Your Quick Guide to Body Piercing Sizes

When it comes to body piercings whether a nose ring, a septum ring or a tongue jewelry, the choices are vast and aplenty. There are treasure troves of designs to choose from. On top of that, these funky accessories also come in a wide range of sizes. Choosing a design let alone the perfect size to suit your face and personal style can be daunting. Fortunately for you, we’ve created this quick guideline to piercing sizes to help you along.

Size Matters

Just because you have decided once and for all that you wanted a nose ring doesn’t mean you should get the first ring design that caught your fancy. While design matters no matter the type of jewelry you’re buying, so does size. In fact, it matters a lot that the wrong size may completely ruin the supercool look you are trying to pull off.

Remember that the size of your jewelry will depend on two factors—the size and shape of the body part of concern. If you have a big nose, then you should choose a nose ring for big nose. If you have thick lips, it’s just as necessary to pick the perfect sized jewelry to complement your kissable lips. If you have a thick sniffer and a slightly asymmetrical nose then you should ask your piercer for recommendations. Otherwise, the wrong size jewelry won’t look right at all.

All About the Gauge

It’s not just the shape and size of the body part that affects the size of your piercing jewelry. The type of body piercing also matters. Whether you’ve decided with earlobe piercing or eyebrow piercing, it’s all about the gauge at this point.

Let’s start with piercings that involve your face. The typical gauges for eyebrow piercings are 16 and 18 gauges. In most cases, you’d want to start off with the heavier gauge to avoid migration problems over time. If you were going for Medusa or Monroe piercing for your lips, you’d do well with either a 16 or 18 gauge stud. For nostril piercings, 20 and 18 gauge jewelry are recommended as starting sizes. Like with most piercings, the most common septum piercing sizes are 18 gauge and 16 gauge. But a septum 14g isn’t uncommon either.

Going down to nipple and belly button piercings, the most common sizes to start with are 14 and 12 gauges. Higher gauges, again, are recommended to prevent or minimize migration. If you’re really worried, request for a 10 gauge, which is suitable for both the nipples and belly buttons.

Do your homework
Because your style, body shape and size are different from your friend or family who recently got a body piercing, you shouldn’t rely on what others say when it comes to piercing size. You should do your own homework. Research and seek professional advice if necessary. Even go the extra mile and research about the place where you’re going to get the piercing done. If your piercer’s a professional with a solid track record, you’re in great hands. It’s now a matter of saying yes. So is it a yes or maybe next time?