This is no joke. A woman went in for a clitoral hood piercing and ended up with an accidental piercing of her clitoral glans! This is one of the reasons I try to suggest people travel if necessary to get pierced by me or visit the piercers I refer to. We know how to place a VCH piercing safely and in the proper location. Unfortunately, many piercers haven't got a clue.

Many women end up with shallow VCH piercings or surface VCH piercings, but this is an error I've seen time and time again. PLEASE BE CAREFUL! Ask your piercer where they got specific training to perform genital piercings--not just how long they've been piercing. I know of piercers who have been doing a poor job for 10-15 years or more. A lengthy career does not guarantee competence!

Here's the message I recently received:

Hello Elayne,
I have a quick question about a piercing that I received a week ago.  I had a VCH piercing which I believe was too shallow and migrated and so had to be removed.  I let it heal for about 6 months and then went to a different studio to have it done again.

The first time was exactly as you describe with a 'pinch' sensation and my ears were definitely a more painful piercing.  This time was one of the most painful experiences of my life, which I attributed to it being placed properly this time and having some scar tissue.

I was distracted from my hood piercing because I got my nipples done at the same time (it is a 3 hour drive to a piercer in the area that I live in and I was expecting the VCH to be practically painless so it didn't seem like a big deal going into it).  I've been much more worried about my nipples, expecting a fast heal for the VCH.  However today I got out a mirror and gave it a really good look. I do not think it is placed properly. I hope these shots are what you need.  I tried to get my clit as obvious as possible and from underneath.

Thanks so much for your time! It is a relief to talk to someone who actually knows their stuff.  Thank you for being so accessible!

My reply:
Oh my goodness! You have had your hood pierced to your clitoris. You have been given an accidental clitoral glans piercing! I can tell you with certainty that what you got was a LOT more painful than a VCH would have been! I'm so sorry, but you've really been butchered!

 If you do want a VCH piercing, you should have the jewelry removed and then go to a different practitioner to have a new piercing properly placed. In any case it should be removed as soon as possible or the edge of your hood tissue will likely bifurcate (split in two) because it is placed so close to the edge of the skin.

Can I ask who did the piercing for you? Whoever it is, I would STRONGLY suggest you contact them immediately and tell them they should stop doing "VCH" piercings since they are doing accidental clitoris piercings instead. You may also want to contact your local health department or whatever authority is involved with piercing regulations in your area.

To clarify where you were pierced vs. where you should have been pierced, the marked image below shows:

• A black dot for where the top of the VCH would normally go.
• A black arrow points to where the bottom portion of the jewelry should exit from underneath the hood--above the clitoris.
• A gray arrow points to the erroneous placement beneath the clitoral glans, where your piercing came through.

She responded:

Thank you again for your time.  You have no idea what a relief it is to get such prompt and concrete info and advice from an expert.

You have confirmed what I suspected and explained everything. Thank you for the follow up on how to remedy the situation.

I have contacted the owner of the store and quoted you so that there is no confusion as to the problem and lack of knowledge on the part of the piercer.  I think I will also send a photo of my nipples for your opinion in a while but at the moment my head is spinning a bit in horror.

Thank you again, sincerely!

I got one more follow-up email shortly after that:

I just had my partner remove it, which went well.  The owner has responded to me and offered a full refund as well as apologies.