There was a time when piercing your ears with a lemon and a ‘sanitised’ needle was the done thing.
For those brave enough to move the needle a little closer to their eyes, facial piercings were the next big step.
Placements for the jewellery can vary so widely the question of “what can you pierce” is better replaced with “what can’t you pierce?”
Answer: Not much.
But there is a tattoo and piercing parlour in New York that refuses to perform one of the most popular piercings.
Studio 28 piercer TJ Cantwell told Bustle his salon refused to do the piercing known as ‘snake eyes’.
The ‘snake eyes’ piercing pushes a curved bar horizontally through an individual’s tongue so that silver balls pop out on either side.
Cantwell explained the procedure is extremely dangerous due to how it affects the muscles of the tongue.
“It binds together the two muscles that make up the tongue so they cannot move independently,” he said.
The experienced professional said the technique will almost always leave the individual with permanent damage.
“It is almost guaranteed the client will see gum erosion, cracking/chipping of the teeth, and migration/rejection of the piercing leaving a nasty looking scar,” he said.
Err…
The cool factor of the piercing may be slightly outweighed by the potential risk involved its placement.