Fast Facts:
- Placement: It is located below the eye, just above your cheekbone.
- Cost: $30-$80.
- Pain: A low pain level. It is rated at 4-5 on a scale of 10.
- Healing time: 6-8 weeks.
- Jewelry: Surface bars and curved barbells.
- Risks: Scars, rejections, infections.
Piercings are a unique way to decorate your body and express your edginess. One trending piercing type is the anti eyebrow piercing, also known as a butterfly piercing or butterfly kiss piercing. If you’re considering a face piercing, learn more about the anti-eyebrow piercing to see if it’s a good option for you.
What Is an Anti-Eyebrow Piercing?
An anti-eyebrow piercing is a surface piercing located below the eye, just above your cheekbone. As a surface piercing, it requires your piercer to pinch the skin and pierce through it to create an entry and exit point. Anti-piercings can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal depending on your preferences.
Image: Let Me Pierce.
Eyebrow and Anti Eyebrow Piercing: What’s the Difference?
While an eyebrow piercing is directly at your eyebrow, an anti-eyebrow or a butterfly kiss piercing is in the opposite position below your eye, just above your cheek.
And while an eyebrow piercing is usually up and down, an anti-eyebrow piercing is often positioned horizontally or diagonally, though it can be vertical.
Image: Bryan Jackson.
Anti-Eyebrow Piercing Price
Anti-eyebrow piercings usually cost $30-$80, not including jewelry. However, this cost can vary based on the piercer. Ensure you prioritize cleanliness, experience, and safety when choosing your piercer.
You’ll also want to use high-quality jewelry that doesn’t contain alloys since face piercings can be extra sensitive. Consider paying extra to help prevent complications with your new piercing.
Anti-Eyebrow Piercing Pain
On a pain scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being the worst and 0 being none at all, anti-eyebrow piercings are often rated at around 4 or 5. For those with a low pain tolerance, it may be more like a 5.
Going to an experienced piercer can be less painful because they’re skilled at piercing through the skin quickly and efficiently. If a piercer takes longer to get the needle through your skin, it can increase your level of pain.
Anti-Eyebrow Piercing Healing Time
Anti-eyebrow piercings usually take 6-8 weeks to heal. This timeframe could be longer if you’re someone who usually takes longer to heal. It could also be much longer if you don’t take proper care of your new piercing and experience an infection.
Keep in mind: It’s best to avoid changing your anti-eyebrow jewelry until you know it’s fully healed.
Anti-Eyebrow Piercing Healing Process
Anti eyebrow piercings involve a long piercing hole which makes the healing process even more important to ensure it doesn’t collect debris, bacteria, and other contaminants. The healing process typically entails the following:
- Week 1: After getting the piercing you’ll likely experience some pain or soreness at the piercing site, as well as redness and swelling.
- Week 2: Pain, discomfort, redness, and swelling should be subsiding.
- Week 3: The piercing should be comfortable without redness, swelling, or discharge.
- Weeks 4 through 8: You should have no pain or discomfort and the piercing should be free of discharge or crusty material with no swelling or redness.
A fully healed butterfly kiss piercing won’t have any discharge, won’t be red and swollen, won’t be painful or itchy, and will have jewelry that feels comfortable and free to gently move.
Anti-Eyebrow Piercing Meaning
Anti-eyebrow piercings are one type of self-expression. While some people feel facial piercings can be a sign of homosexuality, they’re typically just a style preference. Anti eyebrow piercings are a unique type of facial piercing that is often done by piercing enthusiasts who have several different piercings and are striving for an edgy look.
Anti-Eyebrow Piercing Jewelry
Choosing the right anti eyebrow jewelry is crucial to help prevent infection, support proper healing, and satisfy your style preferences. Consider the type of jewelry, length, gauge, color, and other characteristics when choosing the jewelry you want.
1. Types of Anti-Piercing Jewelry
Anti-eyebrow piercings use surface bars or curved barbells. The ends of the jewelry should still sit against your face, giving the look of a double piercing. The jewelry may have balls on each end, spikes, gemstones, or other accents like dice or pearls. Usually, both ends unscrew for easy removal.
Surface bars look like a staple with a 45- or 90-degree bend on each end of the bar. These are often ideal for facial surface piercings to help prevent migration. The ends of the bar should sit flush on the skin will minimal pulling and irritation.
For curved barbells, the curve is typically slight to be just enough to go in and out of your facial skin. These may be more prone to rejection so it’s important your piercer places it in the appropriate area on your face to follow its natural anatomy.
2. Anti-Eyebrow Jewelry Size
Anti-eyebrow jewelry size usually includes references to the length and the gauge. The gauge of anti-eyebrow barbells is usually 16g, which is the same for eyebrow piercings.
The jewelry can vary in length from ¼”-1” (6mm-25mm). Common lengths include 5/16”, ⅜”, and ⅝” (6mm, 8mm, 10mm). Talk with your piercer about what makes the most sense for you.
3. Anti-Eyebrow Piercing Jewelry Materials
Anti-eyebrow jewelry comes in many different materials, including:
- Implant-grade titanium: a body-safe material that’s also used in the medical field for things like joint replacements and bone pins.
- Bioflex plastic: flexible jewelry made from renewable materials that are metal-free and can come in different colors.
- Stainless steel: a hard, affordable metal that won’t tarnish and is extremely durable but may cause allergic reactions in some people with trace amounts of nickel.
- Gold or white gold: yellow gold and white gold offer an elegant look and are durable materials, though yellow gold is often more hypoallergenic, and white gold can be more durable because it has nickel and other metal alloys.
- Sterling silver: a metal allow that is durable, affordable, and appealing to the eye with its shiny appearance.
- Plated metal: The jewelry is made with a certain type of metal and then layered with another type of metal like gold.
Some of the safest options for butterfly kiss piercings include implant-grade titanium and surgical-grade stainless steel. Bioflex plastic may also be a good option if you want something flexible and non-metal. Plus, they come in many different colors.
Other types of materials could lead to allergic reactions or irritations to the sensitive skin of your face. For example, gold-plated steel could be problematic for some people with sensitive skin.
Anti-Eyebrow Piercing Risks
As with any piercing, there are some risks associated with anti-eyebrow piercings, including:
1. Anti-Eyebrow Piercing Scar
Anti-eyebrow piercings are likely to leave a scar. The scar can be very small or even unnoticeable, especially if you keep it clean and use scar cream afterward. However, issues like migration, rejection, and infection could lead to a larger, more noticeable scar.
2. Anti-Eyebrow Piercing Rejection
There is a chance your body will reject the anti-eyebrow jewelry. During rejection, your skin gets thinner and tighter, slowly pushing the jewelry to the surface. This is highly likely with straight bar jewelry, which is why butterfly piercings use curved barbell pieces.
3. Infected Anti Eyebrow Piercing
Any piercing runs the risk of infection, including anti-eyebrow piercings. Infection can happen based on the type of jewelry, poor aftercare, or simply because your body has a severe immune response to the piercing.
Signs of infection include redness, swelling, discharge, bleeding, extreme discomfort, or a fever. If you suspect an infection, reach out to your piercer and a health professional as soon as possible.
Anti-Eyebrow Piercing Pros and Cons
There are both potential pros and cons connected to anti-eyebrow piercings.
Pros of anti-eyebrow piercings might include:
- They create an edgy look.
- They’re a unique type of piercing for piercing enthusiasts.
- They allow you to express yourself.
- There are fun jewelry options.
- The pain level is often low.
Cons of anti eyebrow piercings might include:
- They’re very obvious and hard to hide.
- They require you to use curved barbell jewelry, limiting your options.
- They can migrate or end up getting rejected.
- They can leave scarring, especially if they do migrate or get rejected.
- They can lead to an infection.
Advantages and disadvantages can vary from person to person, so think through the process and risks before setting up your piercing appointment.
How to Clean an Anti Eyebrow Piercing?
To clean your anti eyebrow piercing, you should do the following 2-3 times a day:
- Wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap.
- Soak a paper towel with a piercing aftercare spray or a homemade saline or saltwater solution.
- Press the saturated paper towel gently against the jewelry for 3-5 minutes.
- Resoak as needed to ensure you thoroughly flushed out the piercing hole.
- Avoid drying with a fabric towel or other item that could pull on the jewelry.
Proper cleaning will help prevent infection and rejection, while also supporting your comfort and healing.
Conclusion
Anti eyebrow piercings can be a unique way to decorate your body. This type of facial piercing uses curved barbells that can contribute to an edgy look. However, there are risks associated with this piercing, especially if you don’t take proper care of it.
Consider all of the potential pros and cons, and determine if the butterfly kiss piercing is right for you.
Read More
What Does Nose Ring Mean Sexually?
Frog Eyes Piercing: Healing, Pain, Cost, Jewelry, Pros, and Cons
