What jewelry is appropriate for an Anti-Eyebrow Piercing?

The only acceptable jewelry for an anti-eyebrow piercing is a surface bar or anchor. Curved barbells are unstable for this type of piercing and allow too much movement, which can cause irritation, rejection, or migration. Surface bars and anchors offer more stability, making the piercing last longer. An anti-eyebrow piercing is typically performed at a 14 gauge for stability, though you may see them at a 16 gauge occasionally.

What is the aftercare for an Anti-Eyebrow Piercing?

Use saline soaked hot compresses twice daily. Spray saline wash onto unwoven gauze until soaked, heat it for a few seconds, and place the warm compress on your piercing. Alternatively, let warm water run over the piercing during a shower. For crusties, use toothpicks or unscented dental floss to gently remove debris from the jewelry. After washing, ensure the area is fully dried, using a blow dryer on the lowest setting if necessary to prevent moisture buildup.

Anti-Eyebrow Piercing Information & Aftercare Guide

Q: Will an Anti-Eyebrow Piercing leave a noticeable scar?

Yes. Anti-eyebrow piercings are not permanent. At best, they're long-term temporary piercings, meaning they will not last forever. At some point (typically between one to five years), the piercing will end up rejecting or migrating, and it will be time to remove the piercing, which will leave a noticeable scar.

Q: What causes an Anti-Eyebrow Piercing to migrate or reject?

The most basic cause is movement. As we talk, emote, and our faces move, these facial changes and movements impact the health and durability of a surface piercing. Additionally, our bodies naturally fight to remove foreign objects, which means they will swell and try to push the jewelry out through the skin. These piercings are also easily susceptible to snags and tugs from undressing or getting caught on hair or a towel.

Q: How much does an Anti-Eyebrow Piercing cost?

On average, you can expect to pay anywhere from $40 to $80 for the piercing itself, not including jewelry. Jewelry for this depends on whether you get a surface bar or surface anchors and can run between $40 and up. Don't forget about a customary tip of at least 20%.

Q: What are the risks of getting an Anti-Eyebrow Piercing?

The piercing process may give you a black eye. The area on the face has a lot of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. If one of the capillaries is hit during the piercing process, its blood will leak out and cause purpling around the eye. Additionally, these piercings will eventually reject or migrate and leave a noticeable scar.

Anti-eyebrow piercings have grown in popularity amongst all genders. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of misinformation about the types of piercings, how long they will last, and the type of jewelry you can wear. In this guide, we’ll go over everything you need to know before you decide to get one, as well as how to take care of the piercing should you choose to get one.

What Is An Anti-Eyebrow Piercing?

An anti-eyebrow piercing is a surface piercing located on the high cheekbone area near the outer ridge of the eye. It is commonly known by other slang names, such as teardrop piercing, butterfly kiss piercing, upper cheek piercing, or high cheek piercing. It is a surface piercing, which means it only goes through a superficial layer of the skin.

Most people have the anatomy for this piercing; you just need a pinchable skin area in the region you want to get pierced. Based on your specific facial anatomy, it may make more aesthetic sense to have the piercing angled a certain way, but the options are endless, making it highly versatile.

Risks to Know About

While the anti-eyebrow piercing looks cool, and almost anyone has the anatomy for it, it is crucial to know the piercing process may give you a black eye. The area on the face has a lot of tiny blood vessels called capillaries. If one of the capillaries is hit during the piercing process, its blood will leak out and cause purpleling around the eye.

Anti-Eyebrow Piercing Jewelry

There’s much misinformation about anti-eyebrow piercings, which surrounds what type of jewelry is acceptable. Many sites out there specify that curved barbells are appropriate for this piercing. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The only acceptable jewelry for an anti-eyebrow piercing is a surface bar or anchor.

This is because curved barbells are unstable for jewelry and allow too much movement. This movement will irritate the piercing and cause it to reject or migrate, ultimately needing removal. Conversely, surface bars and anchors offer more piercing stability, making them last longer.

An anti-eyebrow piercing is typically performed at a 14 gauge for stability, though you may see them at a 16 gauge occasionally.

Will An Anti-Eyebrow Piercing Leave a Noticeable Scar?

Yes. One thing you should consider before you decide whether you want this piercing is whether you’re okay with having a noticeable scar. Anti-eyebrow piercings are not permanent. At best, they’re long-term temporary piercings, meaning they will not last forever. At some point (typically between one to five years), the piercing will end up rejecting or migrating, and it will be time to remove the piercing.

What Causes An Anti-Eyebrow Piercing to Migrate or Reject?

The most basic answer is movement. As we talk, we emote, and our faces move. When we smile, our eyes crease. As we age, our faces lose elasticity and begin to sag. We develop crow’s feet and wrinkles. All these facial changes and movements impact the health and durability of a surface piercing located in an area of high movement.

A surface piercing is also considered a foreign object to the human body. Naturally, our bodies will fight to remove something foreign. This means they will swell and try to push the jewelry out through the skin. This is another reason these piercings are only considered long-term temporary–the body will ultimately reject the piercing afterward. How long it takes is unique to each individual.

Lastly, these piercings are easily susceptible to snags and tugs from undressing or getting caught on hair or a towel. You must be extremely careful when putting on or removing clothes, brushing your hair, or drying your face after a shower.

How Much Does It Cost?

The price of an anti-eyebrow piercing will depend on the shop you go to, as each shop and even piercer charges different amounts for different piercings. On average, you can expect to pay anywhere from $40 to $80, not including jewelry. Jewelry for this depends on whether you get a surface bar or surface anchors. Jewelry can run between $40 and up. Lastly, don’t forget about a customary tip of at least 20%.

How Much Does It Hurt?

Although it may seem like a painful piercing, the pain level for an anti-eyebrow piercing is surprisingly low. On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the most painful, it comes in at about a three or a four. This is because it is a surface piercing and only goes through the surface layer of the skin.

Anti-Eyebrow Piercing Aftercare

With a piercing so fragile and susceptible to irritation at even the slightest movement, you may be wondering how to properly cleanse and care for your new anti-eyebrow. With a surface piercing, you want to avoid yanking up the tops or anchors on a surface bar, as this can easily irritate the piercing. So, how do you clean it?

The answer is saline soaked hot compresses. All you have to do is spray the saline wash spray, like the kind from NeilMed, onto unwoven gauze until it is soaked through. Next, put it on a microwavable plate and heat it for just a few seconds. You want the temperature to be hotter than your natural normal temperature, but not hot enough to burn your skin. Place the warmed compress to your anti-eyebrow piercing. You can do this twice a day, and even after your piercing has fully healed to keep it clean.

Another option is to just take a hot shower and let the warm water run over the piercing for a few minutes. While there’s no saline solution, the water works just as well to clean the piercing. If you have crusties that don’t want to come off, do not use your fingers or adjust the anchor tops. Instead, you can use toothpicks or unscented dental floss and use either to gently remove the debris from the surface bar ends or anchor tops. Use your finger for light pressure and stability and come in from from all sides to lightly scrape or floss off the crusties and caked on dirt.

Lastly, sometimes surface piercings can get irritated with too much moisture buildup. After you’re done with washing your anti-eyebrow piercing, make sure the area is fully dried by taking the blow dryer and putting it on the lowest setting possible to dry the area.

All in all, the anti-eyebrow piercing is an easy, versatile piercing if you’re willing to deal with the possible risk factors of the black eye(s) or visible scar(s). Just remember, that they may not last forever and to enjoy them for as long as they last.