Male Intimate Piercings: The 3 Most Popular & What You Need to Know Before Getting One
Are you interested or curious about getting a genital piercing? Worried about whether a piercing you’re interested in is as painful as it seems—especially for such a sensitive area? This is a common concern when it comes to male intimate piercings. And with so many to choose from, it can get overwhelming trying to decide which one you want. Do you want something purely decorative? Are you interested in one that has sexual function?
Regardless of which one you decide upon, it’s in an extremely sensitive area (not to mention the blood vessels and nerves in the area). Therefore, you should go to a piercer who has experience with male intimate piercings. They will be able to properly assess your anatomy, tell you whether you’re suitable for the genital piercing you’ve decided upon, and can even help you pick out jewelry. Plus, they’ll give you specific aftercare instructions and advice.
While a piercer will be able to educate you, it’s still important to have a good sense of what you’re getting yourself into beforehand. Keep reading on to learn everything you should know before your trip to get one of these three most popular male intimate piercings..
Prince Albert (PA) Piercing
When you think of a male genital piercing, you’re likely thinking of a Prince Albert (PA) piercing; that’s because it is easily the most common one. The name of the piercing originates from the fabricated legend that Prince Albert wore one to keep his penis “sweet smelling” to not offend the Queen. However, in Victorian England, the piercing was known as a dressing ring and was used to fasten the genitals to either leg to allow men of the time to wear tight-fitting trousers. Today, the piercing has sexual function.
This piercing goes through the urethra and out the base of the head of the penis. Now, we know what you’re thinking…that must hurt, right? Well, we’re here to tell you that really isn’t the case at all. The tissue in this area is thin, which actually means there actually isn’t much pain involved with this piercing. In fact, this is the area with the thinnest tissue on the male body; there’s less tissue involved than an earlobe piercing. Rather than pain, this piercing may cause some slight discomfort as the receiving tube must go through the urethra to catch the end of the piercing needle. Fortunately, it is quick and over before you know it!
This piercing is also anatomy dependent. If the penis has too thick of a frenum cord running down the center of the shaft to the base of the head, it is not a good idea to pierce through it. Additionally, this piercing is not recommended if you’re uncircumcised. It can be rather uncomfortable and not fully functional.
Jewelry options for this piercing include:
A PA is generally pierced at a 10 gauge, but some piercers recommend stretching up to an 8 gauge. Additionally, it is not uncommon for there to be a lot of bleeding after you’ve been pierced. This bleeding can last for several days, so do not let that alarm you.
In terms of healing the piercing, it should be easy to do. You just need to make sure that you can keep the piercing clean. Additionally, it’s really important that you do your due diligence to remove crusties, especially before bed. If you end up with an erection in the middle of the night, it will pull on the crusties and not only sting but irritate the piercing.
You also want to make sure you drink enough water as you heal this piercing. Drinking water helps keep your urine from becoming too concentrated, preventing it from stinging whenever you urinate. Plus, as an added bonus, your own urine is sterile, so each time you urinate, it helps keep the piercing clean and free of bacteria.
How Does a Prince Albert Piercing Affect Urination?
According to Elayne Angel, author of The Piercing Bible, “many piercees are apprehensive about being able to urinate standing up after getting a PA.” This is understandable; when jewelry rests in the middle of the urethra, it can disrupt how the urine flows and create a big mess. However, all it takes is you to simply plug the hole on the underside of your penis just in front of the jewelry.
Frenum Piercing
Second in popularity to the Prince Albert piercing, the frenum piercing goes horizontally through the skin on the underside of the penis. This is an extremely versatile genital piercing. You can get more than one frenum piercing; when you have multiple ones, it’s called a frenum ladder or Jacob’s Ladder piercing.
The traditional placement of this piercing on a circumcised penis is on the underside of the shaft, about a half-inch south of where a Prince Albert piercing rests. On an uncircumcised penis, the piercing must rest much higher on the underside of the shaft, closer to the base of the head or where a Prince Albert piercing would rest.
This is another piercing that may sound painful. However, it does not go through the urethra or the entirety of the shaft of the penis. Instead, it goes through the thin tissue on the underside of the penis.
The only suitable jewelry for this piercing is a straight barbell and the smallest recommended size for this piercing is a 10 gauge. You also want to be mindful of the types of ends you wear. Prong-set gems are not going to be pleasurable for you or any sexual partner.
Because this piercing only goes through a thin layer of skin and not any thicker tissue, it is a relatively quick piercing to heal. However, you need to be mindful of erections and crusties. Definitely make sure you clean your piercing before heading to bed.
Important advice if you’re interested in a frenum piercing:
- Make sure your boxers and underwear don’t have any loose threads that could catch and snag on the piercings as they heal. It can be extremely painful if this happens.
- Keep a glass of ice water by the side of your bed at night. It isn’t for drinking, though. Should you get an erection in the middle of the night, you will need ice water to help clean any crusties that have been pulled by the erection. The cold water will also help the erection go away.
- Make sure you wait for the piercing to heal enough before you resume sexual activity.
Apadravya Piercing
As we mentioned above, this piercing has been performed for thousands of years and is even mentioned in the Kama Sutra. However, it got its name in the 1970s from piercing pioneer Doug Malloy. This piercing is known to stimulate the G-spot and is pleasurable for both the person with the piercing and their partner.
In terms of placement, this piercing goes vertically through the head of the penis. It starts just under the head of the penis, at the base of the shaft, and goes through the urethra and out the other side through the center of the top of the head.
This is one of the more extreme genital piercings and is definitely more painful because it goes through much thicker tissue. However, one way to offset some of the pain associated with this piercing is to start with a Prince Albert. Since the PA already goes through the base of the shaft just under the head of the penis, you’d only be piercing through the center through the top of the head.
The jewelry used for this piercing is a barbell. And speaking of jewelry, it’s important that you don’t try to get any fancy prong-set gem ends. This will make it extremely uncomfortable for both you and your partner. The smallest recommended size for this piercing is a 10 gauge; anything smaller could cause potential ripping and/or tearing.
In terms of healing, an apadravya does take much longer to heal than a Prince Albert or frenum piercing. The typical healing time for this piercing is 4 to 6 months, during which you will need to abstain from sexual activity; however, it can take longer than 6 months to heal. Any potential issues with healing will stem from a lack of hygiene or not waiting long enough before resuming sexual activities.
The Main Point
Male intimate piercings are fun and can certainly enhance sexual pleasure. For more specific questions related to your anatomy or healing problems, it’s always best to consult with your local piercer.