What you need to know about a tongue piercing

These days, it's not uncommon to come across people who have modified their bodies in one way or another. There are people who prefer to do something simple like getting a helix ear piercing and there are others who can go as extreme as splitting their tongue.

On the scale of extreme piercings, a tongue piercing is fairly normal. It's very discreet and you might not even notice someone has it until you look closely.

Tongue piercings as still a thing and if you're considering getting one it may not be a terrible idea so long as you stick to the rules.

Here is a breakdown of some important facts that you should know:

I have some good news and a bit of bad news if you want to get one soon.

The good news is that most people say they barely felt any pain while they were going through the process so you might not even feel anything at all.

The bad news is, that after a couple of hours and days after, the pain will be almost excruciating. You won't be able to eat or speak properly for the first two weeks until the pain and swelling subsides.

Like any other piercing, hygiene should be your top priority. You need to ensure you're maintaining proper oral care throughout and you also need to follow the correct instructions given by your piercer.

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You might also need to go for a review after a few days so that you can confirm that everything is okay. The other thing is, that you should avoid hot foods and spicy snacks because these could make the pain even worse.

This will depend on where you're going to get it done. But generally, getting one is affordable and it can cost you anywhere from Sh 2500 to Sh 5000.

For most people, the healing is fully completed between three and six months. You can accelerate the healing by observing the proper after-care measures.

If you don't take care of it properly, there is a higher risk of developing complications, which then prolongs the time it takes to heal.

Although this type of piercing is pretty simple to get and maintain, there are still a couple of serious risks that come with it.

First, there is the problem of developing a bacterial infection on a fresh piercing but, you can avoid that by maintaining hygiene. Then there are other issues like permanent nerve injury and allergic reactions.

There are also other risks to your oral health because your jewellery can cause gum recession, plaque buildup and tooth chipping or fracturing.

Important tips

As always, you should choose to get it done by a professional. You need to confirm if they observe hygiene and whether they sterilize their tools properly to prevent infections or possible complications.

An experienced piercer will also pierce the right position on your tongue. They should know where to correctly place the piercing because you wouldn't want to be stuck with a crooked or awkwardly placed tongue piercing.