Cheek piercing

Cheek piercingis facialbody piercingthrough thecheek. A piercing that travels along the skin of the face and does not penetrate into the oral cavity would be asurface piercing, such as ananti 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.

Jewelry

Cheek piercings are normally pierced with flat backedlabret studs, a type ofbarbell 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 gums and teeth.

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 annualvegetarian festivals inPhuket,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.