Eyebrow Piercing Information & Aftercare

Eyebrow piercings are great options for any gender, so long as you have the proper anatomy. They originated in Western culture in the 1970s with the birth of the U.K. punk scene and then faded out until a revitalization happened in the 90s that made them all the rage again. Today, especially after Saltburn, they’re just as popular.

If you’re interested in getting an eyebrow piercing, we’ll take you through everything you need to know before you get one. We’ll talk about different placement options and what to know about jewelry options, the risks associated with eyebrow piercings, proper aftercare, and we’ll answer how to avoid rejection for as long as possible.

What Is An Eyebrow Piercing?

An eyebrow piercing is a surface piercing that goes through a surface level of skin. Because it is a surface piercing, it is more prone to rejection and migration, but we’ll discuss ways to help prevent that later.

Eyebrow Piercing Placement

Eyebrow piercings are very anatomy-dependent. Before discussing the different placement options, it’s important to mention what proper anatomy looks like to have the best chances at a thriving, healthy one.

As with most piercings, piercers will be looking to ensure you have enough pliable tissue to support the piercing. However, the area must also create a ridge or shelf shape, meaning it must be protrusive enough. Therefore, if you have a flat brow ridge or you don’t have much tissue where your brows are, you may not be able to get an eyebrow piercing.

In addition to facial anatomy, piercers examine brow hair growth (though you don’t need to have brow hair to get pierced) to determine specific placement. According to Elayne Angel, famed piercing pioneer, and author of The Piercing Bible, “the standard spot” for an eyebrow piercing “is toward the outer third or quarter of the brow.” In other words, standard brow piercings are placed between just past the arch and before where the tail starts to taper off. This is the standard placement because it’s easy to pierce, flattering on most facial anatomies, and easy to heal.

While the standard placement is common, you can be pierced almost anywhere along the brow as long as there is enough pliable tissue to support the piercing. Center-placed eyebrow piercings are becoming increasingly popular.

One last thing to note is that the “standard” angle for eyebrow piercings points toward the inner corner of the eye. However, you can do other angles as well. Ultimately, it’s up to your preference and whether your anatomy can suit the piercing or not.

Eyebrow Piercing Types

One reason the eyebrow piercing is so popular is its versatility in placement and type. There are three different types of eyebrow piercings, and they include:

Vertical Eyebrow Piercing

This is the classic or “standard” eyebrow piercing. It is often the most aesthetically pleasing on the face if placed so that it is perpendicular to the eyebrow, with the slant of the piercing reflecting the slant from the outer corner of the eye to the outer edge of the eyebrow.

A too-vertical placement will make the jewelry look awkward, especially if a ring is worn. The ring will stick straight out instead of resting against the eyebrow in a more natural-looking way.

Horizontal Eyebrow Piercing

This type of eyebrow piercing has gained popularity over the years and is similar to the “standard” vertical eyebrow piercing. While it’s gained popularity, it is still one of the rarer piercings performed at shops. It is placed horizontally above, below, or within the brow. It’s also common for this placement to be positioned at a slight angle because it better suits and enhances natural face anatomy. You may want to test a few different placement options in the mirror before you decide because it can affect the expression of your natural resting face.

Center Eyebrow Piercing

A center eyebrow piercing is a vertical eyebrow piercing done towards the center of the eyebrow. These piercings are typically done in pairs to keep symmetry between the brows.

Like a vertical eyebrow piercing, there must be enough tissue to pierce through. This means they are anatomy-dependent. The initial jewelry for them is a 14g curved barbell. The healing time is the same as a vertical eyebrow piercing.

However, due to the thicker hair growth in the area, center eyebrow piercings are more prone to ingrown hairs and discharge when healing.

Once they're fully healed, you can switch to a ring.

Eyebrow Piercing Jewelry

The jewelry you should get will depend on the type of eyebrow piercing you get.

For vertical eyebrow piercings, it’s best to start with a curved barbell for initial jewelry. These are easier to leave room for swelling than a ring or hoop. They also minimize the chances of it getting caught or snagged during the healing process. While some piercers perform vertical eyebrow piercings starting at a 16-gauge, they tend to be more successful from a 14-gauge minimum. A 16-gauge minimum increases the chances of rejection or migration because it is too thin.

Once the piercing has fully healed, you can switch to a seamless ring, segment rings and clickers, captive bead rings, and more.

It’s best to start with a surface bar with 90-degree angled posts for horizontal eyebrow piercings. Some piercers prefer flat surface bars to round ones because they have a lower profile, and you won’t see the bar in the middle as efficiently. Additionally, the gems are forward-facing instead of facing outward, making it look a bit better in the piercing than a curved barbell. For horizontal eyebrow piercings, starting at a 16 gauge minimum is okay.

While a curved barbell can technically work for a horizontal eyebrow piercing, the rejection rate is much higher, and it is more prone to problems. This is why it’s best to stick with a surface bar. It reduces the risk of rejection and will typically last longer than a curved barbell.

If you’re particularly interested in gold, read our guide on selecting gold eyebrow piercing jewelry.

Eyebrow Piercing Healing Time

On average, a vertical eyebrow piercing takes three to five months to heal.

A horizontal eyebrow piercing takes six months to a year to heal fully.

Known Risks of Eyebrow Piercings

It’s important to be aware of some risks associated with eyebrow piercings so you can plan accordingly.

You may develop a black eye and bruising when you initially get pierced. This is a risk for any piercing around the eye.

Additionally, while most eyebrow piercings can last several years, there generally will come a point where they will reject, causing you to need to remove the jewelry permanently. This is due to your body regenerating skin cells and growing layers of skin underneath the layer you’re pierced through. As you grow more skin, it will push out your piercing towards the surface. The less skin around the piercing, the more prone your piercing is to be rejected entirely.

Fortunately, you can get the piercing redone, especially if you remove the jewelry when you notice signs of reaction to minimize scar tissue formation.

Eyebrow Piercing Pain Level

How much your eyebrow piercing will hurt depends on what type of eyebrow piercing you’re getting and your own pain tolerance. In general, vertical eyebrow piercings rank pretty low on the pain scale. They feel like a quick pinch, and it’s over before you know it.

Horizontal eyebrow piercings are in the low to middle range of the pain scale. If the scale were 0-10, with 10 being the worst, they would be around a 4 or 5.

How Much Does an Eyebrow Piercing Cost?

The price of an eyebrow piercing will vary based on the shop you go to, the cost of jewelry, and individual shop needle or service fees. Typically, you’ll be paying the needle or service fee plus the cost of jewelry, tax, and any tip you want to leave. Needle fees range from about $25 to $30 and up, and the price of jewelry will range from $40 and up.

Eyebrow Piercing Aftercare

Although they’re relatively fast to heal and pretty low on the pain scale, eyebrow piercings can be highly temperamental, making aftercare incredibly important.

First, always wash your hands with antimicrobial soap before touching or handling your piercing. However, there’s no real need to touch the piercing. You don’t need to twist or rotate the jewelry, which can irritate the piercing.

You also want to make sure that you avoid the following, as it can cause irritation or introduce unwanted bacteria to the healing piercing:

• Putting on makeup of any kind over the healing piercing. This includes brow gel, brow powder, foundation, concealer, etc. The makeup can get into the fistula and irritate the healing wound.
• Using ointments and harsh skincare products. You should be extremely careful when washing your face and avoid applying skincare products directly around the new piercing. You also want to avoid harsher products, such as exfoliants with microbeads, coffee scrubs, exfoliating loofas, or washcloths for skincare application. Anything with a sticky residue should be avoided as well. All of these can irritate the piercing and result in an irritation bump.
• Public bodies of water. This means pools, hot tubs, beaches, lakes, jacuzzis, and more. This is because you do not know what bacteria has spread from a person to the body of water. This bacteria could get inside your fresh piercing and cause an infection.
• Sleeping on your piercing and dirty pillowcases. It’s important to avoid sleeping on your piercing so you don’t change the angle of the piercing and cause it to migrate. The pressure can also irritate the piercing and cause an irritation bump. You must change your pillow case every two days for the first few weeks while your eyebrow piercing heals. This is because bacteria ends up on your pillowcase when you sleep. You want to avoid introducing unwanted bacteria into the healing wound, which could cause an infection.

How To Clean an Eyebrow Piercing

According to the aftercare guidelines of the Association of Professional Piercers, eyebrow piercings need to be cleansed twice a day (once in the morning and once before bed) while healing with a sterile saline spray or wound wash, like the kinds sold by NeilMed or H2Ocean.

Pat the area dry with a paper towel.

FAQ

Will It Scar?

Yes, anytime you get pierced, which involves puncturing the skin, there is a chance it will scar. However, if you follow proper aftercare and go to a professional piercer experienced in eyebrow piercings, the scarring should be minimal.

If you notice that your piercing is migrating or rejecting, take it out before it fully rejects to help minimize scarring.

Can You Still Pluck, Wax, or Thread Your Eyebrows If You Have an Eyebrow Piercing?

While you will need to avoid getting your eyebrows waxed and threaded or plucking them while you are healing your piercing, you can get back to your hair maintenance practices once the piercing has fully healed. Just make sure you’re careful around the area of the piercing or that your waxing or threading professional takes extra care around the area.

What If I Need to Take Out or Hide My Eyebrow Piercing?

While your piercing is healing, it isn’t the best idea to try and disguise it with makeup or a bandage, as that will irritate it and can lead to a pesky irritation bump.

After your piercing fully recovers, you can temporarily remove the jewelry and wear a clear glass retainer instead. A retainer helps keep the piercing channel open while making it less noticeable.

If you do need to hide your eyebrow piercing within the first months of healing, it’s best to wait until it has healed completely before you do so.