Ashley Piercing Info & Aftercare

Throughout history, piercings have been named after the piercer who performed them or the body part where they are placed. The Ashley piercing is unique because the piercing industry doesn’t know any specifics about Ashley. In fact, Ashley is a slang term for the piercing, and the proper name is inverse vertical labret.

If you’re considering getting an Ashley piercing, read our guide to learn about proper placement, jewelry options, healing time, aftercare, and more.

What Is An Ashley Piercing?

An Ashely piercing goes through the vermillion pink of the lower lip and exits inside the mouth. It is similar to a vertical labret piercing in that both are placed on the lower lip. However, where a vertical labret enters the vermillion border and exists just under the lip, the Ashley piercing placement makes it look like a gem floats in the middle of your lower lip.

Can You Get an Ashley Piercing If You Have Small Lips?

The Ashley piercing, like many other piercings, is an anatomy-dependent piercing. This means you must have enough tissue to pierce through, which is typically fuller lips. It’s rare to see someone with thinner lips successfully get and heal an Ashley piercing. If you’re worried your lips are too thin or small for the piercing, visit your local piercer for a consultation. They’ll be able to assess your lip tissue and determine whether your anatomy is suitable for this piercing.

Additionally, the curvature of your lip plays a factor in whether you’re suitable for the piercing or not. The piercing is typically centered on the face and positioned in the lip’s center. This means the jewelry must sit flat and perpendicular to the lip. If it doesn’t, it can affect how comfortable it is to eat and drink and may cause unwanted rubbing against the teeth and gums, leading to tooth and gum damage or erosion.

Lastly, your jaw structure and bite must also determine your suitability for this piercing. Because the jewelry exits inside the mouth, it runs a more significant risk of contacting your teeth and gums. Therefore, your piercer will need to assess whether or not your bite and jaw cause too many risks to your oral health during your initial consultation.

Can You Get An Ashley Piercing If You Have Braces?

Unfortunately, you should not get this piercing if you have braces. The risk of the jewelry catching on the wiring of the braces is too considerable for the piercing to heal successfully. It’s best to wait until your braces are removed before getting this piercing.

Ashley Piercing Jewelry Options

Once you’ve chosen your piercer, the next step is choosing your jewelry. While there are numerous customization options after your piercing is completely healed, there’s only one jewelry type that should be used in Ashley piercings. Curved labrets will fit the shape of the inverted labret perfectly since this piercing runs vertically through the lip. Knowing this is the case, your piercer will help you pick out your jewelry accordingly. The most comfortable combination will be a flat disk on the back and a gem or ball on the outside of the lip.

The standard size for Ashley piercing jewelry ranges from 18g to 14g depending on your preferences. Your piercer may also add an extra bend in your curved labret to ensure it fits your lip anatomy correctly. The initial bar you choose will also need to be longer than average. This extra length is necessary to account for the swelling that occurs immediately after your piercing is finished. Because oral piercings tend to swell and the lip will move as you talk, eat, or drink, it tends to swell longer.

During this initial period, the length of the bar can be annoying and get in the way of eating, drinking, or talking. It may also rub against your teeth and gums. Therefore, it’s essential to be conscious of when you can downsize and return to your piercer for a shorter bar, typically within three to four weeks. If, for whatever reason, you notice the ends sinking into your lip right after you’re pierced, you may need a longer bar or post, and you should return to your piercer for one.

Additionally, you may be better off starting with a larger end while the piercing heals. This will help prevent it from sinking into your lip as it swells during the initial healing process. Once your piercing has fully healed, you can switch to a more dainty-sized end piece.

Ashley Piercing Jewelry Size

Ashley piercings are traditionally pierced at either 14 or 16 gauge. Due to the movement of the area, most people tend to find a 14 gauge piercing more comfortable than a smaller, 16 gauge one. However, it will depend on your anatomy, tissue size, and piecer what size you’re pierced at.

How Much Does An Ashley Piercing Hurt?

If you’ve ever bitten your lip, you can handle the pain of an Ashley piercing. On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the most painful, an Ashley piercing comes in at about a five or a six. It comes in the middle of the road because it is a sensitive area that experiences a lot of movement. But luckily, it’s over in a second.

It is important to remember that each person’s pain tolerance is different, and what may be nothing to one person may hurt a ton to another. A good piercer with experience doing these piercings will help you breathe through the piercing process to help minimize the pain.

How Long Does It Take an Ashley Piercing to Heal Fully?

The healing time for an Ashley piercing ranges from 12 to 16 weeks, which is equivalent to 3 to 4 months. It’s important that you downsize at the three- or four-week mark to avoid any risks of gum or tooth damage, as the extra-long jewelry makes it more susceptible to biting on it or accidentally snagging it when you eat or drink.

How Much Does an Ashley Piercing Cost?

The price of an Ashley piercing will depend on the shop you go to and the piercing rates set by the shop or piercer. On average, an Ashley piercing will cost between $30 and $85, not including a tip or jewelry price. The jewelry price will depend on the material you select and the end you select. The fancier the end, the more expensive the jewelry will be. As far as a tip goes, leaving a 20% tip for your piercer is customary.

Ashley Piercing Aftercare

How to Clean Your Inverse Vertical Labret Piercing

There are three main steps to keeping your Ashley piercing clean. First, you’ll want to continue to brush and floss your teeth regularly. This will help ensure that plaque buildup doesn’t get into the healing piercing and that you maintain good oral health. Declines in oral health can cause the piercing to take longer to heal. Make sure you pick alcohol- and baking soda-free toothpaste to help prevent irritating the fresh piercing as it heals.

Next, you’ll want to pick up a saline spray, like the kind sold by NeilMed or H2Ocean. This is for the outside of the piercing. Spray the piercing with saline wound wash at least twice daily, once in the morning and once at night. If you can, spray after every meal. Pat the area dry with a paper towel.

Lastly, you’ll want to pick up alcohol-free mouthwash to clean the inside of your mouth. Ideally, you’ll want to swish the mouthwash after each meal, but as long as you do it twice daily, coinciding with when you clean the exterior of the piercing, you’ll be fine.

What to Avoid While Your Ashley Piercing Heals

Just as you must be conscious of keeping the healing piercing clean, you must ensure you avoid irritating the piercing. Here is a list of things to avoid doing while you are healing your fresh Ashley piercing:

• Wear lip balm or lipstick: One of the most uncomfortable parts of healing an Ashley piercing is that you will have chapped lips. Unfortunately, you cannot wear chapstick, lip balm, or lipstick until your piercing is fully healed. This means you’ll have to stay extra hydrated to avoid dry lips, so ensure you drink enough water during the three or four months it takes to heal the piercing.
• Play with the jewelry: We know it’s tempting, but you need to make sure you’re not playing with the jewelry with your tongue. This can irritate the piercing, prolonging the healing process. Moving the jewelry will also make the piercing more susceptible to possible migration or rejection.
• Bite on the jewelry: Similarly, you don’t want to bite down on the jewelry. Biting down too hard can damage your teeth, so you need to be extra cautious when you have longer jewelry to accommodate swelling.
• Acidic or spicy foods: Generally, there’s no hard and fast rule for foods to avoid after getting an Ashley piercing. However, if any food makes the area burn or hurt, it’s best to avoid it. Additionally, it’s best to start with soft, mushy foods after you get pierced so you can get used to eating with the extra-long jewelry in place.

All in all, the inverted vertical labret piercing is unique. If you’re struggling with choosing your desired jewelry, read our Ashley piercing jewelry ideas guide.