Prince Albert Piercing: Information & Aftercare Guide

Unlike most facial or ear piercings, which are done purely for aesthetics, genital piercings have more benefits. The Prince Albert piercing is one of the most common male genital piercings.

If you’re considering getting one, read on.

What Is a Prince Albert Piercing?

A Prince Albert piercing, also commonly referred to as a PA, is a genital piercing that goes through the urethra and comes out on the underside of the penis where the head meets the shaft.

Along with the Prince Albert piercing, there are subtle variations that carry different names, including:

• Reverse Prince Albert: Much like a standard Prince Albert, this piercing goes through the urethra of the penis. However, instead of coming out the underside where the head meets the shaft, it comes out on the top of the penis where the head meets the shaft.
• Deep Shaft Reverse Prince Albert: This is also known as the first half of an apadavrya piercing. It is like a reverse PA, where it enters the urethra and comes out on top, but it is much farther down the shaft, away from the head, hence its name.

Prince Albert Piercing Origin

Many believe this piercing originated with Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, which is how it got its name. One rumor states that the piercing was supposed to signify chastity.

Another is that Prince Albert’s clothing was often too tight, showcasing his penis. To make it less visible, he pierced it and used the ring to tie down his penis.

The reality? These are just inaccurate stories. While it’s likely that the piercing predates even Prince Albert, Doug Malloy, who popularized many of today’s trending piercings, created the piercing when he wrote about it in a pamphlet entitled “Body and Genital Piercing in Brief.”

This pamphlet popularized the inaccurate stories mentioned above. Later, Malloy confessed to making up the stories to generate a greater interest in the piercings and industry.

• Pain
• Scarring
• Erectile issues, including the inability to become erect or painful erections
• Chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Permanent nerve damage

This is why it’s so important to go to a trained professional piercer with experience performing genital piercings.

Prince Albert Piercing Cost

The price of a Prince Albert piercing will vary depending on the shop you go to and how much a piercer charges for the service and jewelry.

Typically, the service, also called the needle fee, for a PA piercing ranges from $40 to $100 if you have more complicated anatomy to work with.

As for jewelry, it can range anywhere from $35 for a simple implant-grade titanium captive bead ring and increase in price depending on materials and gemstones in the ends.

You also want to factor in whether you’ll leave your piercer a tip. While it’s not mandatory, it would be a nice gesture if you received excellent bedside service and thought they did a great job. Tips are typically 20% or higher.

Prince Albert Piercing Jewelry

Prince Albert piercings are generally performed at 10 gauge. They are usually stretched to an 8 gauge to minimize bleeding since this area can bleed a lot. Any PA done smaller than an 8 gauge is more prone to migration or tearing.

As for the types of Prince Albert piercing jewelry you can wear in this piercing, you have three options:

• Captive bead rings: These make great options for Prince Albert piercings because they’re affordable, leave plenty of room to accommodate swelling, and are easy to heal the piercing with. That being said, they aren’t the best if you have an uncircumcised penis because they can cause your foreskin to get irritated.
• Curved barbells: A curved barbell is another Prince Albert piercing jewelry option. Just know that you will need to get a longer barbell at first to accommodate for swelling. You may also need to get a larger bead, as curved barbell beads are known to sink into the urethra. While it isn’t dangerous, it can be uncomfortable. Curved barbells, however, do tend to be more comfortable for partners experiencing insertion of the pierced penis.
• Circular barbells: These also have the issue of beads sinking into the urethra, but wider diameters can help accommodate the initial swelling.

Prince Albert Piercing Aftercare

It is normal for your fresh piercing to bleed a bit for the first week or so. To help protect your underwear and clothing, purchase a box of pads and place one in each pair of underwear. Pads are meant to absorb blood, making them the perfect product for the first week after your piercing.

How Long Do You Have to Abstain from Sex?

This is probably the most common question piercers receive regarding Prince Albert and genital piercings. A piercer can't give an exact timeline because each person heals at a different rate.

That is why they place the decision in your hands. So long as there isn’t an ounce of pain or discomfort in the area you were pierced and you make sure to clean the area thoroughly afterward, you can resume sexual intercourse in as little as one week. If you’d rather wait, some people wait until four or more weeks after the initial piercing.

If you do resume intercourse before the piercing has fully healed, it is recommended you use protection to ensure it remains as clean as possible. While STIs aren’t a concern, other bodily fluids and bacteria are. Wearing protection is a simple way to keep other fluids out of the healing piercing.

How Long Does It Take a Prince Albert Piercing to Heal Fully?

Your piercing should be fully healed in 8 to 12 weeks. At around the 2-week mark, you may need to downsize or get larger-diameter jewelry. Simply make a trip to your piercer for a check-up.

How to Keep Your Prince Albert Piercing Clean

You will need to clean your PA piercing at least twice a day. To do this, you will need to purchase a saline wound wash, like the kind made by Neilmed or H2Ocean. Simply spray the piercing with the solution and pat it dry with a paper towel. Do not use a bath towel, as this could result in your jewelry getting caught on it.

Do not touch your piercing without washing your hands with warm water and antimicrobial soap first. While there is no need to specifically touch the jewelry or piercing, it is important to make sure you get all the crusties off when you’re cleaning.

Getting the crusties off is important for your comfort throughout the night. Often, night erections can happen, and having crusties will make them get pulled, and the area will become irritated. A tip is to sleep with a cup of water next to the bed to help remove any crusties that develop.

You also want to avoid any place where your healing piercing can get easily exposed to bacteria. This means you must refrain from any public bodies of water, such as pools, lakes, hot tubs, oceans, and rivers.

Overall, Prince Albert's piercing is a widespread genital piercing that can benefit the wearer and the partner. But aside from possible enhanced pleasure, a Prince Albert piercing can also help non-binary and transgender folks feel more comfortable in their bodies. Genital piercings have the power to lead to body and gender affirmation, which makes them even more beneficial.

FAQ

Does a Prince Albert Piercing Affect How You Pee?

Because a PA does bisect the urethra, it will affect how you urinate. Because the piercing does create a hole, you may experience urine coming out of the hole when you use the bathroom.

Some people simply hold the jewelry so the bead presses against the bottom of the hole to prevent urine from spilling out. Others will lean against a wall while urinating so all the fluids flow into the toilet or urinal with gravity.

If you retire this piercing, the hole still may not close all the way, and you may be left plugging it every time you urinate. Consider this before you decide whether you wish to get the piercing or not.

What Are the Benefits of the Prince Albert Piercing?

Some people choose to get a PA piercing because it can aid in sexual stimulation for solo and partnered play. This is because it stimulates the urethra and surrounding nerves, which can cause pleasure for the owner of the piercing.

When it comes to partnered play, the jewelry in a PA piercing can add a texture difference, like a single ribbed area on the penis. This can help stimulate sensitive spots during vaginal or anal intercourse.

It is essential to know that while one person may enjoy the experience of a PA, not everyone will. The Prince Albert piercing isn’t a magic tool to make sexual activities constantly pleasurable for you and your partner.

How Much Does a Prince Albert Piercing Hurt?

Because it is a genital piercing and in such a sensitive spot, one may automatically think it’s an extremely painful piercing to get. However, this is quite far from the truth.

The tissue that is pierced in the shaft of the penis just below the head is thinner than that of your earlobe. However, the area has a more significant concentration of nerve endings than the earlobe.

That said, most people who get Prince Albert piercings report that it doesn’t hurt more than a 5 or 6 out of 10 on the pain scale.

Do You Need to Have an Erection to Get Pierced?

No, and if a piercer ever forces you into a situation where you do need to have an erection, please report them for inappropriate behavior.

An erect penis is much more difficult to pierce than a flaccid one. While an accidental erection is perfectly normal because of nerves or excitement, your piercer may give you a minute to breathe and calm down. Hence, the erection goes away before proceeding with the piercing.

Do You Need to Prepare Anything Else When Getting a Prince Albert Piercing?

Shaving is not a requirement for getting a PA piercing. Your piercer will be experienced enough to work around your pubic and body hair.

In terms of other preparation, it’s best to arrive at the piercing studio wearing comfortable, loose bottoms and supportive underwear, like briefs or boxer briefs, rather than looser boxers, where a piercing may be more susceptible to getting caught or snagged.

Is Urination Bad While Healing a Prince Albert Piercing?

No, quite the opposite. Your piercer should encourage you to stay over-hydrated for the first few weeks after you get your Prince Albert piercing. Your urine is sterile, helping keep the area clean and free from bacteria.