I received a message with some photos from a woman who had received a Horizontal Clitoral Hood (HCH) piercing, but she was disappointed with it. She sought the piercing to enhance her sexual pleasure, and she was not experiencing any added enjoyment or sensations. I saw the photo, and this was my comment:

If the aim of your piercing was pleasure (rather than aesthetics), I can say that, with your anatomy, it would not be expected to produce any sensations where it is located. Because of your build--like many women, your hood covers your clitoris--even a properly placed HCH would not be expected to touch your clitoris, so the horizontal placement will not be functional on you for added sensation. If you want a piercing to increase your pleasure, a vertical hood piercing VCH may be better. Also, I believe your piercing appears too shallow (close to the surface--in too little tissue) to be a safe, successful, long-term piercing. You should actually abandon it for that reason, even if it was providing the desired sensation. If you leave it in, it is likely to migrate and reject, which can leave a split scar in your hood!

Below is part of the information about the HCH in The Piercing Bible:

The HCH piercing is generally better at looking good than feeling good. This piercing, which traverses the hood tissue above the clitoris, is aesthetically appealing to many women. A genital piercing can be visually delightful and bolster self-image, even if it is not placed for action. But most women who seek a genital piercing desire to physically enhance their erotic pleasure. Unfortunately, because of the way most women are built, the HCH won’t be able to deliver.

HCH Piercing: Placement and Choice of Jewelry
You need sufficient tissue in the configuration of a hill to get an HCH piercing. If you are built with a valley and a deeply recessed hood, you are not a candidate. Most women are formed with a hood that nearly—or completely—covers the clitoral glans. Therefore, the ring in an HCH simply rests atop the hood. For an HCH piercing to be stimulating, your clitoral glans needs to be somewhat exposed, the piercing must be perfectly placed, and the jewelry accurately sized. Only when all of these conditions are met can the bead of the ring touch your clitoris to add sensation.

The piercing should be placed in the natural creases at the base of the hood tissue where it forms from your body. Your piercer should carefully check for blood vessels in the region, because they are sometimes visible where the piercing should be made. If apparent veins cannot be avoided, then the HCH piercing should not be attempted. Your piercer must also be certain that your hood tissue is pliable enough to pinch up and lift away from the nerve bundle of your clitoris below, so she doesn’t give you an unintentional clitoris piercing.

If you are not built symmetrically, which is common, the ring will usually twist or lean to one side. This type of pressure causes discomfort and migration or other healing difficulties. If you want this piercing solely for adornment rather than sexual enhancement, you may prefer it to be positioned for visibility toward the top of your hood.

The correct diameter ring will encompass the tissue without pinching and it will be situated so the ball rests on the desired spot. A bar is seldom comfortable or safe: if it is short enough to avoid twisting, it may embed or pinch. If it is long enough to accommodate your hood, it will be prone to shifting and causing problems when you close your legs.

Have you done the q-tip test to see if you are anatomically suited for a VCH piercing? Simply insert the swab under your hood but don't push up too hard on it. If the hood doesn't cover the tip of the swab, try to manually draw the skin down to cover the entire tip. (It is easier to push the tissue down rather than try to pull it.) Also, you should de-fluff the swab and lubricate it.

Below are images of an ornamental HCH piercing that is properly placed at the base of the hood tissue. Before doing the piercing, I clarified that the client was NOT seeking any stimulation from her genital piercing--it was for aesthetics only. She wanted it to show, and had sufficient tissue for me to place it toward the top of her hood.

I used a custom-fit circular barbell (widened to allow the hood tissue to fit between the balls) to help the piercing to heal comfortably without likelihood of migration. It is showing, worn "untucked" in the first image, and tucked down against the body in the lower photo (how it would be worn during healing).

After healing, she may elect to wear a complete ring such as a captive as her jewelry. This is the same style of jewelry I use for a triangle piercing, and for the same reasons--it allows jewelry in a horizontal piercing to rest comfortably in the vertical space of the female vulva. The HCH piercing shown below is considerably higher on the hood than a triangle would be placed.