Cheek piercing

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Cheek piercing is facial body piercing through the cheek. A piercing that travels along the skin of the face and does not penetrate into the oral cavity would be a surface piercing, such as an anti eyebrow. They are often placed in symmetrical pairs and often in the dimples of the cheek, if the bearer has dimples to pierce. It is an uncommon piercing.

[edit] Jewelry

Cheek piercings are normally pierced with flat backed labret studs, a type of barbell jewelry. The flat back provides comfort and lessens the chance of the jewelry damaging the teeth and gums of the bearer. The external end of the labret stud can be decorative in nature. Initial jewelry may be long, to allow for any swelling caused by the piercing. Proper length of jewelry in a healed piercing is important to protect the teeth and gums.

[edit] History and Culture

Permanent cheek piercing appears to be of primarily contemporary origin.

Ritual cheek piercings were and are common throughout the world in both primitive and modern cultures. Perhaps the most well known of these rituals is the annual vegetarian festivals in Phuket, Thailand where "mediums" (both lay people and monks) pierce their cheeks with a bewildering array of objects in varying sizes, while in an altered state.

[edit] Popular Culture

In the 2007 movie 300, several Persians, including an emissary and Xerxes himself, have cheek rings.


Types of body piercing
Ear piercings
Earlobes and helix | Stretching (body piercing) | Tragus | Antitragus | Daith | Conch | Rook | Industrial
Facial and oral piercings
Bridge | Cheek | Eyebrow | Anti-eyebrow | Lip | Labret | Vertical labret | Lip frenulum | Nose | Tongue | Tongue frenulum | Uvula | Monroe | Medusa
Body piercings
Corset | Hand web | Madison | Navel | Nipple | Nape | Surface
Male genital piercings
Ampallang | Apadravya | Hafada | Foreskin | Deep shaft | Dolphin | Dydoe | Frenum | Frenum ladder | Guiche | Lorum | Prince Albert | Reverse Prince Albert | Pubic | Transscrotal
Female genital piercings
Christina | Clitoris | Clitoral hood | Triangle | Fourchette | Isabella | Labia | Nefertiti | Princess Albertina
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