Anti Eyebrow Piercing Pros and Cons

If you’re thinking about getting a new and uncommon piercing, the anti eyebrow piercing may have come to mind. As you may have heard all piercings have risks but some are riskier than others.

Does the anti eyebrow piercing fall into the latter category? Here are some of the pros and cons of the anti eyebrow piercing so you can make a more informed decision before your next visit. 

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

What is an Anti Eyebrow Piercing? 

In case you were wondering, an anti eyebrow piercing is one located right above your cheekbone. It gives the illusion of two piercings but it’s actually one. According to Spencers Online, this piercing is also known as the butterfly or a teardrop piercing. 

Scott Wilkinson, owner, and piercer at Piercing Vegas says in a YouTube video that the piercing is usually done either slanting away from the eye or towards the iris. In addition to that, the pieces of jewelry chosen are either the surface bar or the curved barbell. 

You can check out what Wilkerson has to say by watching the YouTube video below:

The Whole Truth – Anti Eyebrow Piercing

How do you Pierce Your Anti Eyebrow?

First of all, don’t try to do this at home by yourself. This piercing requires a skilled professional. According to Spencers Online, your piercer will use the dermal punch and taper as well as the classic method. If you have any questions, we suggest speaking to a professional. 

Do Anti Eyebrow Piercings Hurt?

That’s hard to answer because everybody is different. Some people may say it doesn’t really hurt while others may describe it as painful. Wilkerson said that on a scale, he would describe the pain for anti eyebrow piercings as somewhere in the middle. 

He also said, “it’s not too painful but it’s not the fastest piercing because have to make sure it’s very accurate so it’s not that bad”. 

Fresh Trends says the experience of the piercer may affect how much it hurts. They said a piercer that is less experienced could result in a more painful experience. 

The bottom line is that you should find an experienced piercer and have a chat with them about your pain tolerance. 

How Do You Clean Anti Eyebrow Piercings?

Just like any other piercing, anti eyebrow or butterfly piercings require consistent aftercare to avoid infection. 

Fresh Trends says you can clean your piercing by completely clearing the fistula. In other words, make sure the inside of the piercing is clean. You can do this by doing saline soaks a couple of times per day. In order to do a saline soak, just saturate a paper towel with your saline solution and hold it to your piercing. Fresh Trends suggests doing this 2-3 times per day for 3-5 minutes. 

Self Care Tips

In addition to the saline soaks. Fresh Trends suggests avoiding putting anything on your piercing that wasn’t specifically made for piercings. That means taking great care to avoid cleanser, sunscreen, or makeup near your piercing. You may run the risk of getting a sunburn and an increased risk of skin cancer without sunscreen.

In case you’re wondering why you have to be super careful, Fresh Trends say, “Besides causing irritation, the chemicals can encourage piercing rejection”.

Finally, change your pillowcase every night and avoid sleeping on your face so that it can heal properly and avoid infection. 

Pros and Cons of Anti Eyebrow Piercings

As with anything, there are pros and cons. Anti eyebrow piercings are no different. Here are the pros and cons you were looking for:

Pros

• Self Expression – Since piercings are a way of expressing yourself, they may make you happy. 
• Not too painful – Even though this piercing will feel different for everyone, the general consensus is that it’s not that painful. 
• Looks great when it’s healed – Wilkerson describes these piercings as “fantastic” when healed. 

Cons

• Can take a long time to heal – Spencers Online and Fresh Trends say 6-8 weeks, however, Wilkinson believes it takes 6 months minimum to heal or up to a year. 
• Usually irritated during the healing process – Wilkerson said that these piercings are usually red and irritated during the healing process so they “don’t look the best.”
• Can leave scars on your face – As Wilkerson said, “not a lot of people are big fans of scars on their face.”
• Temporary – If you’re looking for a long-term piercing, this may not be it. Surface piercings like this one tend to reject eventually and you’ll have to remove them. 
• Inconvenient – Between soaking the piercing several times a day, not being able to wear makeup over it and changing your pillowcase nightly, this piercing can be very inconvenient. While all piercings require aftercare, this one seems a bit demanding and it will probably reject in the end anyway. 

Conclusion

The decision is ultimately yours but there seem to be way more cons than pros for getting an anti eyebrow piercing. If you do decide to get one, make sure you pick a clean shop with an experienced piercer. Don’t forget to practice aftercare for the whole duration of healing to minimize the risk of infection.