Snake bite piercing is a kind of body piercing, or you can say facial Piercing. Snake bites piercings are named after the similarity in appearance and are a variation of labret lip piercing.
The Piercing is done on both the sides of the lip to mimic the look of snake fangs. The two piercing are separated evenly. These are usually fitted with CBR’s encircling the bottom lip or Labret stud depending upon personal preference.
Make your jewelry choice on your snake bites before stepping in the store, you can’t change the jewelry type from a labret to a ring, the holes for both are made differently. A lot of healing problems and irritations come along with the changing jewelry holes.
You need to know that two piercings are done at the same time in snake bite piercings, and it can get a bit stressful and irritating for your body. You also need to find a professional piercer who is experienced and can line them carefully because even a slightly off-center or higher lower lining will look bad.
Snakebite piercings look very aesthetic, but before jumping into the shop, here are a few things that you must know. From the process of healing piercing to expenses to piercing jewelry, we have covered it all. Scroll down to get answers to all your questions.
How much does the snake bite piercing hurt?
Snake bite piercing includes getting under the needle twice, one after the other. This can be stressful for the body, and the second Piercing might hurt more than the first one because all the adrenaline for dealing with pain is used up in the first Piercing.
However, this type of Piercing hurts less than other types of body piercings and facial piercings because the skin beneath the lip is not as sensitive as on the lips. Many people have claimed that they feel more discomfort in the initial few days after getting Piercing.
You might come across swelling around the pierced area accompanied by throbbing and pain. Snake bites piercing swells more than other types of piercings and can cause impeding speech and difficulty in eating.
What is the snake bite piercing healing process?
Just like the labret piercing, the snake bite piercing healing process lasts up to around 6-8 weeks. Because of two simultaneous puncture healing, you might come across some complications.
During the initial few days of healing piercing, you might see swelling around the lower lip. You will have to be extra careful while talking and eating, or else you will risk aggravating Piercing.
After Care rules of Piercing:-
As snake bites include two lip piercings simultaneously you need to be vigilant and extra careful in your aftercare instructions when dealing with a fresh piercing.
If anyone of the Piercing delay healing or gets infected, there are chances that the other Piercing might also get infected. It is crucial to refrain from touching the jewelry at piercing sites.
Your saliva is a breeding ground for bacteria and microbes; therefore, it becomes essential to maintain proper oral hygiene and to minimize the risk of any other complications.
Some unique aftercare instructions to follow in snake bite piercings are:
Eat soft foods
During the first few weeks of piercing, it is advised to consume smooth, comfortable-to-eat foods. It will be challenging to move the mouth for a few days, and eating becomes quite challenging.
Consume easily to chew foods to avoid chomping on your new jewelry and causing painful damage. You would want to avoid salty and spicy foods to prevent the wound from getting irritated.
Avoid touching the Jewelry
Sometimes, we absentmindedly keep playing with the new jewelry, but it is essential to leave the labret studs alone until the piercings heal.
Our tongue and fingers carry harmful bacteria, which can cause infection in the wounds, and continuously moving the jewelry will cause healing skin trauma.
This can have bad complications like snake bite piercing rejection and also scarring.
Clean Your Mouth
It is important to keep the initial piercing site clean as much as possible. Brush your teeth gently after every meal to avoid gum damage.
Use a homemade sea salt mixture or any salt solution to rinse your mouth. this will prevent any chance to harbor bacteria in your mouth. Once you have the healed piercings you can switch to mouthwash.
Avoid Oral Sexual Contact
Until the snake bite piercings are fully healed avoid any kind of oral sexual activities. It carries the risk of transferring harmful bacteria and causing several other complications.
Other Aftercare tips:
- avoid alcohol
- avoid contact sports
- choose jewelry carefully to avoid gum damage and gum recession
- take small bites of food to not put much stress
Choose the right jewelry styles and size
Your piercing site will be fitted with a large-sized jewelry piece to make room for swelling. After the swelling goes down, consult with the professional piercer to switch to a small-sized piercing jewelry piece.
Popular snake bite piercings jewelry styles:-
There are wide verities of jewelry style options for snake bites piercing. It will be a good idea to first decide the style of jewelry you would like to go for, a hoop style, ball closure rings, or a labret stud because the punctures differ for both of these.
It is not easy to make a switch from one jewelry style to another as the initial piercings may experience trauma; therefore, it is recommended to consider what form you want before visiting the piercer carefully.
Labret stud
mimics the look of actual snake fangs or bite. Choose a stud with a flat back disc to minimize the rubbing against gums and teeth. You will get many options to choose from like-colored balls, spiked charms, prong-set diamonds, etc.
Seamless hoops and Captive bead earrings
These are the most popular style form in hoops jewelry.
Circulars barbells
These have balls on the ends and make a statement jewelry style.
Snakebite jewelry usually comes in 14G or 16G.
Jewelry Material Used for Snake Bites Piercing
Surgical steel
Most snake bites piercing jewelry are made of surgical steel because of its appearance and high quality. however, if you are particularly allergic to nickel you should stay away from Surgical steel.
Titanium
another best idea to use for your snake bites piercing is titanium jewelry. it not only has all the properties of steel but also nickel.
So if you are allergic to nickle you can instead go for titanium jewelry for a customized look.
Gold
another great choice of piercing jewelry is gold which looks chicer. it is essential to choose gold jewelry that has at least 14 karats.
Anything less than this can be too soft may harbor bacteria.
Changing Out Snake Bites Piercing
When you get the snake bites piercing for the first time you need to choose a larger piece of jewelry to give space to swelling. However, once the piercing heals you need to replace the jewelry with something thin.
You should visit your piercer to enquire about the right kind of jewelry that will fit you best without touching the teeth or becoming too snug.
After 3 to 6 months when the piercing heals completely you can start changing the jewelry on your own.
For doing this you need to hold a flat base on the inside of the lips and twist the ball using the other hand. Before changing the jewelry make sure that the piercing has completely healed. If you try to change the jewelry anytime before it can prolong the healing time and even cause infections in your snake bites piercing.
Side Effects of Snake Bites Piercing
Sometimes snake bites piercing healing process may not go well and this may cause certain side effects as discussed below.
Swelling
snake bite piercing consists of two piercings which is why it is swelling is common. if the swelling does not go away even after a week or reappears again consider medical help.
Infection
If you do not follow aftercare steps properly your piercing may get infected just like any other piercings. any sudden swelling, redness, or pain would be an alert and you should visit a healthcare professional in such case.
Scarring
Any type of body piercing tends to leave a mark. Before getting a piercing it is essential to know about all the side effects if you ever decide to remove the snake bites in the future. sometimes scarring may also be caused due to infection and poor aftercare practices.
Why shouldn’t I get a snake bite piercing?
Like any other lip piercings or oral piercings, snake bite jewelry goes inside of the mouth. It runs the risk of damaging gums and teeth by causing tooth decay, broken teeth, enamel wear, and receding gum lines.
The two simultaneous snake bite piercing run the risk of encouraging infections. If you have sensitive gums or any teeth problems steer away from lip piercings.
Following aftercare practices, religiously is very important to avoid the growth of any kind of infection.
How much will it cost?
You will get two punctures in snake bite piercing, and it will cost you somewhere around $80-$120. Snake bite piercings are expensive compared to other types of lip piercing.
Always choose an experienced piercer who can puncture the snake bites in symmetry. You wouldn’t want to discover that your new Piercing is not aligned. Find a reliable piercer who has a steady hand and sharp eyes.
Take a close observation at the marks made by the marker before getting punctures. Be sure of the alignment however you have to live an entire life with those piercings.
