I received an email from a woman who is concerned about her eyebrow piercing:
Hi Elayne,
I got my eyebrow pierced today. After reading online about migration and rejection, I'm very worried that my piercing is certainly doomed to reject at some point. My piercer used a press-fit titanium curved barbell. He described the tissue as "moderately taught", though I can easily pinch it between my fingers (on the opposite eyebrow of course!) My question is - are most eyebrow piercings likely to reject eventually? Is there anything in addition to sea salt soaks that I can do to prevent this from happening? I've already grown so attached to my new piercing that I'm very afraid of losing it.Thank you so much, M.
My reply:
Certainly not! Many, many eyebrow piercings heal just fine and remain in place indefinitely.
Here's some information about them from my book,The Piercing Bible--The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing:
Eyebrow piercings are no longer the sole province of punk rockers. Swapping safety pins for beautiful jeweled ornaments can elevate this exotic piercing to the status of an attractive, even classy, adornment. While this piercing lacks any known historical precedent, today it draws attention to the windows of the soul in a whole new way. The eyebrow piercing has lost its initial shock value over time, and now even mature individuals sometimes make a statement with this piercing.
Eyebrow piercings have an undeserved reputation for a high rejection rate. When appropriate jewelry is properly placed in pliable tissue, rejection is rare. Complications often occur if the brow is not sufficiently padded, which causes excessive pressure of jewelry against the bone. Wearing jewelry that is too heavy for the delicate tissue, or straight bars instead of curved ones, can also be problematic. If your skin does not seem ample or pinch up reasonably well in the area you would like to wear jewelry, you should consider a different piercing, especially if you are concerned about visible scarring.
Eyebrow piercings are sometimes rumored to cause facial paralysis. The main facial nerve in the general region is the trigeminal nerve, but the smaller branches nearby are responsible for sensation, not motion. To impact one of these nerves, a piercing would need to be placed far deeper than normal, or unusually close to the nose or temple. Even then, numbness would be a more likely consequence, not paralysis.
Also, stress and anxiety aren't good for healing, so relax!
Are you planning to follow the aftercare as shown here: http://piercingbible.com/piercing-care
Sincerely,
Elayne
Elayne Angel, Author
The Piercing Bible--The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing
President, Association of Professional Piercers
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