I received a message from a gentleman who is interested in getting a Prince Albert, but he has a low urethra and expressed concern:

I have always considered the idea of getting a PA piercing, and recently have been wanting to have something new done. My question for you though is concerning whether or not I can even have this type of piercing done.... My concern is that the opening for my urethra is very low. I will enclose the best pic I can manage to try to give you a better idea. Thanks for any insight you can provide me!

My reply:

That shouldn't be an issue of you visit a competent piercer. For safety, it should be placed by measuring down from the lower edge of the urethra. The distance will depend to some extent on ultimately how large you intend to go with the gauge size. If you want to wear large or heavy jewelry, it should be placed a little further down the shaft. The exact placement should be selected by lining it up with the urethra, looking for visible vessels in the area (and avoiding them), and working with any natural grooves or creases in the tissue in the area.

For smaller sized jewelry (12 or 10 ga) it should be sufficient to place the piercing at least 1/2" down from the edge of the urethra when the tissue is relaxed. For larger gauges you would want to go 5/8" from the edge--again, measured when you are flaccid. If you have your eye on 0ga or up, I would suggest measuring 3/4" from the edge of the urethra for placement. It is all a matter of keeping an appropriate distance beetween the lower edge of the urethral opening and the location for the piercing.

FYI--the tissue there is just the same as it is where the PA would normally be placed, and it heals well. It is simply further from the edge of the urethra, but is not different in any other way. I've done Prince Albert piercings 2" down the shaft, and it was the same as a "normally placed" PA!

Let me know if yo have other questions.