Bridge Piercing Information & Aftercare Guide

The bridge piercing originated in the Mesoamerican Mayan and Aztec cultures hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago. The theory is that being crosseyed was a sign of beauty at the time and that bridge piercings were a way to turn your eyes inward to achieve this look. While that legend may or may not be accurate, plenty of old statues with bridge piercings tell us this piercing was popular culturally for one reason or another.

Today, bridge piercings are rare, and few people have them, although they’re growing in popularity. If you want a piercing off the beaten path, consider whether one would be right for you.

What Is a Bridge Piercing?

A bridge piercing, also known as a midbrow piercing, goes through the high bridge of the nose where there is no bone and there is just tissue. It is most typically located between the eyes. There are multiple types of bridge piercings; in addition to the standard bridge piercing, you can also get:

• A double bridge piercing
• A vertical bridge piercing

One important thing to know about bridge piercings is that, like eyebrow piercings, they are considered surface piercings. This doesn’t mean the surface piercing that requires dermal anchors. Instead, it is a piercing that goes through a flat tissue area on the body. It also means this piercing is more prone to rejection if not taken care of properly or pierced on someone without the proper anatomy.

Bridge Piercing Anatomy

Like most other piercings, a bridge piercing is anatomy-dependent, meaning you must have the correct anatomy to get this piercing. This means you need enough tissue to pierce through the bridge area. If pierced too shallow, it will migrate further to the surface and reject.

The placement and how high up you get this piercing also depends on your anatomy. You want the piercing to sit perpendicularly to the tissue for the best chances of it not migrating or rejecting. You also need to get pierced where you have the most pliable tissue without bone or cartilage getting in the way. Remember, this piercing doesn’t go through cartilage and only goes through tissue. If a piercer is telling you otherwise, they are not experienced with performing this piercing and shouldn’t be trusted.

Bridge Piercing Jewelry

Because the bridge piercing is a surface piercing, like eyebrow piercings, many people think that surface anchors or curved barbells are the proper jewelry. That is why they have such a high rejection rate. In fact, the only proper jewelry for a standard bridge piercing is a straight barbell.

When you’re initially pierced, the barbell will be longer than needed to accommodate the swelling that will occur. Once the piercing has healed enough, you will want to downsize the barbell to a shorter one, as it is easy for this piercing to get caught and snag on towels or clothing. Since the piercing is so finicky, you’ll want to ensure you downsize as soon as possible.

What Gauge is a Bridge Piercing

Bridge piercings can be done at a 14 gauge or 12 gauge. Some piercers prefer to do them at a 12 gauge for stability.

Bridge Piercing Pain: How Much Does It Hurt?

Each person has a different pain tolerance. What may hurt really bad for one person may be relatively easy for another. Therefore, we cannot answer this question for everyone.

That being said, although the bridge piercing is in a sensitive area and looks like it will hurt, it’s a relatively easy piercing—about a three or four on a scale of ten.

Bridge Piercing Cost

Each shop has different prices, and different piercers have different prices. On average, a bridge piercing will cost around $40, minimum to around $70, not counting the cost of jewelry. Jewelry will run you another $25 and up, depending on whether you want gem ends on the barbell, spikes, M&M discs, or some other end that differs from a steel or titanium circular bead. Then, you also may want to tip the piercer, which is a customary practice. Generally, a tip is around 20%; sometimes, you can base it on the needle fee alone, and sometimes, you can base it on the total price or everything.

Bridge Piercing Healing Time

On average, a bridge piercing takes around two to four months to heal fully.

Bridge Piercing Aftercare

The bridge piercing is not a piercing for those new to body modification and piercing because it is so finicky. Therefore, you should only get this piercing if you have experience taking care of some other piercings first.

This piercing shouldn’t be too hard to care for if you do. First, you’ll want to clean the piercing two or three times daily with a saline piercing spray, like the kind made and sold by NeilMed or H2Ocean.

Next, you’ll want to be careful when washing your face, rinsing off in the shower, and putting on clothes. It is very easy to snag the piercing on a towel or clothing item, so go slow and be extra careful, especially when you have the longer barbell in to accommodate swelling.

Lastly, while your bridge piercing is healing, you cannot wear makeup or use facial cleansing products with harsh chemicals, as these can irritate the piercing and cause it to reject.

FAQ

Can You Have a Bridge Piercing With Glasses?

The answer depends! While it is possible to wear glasses and have a healthy bridge piercing, it really depends on where your bridge sits and the specific glasses frames you intend to wear. You may have to get alternate frames to fit with your bridge piercing. You can bring all the frames you wear to your piercing appointment so you can wear all of them when the piercer is marking you to ensure you can safely wear each frame with the piercing.

Sometimes, glasses that have separate nose pads tend to sit a bit lower on the nose or give you space to adjust them so they sit lower on the nose than where your bridge piercing would be placed, allowing you to accommodate the piercing. Don’t forget to bring sunglasses even if you wear glasses.

It also may help the healing process if you can wear contacts and switch to glasses once the piercing has fully healed, but only because these piercings tend to be so sensitive during the healing process.

Be warned that glasses can irritate the piercing, so be careful when putting them on and taking them off.

Does a Bridge Piercing Make You Crosseyed?

Nope. Bridge piercings are completely safe and will not alter your vision. Just like you can adjust to a new pair of glasses frames within a day or two, the same is true for the bridge piercing. Plus, have you seen a permanently crosseyed person with a bridge piercing? If I Get a Bridge Piercing, Will I Have a Scar? Yes, one of the downsides of a bridge piercing is that it leaves a noticeable scar if you ever retire the piercing and take it out for good. You should be okay with this if you decide to get your bridge pierced.