. Luckily it comes with a pretty good self-cleaning system. Some warm water and soap are all it needs. Ask your piercing for a complete list of aftercare tips.

How long until I can have sex again?
Everyone heals at different rates, but piercers say it’s important to wait until it’s healed. Of course, in reality, most people don’t want to wait months. Be careful, avoid touching it with hands as much as possible, and if anything hurts stop immediately.

What about if I get pregnant?
Pregnancy doesn’t impact piercings usually. Most doctors will require patients to remove vagina piercings before giving birth so that nothing gets caught or torn during delivery. If it starts to feel uncomfortable when you’re pregnant take it out, but most women don’t notice pregnancy impacting it.

Contact us if you’re interested in a vaginal piercing!

Constellation Piercings 101

We talk a lot about tattoo trends, but piercings have their own trends in styles too. The last year has seen a huge boom in on particular style- constellation piercings. This style allows for creativity and individuality as people cultivate their own unique cluster of piercings on their ears. Here is everything you need to know about this piercing trend.

Style
Constellation piercings are basically an artful cluster of piercings on the ear. The multiple piercings allow people to go as simple or as creative as they want. Having multiple ear piercings have been a trend for a while, but it’s only recently that it’s gotten the starry name and taken off. It’s a fresh modern take on multiple ear piercings that really is unique to each person.

Location
Part of the reason people love constellation piercings is that they can be anywhere on the ear. For those that don’t want multiple cartilage piercings, having the option for a cool lobe-piercing trend is exciting. The cluster can be anywhere, whether you want it on the earlobe, the cartilage, the inner ear, or up the entire ear, it’s up to you.

Jewelry
The great thing about this trend is that it can be tailored to your ear shape and sense of style. Most people have been opting for smaller, daintier piercings that give an understated minimalist look. Other’s are going for statement shapes like stars, moons, and crosses. People can use any mix of jewelry, such as studs, shapes, rings, and bars, for constellation piercings.

Design
There are endless possibilities and combinations for constellation piercings. Just like the starry constellations, the piercing is named after, each piercing helps create an image. A popular lobe constellation design is a triangle arrangement where three piercings are close together. A more classic one is a linear design where the piercings go up the ear. You can add dimension to the design by alternating between longer rings and shorter studs for a staggering height.

Timeline
There’s no set timeline, but most professional piercers don’t recommend getting a ton of piercings done at once. It can make it harder to heal with all the swelling. Sleeping and other normal tasks may also be uncomfortable with multiple new piercings. It’s best to build them up one at a time.

Pain
How much a piercing hurts depends on where it’s done. Lobe piercings generally tend to hurt the least, while cartilage and inner ear ones hurt more. The good news is that pain from piercings is brief.

Conclusion
Constellation piercings look like a trend that will last awhile. Make sure you always take care of your new piercings my following proper aftercare advice. If you’re interested in getting a new piercing, or a tattoo, contact us or visit our downtown Toronto tattoo shop!.

All of the Tattoos and Piercings Kylie Jenner Has

You can hardly go a week without hearing something about Kylie Jenner. She’s become a cultural icon of coolness and youth culture. From her makeup line to her endless love life, people love to talk about her. More than anything it’s her body they talk about- Plastic surgery, fashion, and body modification.

When you live a life in the public eye it’s pretty hard to keep things secret, especially permanent fixtures like tattoos and piercings. Thankfully, Kylie is pretty open. She documents her growing collection of body modifications on Instagram and Snapchat.

Here are all of the known Kylie Jenner piercings & tattoos:

Piercings
Kylie Jenner is constantly doing new photo shoots and red carpet appearance. This can make it hard to know which of her piercings are real and which are just for those. We do know she hasn’t just limited herself to ear piercings though.
Here are all her known piercings:

• Industrial piercings: In 2015 Kylie posted a picture on Instagram revealing a stunning industrial piercing in her right ear.
• Daith piercing: Kylie sports a beautiful ring in her daith in her right ear.
• Forward Helix Piercing: Also in her right ear, Kylie sports a small dainty forward Helix ring.
• Lobe Piercings: It looks like Kylie has one lobe piercing in both ears
• Cartilage Piercings: Kylie has multiple cartilage piercings. In her right ear she has one about mid-helix. Her left ear has at least five cartilage/helix piercings, which she debuted with piercing spelling “KYLIE”. It looks like she upped that number to 8 now.
• Nipple Piercings: Kylie Jenner’s nipple piercings continue to make headlines. They’re constantly being coyly flashed on her social media. They look so good that they actually convinced her big sister Kendall to get her own too.

Tattoos
Many people don’t realize that Kylie Jenner actually has quite a few tattoos. She prefers smaller, minimalist ones so they can be easy to miss. She got her first one for her 18^th birthday and hasn’t looked back.

Here’s a list of her known ink:

1. Ankle “t”

Kylie has a small lower case “t” on her ankle. It was done as a tribute to her on-and-off again (now seemingly permanently off) boyfriend Tyga. Tyga himself rocks a large Kylie tattoo on her arm. We wonder how he’s going to cover that up now that the breakup is final.

2. Back of Arm Heart

The first tattoo Kylie ever got was a small red outline of a heart on the back of her left arm. This tattoo was supposedly also a tribute to her Tyga, although this isn’t verified.

3. Hip “Sanity”

Only 3 months after her first tattoo Kylie Jenner went under the needle again. Hey, they do say it’s addicting. Her second tattoo was another red piece. It featured the phonetic spelling of the word “sanity” (\′sa-nƏ-tè\) on her right hip. Due to the placement, size, and color of this ink though people often joke about it looking like a best-before date stamp on an egg.

4. Arm “Mary Jo”

Kylie definitely seems to be fond of red tattoos. Her third tattoo was another scarlet one, this time something a little more personal. She got her grandmother’s name “Mary Jo” on her left bicep in February 2016. To add an extra level of sentiment, the tattoo was done in her late grandfather’s handwriting.

5. Finger “M”

Yup, you guessed it, another red one! In May 2016, Kylie got a squiggly “M” tattoo done on the inside of her pinkly finger. This was done with her BFF Jordyn Woods. We’re not always a fan of couple tattoos, but getting matching ink with your best friend does sound sweet. They do say boyfriends come and go (sometimes the same one, looking at you Tyga) but friendship is forever!

6. Hip “Before”

In July 2016 Kylie added to her “sanity” hip tattoo. She put the word “before” in the area so that the tattoo now reads “before sanity”.

7. Leg “Butterfly”

You’d think Kylie Jenner would have learned that boyfriends aren’t forever. That didn’t stop her from getting matching butterfly tattoos with her new boyfriend Travis Scott. It’s a minimal butterfly design (this time not in red!) on her lower left leg. The tattoos seems to reference Travis Scott’s new single “Butterfly Effect” which people suspect is about Kylie.
Contact us to get your next Kylie Jenner inspired tattoo or piercing!

Everything You Need To Know About Pregnancy and Piercings

Piercers get asked all the time how pregnancy will affect piercings. Certain piercing locations, such as facial ones, usually aren’t affected. Other places will be impacted. Everyone experienced different changes during pregnancy so some individuals have issues while others don’t. You should always contact your specific piercer if you have any issues but here a few things to keep in mind about piercings and pregnancy.

Belly Button Piercings

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the stomach is what changes the most during pregnancy. What this means for piercings is that as the baby grows and the stomach expands belly button piercings will probably have to be removed. Not only will the area become tight and uncomfortable, but even innie belly buttons become outies.

The good new is that they make special large plastic curved barbell piercings for pregnancy. They are flexible so they bend easily and can be worn during ultrasound appointments. Some women opt to just remove their piercings altogether during pregnancy, which is an option too.

Nipple Piercings

Nipple piercings are also affected by pregnancy. They don’t always have to be removed but the breasts become larger and more sensitive during pregnancy. Piercings here can become uncomfortable.

During breastfeeding, nipple piercings do have to be removed. A piercing can cause the baby to have trouble latching, they may damage their mouths, and there’s always the risk of the jewelry choking them. Some women remove the piercings only when feeding and then put them back in. This is an option but the nipples may become sore and the piercings have to be kept very clean when removed to avoid infection. The piercings may close if removed but can easily be re-pierced later on.

Genital Piercings

Genital piercings may be affected depending on where they are. Clitoral ones usually aren’t a problem except for slight discomfort at times when the area becomes swollen. Most doctors do require all genital piercings to be removed when it comes time to giving birth. This is done to limit the risk to the baby and yourself as it could get caught on the baby or the area could tear during birth.

New Piercings

No doctor, piercer, or tattoo artist recommends getting any new ink or piercing while pregnant or breastfeeding. In fact, most tattoo shops will refuse. Even when carefully done there is a risk of infection. They body runs harder during pregnancy making the immune system compromised. It’s best to wait for you and your child until you have given birth and the child is weaned.

Conclusion

Piercings during pregnancy really depend on the individual. If you experience any discomfort it’s best to remove them. Even if the holes close they can always be re-pierced later. If you have any questions feel free to contact a Toronto Tattoo Shop. 

Which Piercing Locations Are The Most Painful?

A big question we get asked a lot at our downtown Toronto tattoo shop is “how much will it hurt to get pierced there”? 

To answer that burning question we’ve ranked the most popular piercings locations by pain level from least painful to most painful.

Least Painful

Lobe Piercings

A lobe piercing is so painless and common that it’s the only piercing that can be done under the age 16 without parental consent. Even babies get them done. People compare the pain to a slight, brief pinch. To get an idea of pain, pinch your earlobe.

Eyebrow

Eyebrow piercings aren’t as common and they’re certainly more for the trendy crowd. However, they aren’t painful to get despite what many people think. People say it’s more of a slight pressure pain than anything.

Navel

Who didn’t get their bellybutton pierced during the early 2000’s? This piercing location’s popularity has died down some but it’s still a hit spot. The good news is that it’s pretty painless with piercers comparing the pain to a brief bee sting.

Moderately Painful

Nasal

When it comes to nose piercings there are tons of options. The pain can differ depending on where on the nose you get pierced. The nostril is the least painful while the septum, which has more cartilage, is more painful. Overall, a nose piercing is moderate in terms of pain though expect your eyes to water.

Lip

There are lots of options for lip piercings too. Most lip piercings are the same amount of pain but if you get multiple the pain multiples too. These piercings aren’t too painful though but the swelling afterward can be (and it makes you look like you took a hit!).

Ear

The lobe isn’t the only popular location to piercer on the ear nowadays. Other location on the ear, basically anywhere on the ear, is popular today. These locations tend to be more painful than the lobe though. The exact pain level depends on where you get pierced but the thicker the cartilage in the area the more painful it will be.

Tongue

Tongue piercings are still more taboo than other facial piercings. People expect them to hurt a lot, especially since the only experience people have to compare it to is biting one's tongue. The truth is that the pain is fairly moderate as the pain is more localized than accidentally biting your tongue. It can swell afterward though making it difficult to eat and talk.

Most Painful

Nipple

Thanks to celebrities like Rihanna and Kylie Jenner, nipple piercings have become incredibly popular. Toronto tattoo shops get more of this requested every day. Be warned though- they hurt. This area is sensitive which only increases the pain. Clothing rubbing against them also makes them more uncomfortable than other piercings.

Dermal

Dermal piercings are different than other piercings in that they don’t go all the way through the skin. They are either placed partially or completely under the skin. Because of this, dermal piercings are incredibly painful. They can be placed almost anywhere on the body and depend on where they’re placed the higher the pain is.

Genital

As expected, genital piercings are the most painful. Whether you’re getting male or female genitals pierced it’s going to hurt. The pain is intense but it’s over pretty quickly. It’s extremely important to follow aftercare advice for these piercings though as serious health issues could arise.

Conclusion

Much like tattoos, the piercing pain is all based on where it gets done. They don’t always hurt as badly as tattoos, nor are they as permanent, but a professional Toronto piercer should do them.

Types of Ear Piercings Explained

The amount of ear piercing options has doubled since your grandmother’s day. Any and every location on your ear is not available for piercing by a top Toronto piercer. Below are the most common types of ear piercing types available today.

Lobe

Your standard lobe piercing is so common now babies even have them. This piercing hurts less than all the rest and heals quickly with proper care.     

Upper Lobe

The upper lobe is often what people get for their second piercing. It is now just as common as the love piercing. It hurts a little more but not by much.     

Anti-Helix/ Snug

Snug, or anti-helix piercings, are located just inside of your outer ear. The area here isn’t as hard making it easier and less painful to get pierced.     

Tragus

The tragus is the cartilage that extends over your inner ear from your head. The cartilage there is really thick making it a painful area to get pierced.     

Anti-Tragus

As the name implies, the anti-tragus is opposite the tragus. This area can be small for many people making it hard or even impossible to get pierced. In addition, it is extremely painful, difficult, and uncomfortable to get pierced.     

Surface Tragus

The surface tragus is the area on the outer part of the tragus. The piercing won’t go through to the inner ear but this piercing is the most painful part of the tragus to get pierced.     

Conch

The conch is the larger concave region on the outer part of the ear. The area is very easy to get pierced due to the large and soft cartilage.

Daith

The daith, pronounced “doth”, area is situated just above the inner ear. The cartilage here is hard making it more difficult to get pierced but it looks great.     

Rook

The rook is the area just below the cartilage. Just a warning, this area is considered one of the most painful places to get pierced.

Helix/ Cartilage

The helix area is the outer part of the ear. Most often it is simply referred to as a cartilage piercing. The pain of the piercing depends on where along the helix you get pierced. The area is hard to heal though due to the low blood flow.

Forward Helix

A forward helix piercing gets placed through the upper, outer cartilage- the part at the front near the head.     

Flat

The flat area is the part of your ear between the upper cartilage and the rook, which is flat as the name implied. This area can take over a full year to heal so take care of it.     

Industrial

An industrial piercing is a rod between two holes on the top part of your ear cartilage. It takes a skilled piercer to get the two holes in the right position so find a good one.     

Gauges

Gauges are a type of piercing that makes large holes in the earlobe. The process requires you to start out slow and then work toward stretching out the ear lobe.  

Come visit us at our Toronto tattoo shop to discuss getting one of the following piercings.

Piercings 101

While getting a piercing might not be as big of a commitment as a tattoo, it still requires consideration and care. Before you go in for your next piercing at a Toronto Tattoo Shop, be sure to read these tips for before and after.  

Before Piercing Tips:

Assess Your Health:

            Certain pre-existing medical conditions will impact how well your body heals after a piecing. Always disclose and discuss these issues with your piercer and/or doctor before you get one done. Diabetes or severe heart issues could impact how long it takes your body to heal. People with metal allergies should also be cautious and ask about the metal of the piercing. Talk to your piercer about any of these health issues and they will advise you on how best to proceed.            

Tools of the Trade:

            Most professional piercers will tell you a needle is better than a gun, and they would be right. Getting pierced with a needle causes less shock to your body and heals faster.            

Select Location:

            Where you get pierced will impact how long it takes to heal. Areas around the mouth tend to heal faster while cartilage piercings will take longer to heal than lobe ones. Ask your piercer about healing times for various locations to help you decide.

After Piercing Tips:

Common Health Complications:

            Many health problems happen because people either don’t follow or stop following the prescribed aftercare tips. Piercings take at least a full 6-8 weeks to heal. Some piercings might naturally be rejected even if you follow all the advice. Contact your piercer if you feel your piercing isn’t healing properly.            

Aftercare:

            Always follow the provided aftercare advice. A new piercing might look red, feel sore, or crust over but that is all apart of the natural healing process. Only touch, rotate or disturb the piercing when it is being cleaned or it is wet. Any oozing or puss might be a sign of infection so contact a doctor or piercer right away.            

General Tips:

It’s always best to be informed so do research before you decide on a piercer or piercing. Check out your piercer’s portfolio to make sure they are skilled and you like their work. And always follow the aftercare advice of the piercer; they are the professionals after all.