Body Piercing - Lip Piercing

Lip piercings are a type of body piercings which penetrate the lips or, more commonly, the area surrounding the lips. The lips and surrounding area can be pierced in a variety of ways.
Most lip piercings heal relatively quickly, although extra care must be taken during the healing process as food, smoke and liquids will come into contact with the piercing.
When the lip is pierced, a larger ring or labret stud will be put in to accommodate swelling. This can be changed to smaller ring or stud when the swelling goes down.

An example of a lip ring.

Most lip piercings have the potential to damage both teeth and gums if proper jewelry is not worn, or if the placement of the individual piercing is poor. Labret piercings can result in gum errosion over time. Lip rings do not touch the gums. A home-made saline solution is the best way to heal a lip piercing and avoid infection. Combine 1/8 tsp. sea salt to 1 cup of warm water. This solution can be used to rinse out the mouth after eating and to soak the outside of the
piercing using a cotton ball. Anything with alcohol, peroxide, iodine, or any strong soaps should be avoided because they may irritate the fresh piercing, and cause additional swelling and trauma. During the healing process, oral sex or kissing should be avoided to prevent infection.

Types of lip piercings
Lip piercings can be placed anywhere around the mouth, but usually the surface of the lip (the red part) is not pierced.Piercings in specific positions have specific names:
Lip Ring
Labret
Vertical Labret
Horizontal Lip Piercing
Lowbret
Vertical Lowbret
Lip Plate
Madonna/Monroe
Medusa
Snakebites
Spiderbites

A Lip Ring is a ring that goes through the bottom of the lip. It can be centered or Off-Center. This jewlery will have no contact with your gums.
A Labret is a lip piercing pierced with a labret stud. A flat disc sits between the back of the lip and the gums and a bead sits on the outside of the lip. Labrets can pierced in the centre, or off-centre.
A Vertical Labret goes through the center of the bottom lip, parallel to the tissue (the bar has a slight curve, and is visible both below the bottom lip and in between the top and bottom lips).
A Horizontal Lip Piercing is a horizontal bar, usually through the red part of the lip and usually on the lower lip. This is a very rare piercing.
A Lowbret is just a lower Labret.
The Vertical Lowbret piercing starts inside the mouth between the lower lip and the teeth (not behind the teeth as with a mandible piercing) and travels straight down, exiting on the lower edge of the jawline.
Lip Plates are large lip piercings stretched to the point where they can be worn flipped out/down. They can be solid disks or hollow rings.
Madonna or Monroe piercings are labret studs worn on the upper lip where Marilyn Monroe had her famous mole.
The Medusa or Philtrum piercing goes through the center of the upper lip, perpendicular to the tissue.
Snakebites is the term used for two lower lip piercings on opposite sides of the mouth. They can be rings or studs.
Spiderbites is the term used for two lower lip piercings on opposite sides of the mouth and a lebret or lip ring in the center (generally two rings and a labret, though it can be any combination rings or studs).

History and culture

Lip piercing has been or continues to be practiced by several peoples, the most well-known of which are certain African tribes, who wear large decorative plates or discs, usually in the lower lip.
In contemporary society, lip piercings are relatively common piercings, especially amongst young people.
The Monroe/Madonna piercing takes its name from the actress Marilyn Monroe and Madonna, respectively.
In the United Kingdom the Labret piercing is commonly called a 'Christina' taking its name from Christina Aguilera who had this particular piercing.