Piercing Trends

Piercings have become an integral part of modern life, and this trend continues. New materials, models, and designs are constantly emerging, along with new body parts being added, resulting in new trends every year and a steadily increasing number of people wearing piercings. Whether you prefer something bold and eye-catching or subtle and chic, the sheer variety of options available today means anything is possible. If you're unsure which piercing trends best suit your style, why not try a fake piercing first? There are numerous fake options available, especially for the ears, nose, and lip. These look incredibly realistic but only require a standard ear piercing or no piercing at all. For those who are feeling bold or are already proud piercing owners, the following section will keep you up-to-date on the latest innovations and piercing trends, ensuring you're always on trend with piercing jewelry this year.

Latest materials

Sterling silver, stainless steel, titanium, and acrylic are well-known and consistently popular materials for piercings. However, there is now a much wider selection and variety available. New materials include organic options like wood, horn, and bone, which allow the skin to breathe and adapt to body temperature. Carved, they feature intricate ornaments or tribal patterns. Brass piercings are also now available, whether as tunnels and plugs, or as spirals, septum rings, and tragus piercings. These are antique gold-colored and sometimes darkly oxidized, creating beautiful effects. Brass also allows for much more delicate designs than those carved from organic materials. And there's a practical new material among plastics: Bioflex, originally developed for medical technology. Bioflex is completely tolerated by the body's own tissue, so the risk of allergies is very low. Bioflex can also be hygienically autoclaved, and its smooth surface offers little opportunity for deposits to accumulate. Its elasticity makes it more comfortable to wear than other, inflexible materials. Furthermore, these piercings can easily be shortened to the desired length after healing, as the initial jewelry is longer. Incidentally, Teflon, also known as PTFE in medicine and piercing, offers the same advantages as Bioflex. When it comes to the latest materials, Bioflex and PTFE are the stars that will be used even more frequently in the future.

Where are the most piercings being done right now – the current piercing trends

One trend is definitely continuing: septum piercings were very popular last year and remain so. New York piercing artist J. Colby Smith, who has also pierced stars like Zoë Kravitz and Sky Ferreira, believes that septum piercings can suit anyone if the right jewelry is chosen. He recommends opting for discreet, thin rings that harmonize with one's skin tone and fit well with the shape of the nose. However, he considers another piercing even more fashionable: the smiley face is leading the current piercing trends. Here, he recommends rings in yellow gold or rose gold that become unexpectedly visible when smiling. For ears, the most popular piercings are the conch piercing through the ear cartilage, which offers a lot of variety depending on whether studs or rings are used, and the death piercing, which is pierced through the innermost curve of the ear cartilage. Rings made of antique gold brass look fantastic here. Nipple piercings are also gaining popularity, especially for people who like to keep their little secrets private. Even eyebrow piercings are making a comeback in a new form: the trendy version is worn as a gemstone about 1 cm above the brow. The classic navel and tongue piercings remain popular, though tongue piercings are now seen in more subtle variations. Otherwise, the motto of current piercing trends is: stand out. This works best with the two strongest trends: tunnels and plugs. It's becoming clear that the more unusual the design of the tunnel or plug, the more fashionable it is. Whether it's vibrant colors, tribal patterns, intricate designs, sparkling crystals, or original motifs, all of these are gaining popularity. Plugs are slightly more popular because they allow for greater design variety.

Implants

Implants are devices placed under the skin to decorate or alter the body. An alternative is transdermal implants, where the body jewelry is not completely submerged but protrudes partially and remains visible. Implants are popular in the body modification scene and are often combined with piercings and tattoos. However, they carry a higher risk of infection than piercings and are anything but discreet. While piercings can be small and inconspicuous or chic with glitter crystals, etc., implants are considered an extreme form of body modification. Furthermore, they can shift due to tissue changes and potentially injure blood vessels. Removing them requires another surgical procedure. Today, PTFE or silicone are used for implants; previously, even metal was used. They can be designed in various shapes, such as cones, hemispheres, points, and other forms. Popular locations include the forehead or chest, but also the backs of the hands or arms. Horn-like shapes are most commonly used on the face, but more complex forms like stars, rings, skulls, and other designs are also possible. Transdermal implants consist of a metal plate placed under the skin, with threaded ends protruding from the skin. Various jewelry can then be screwed onto these threads. Microdermals are more popular, smaller, and less risky, allowing for the placement of a gemstone, stud, or other embellishment anywhere on the body. Multiple microdermals can also be combined to create a pattern. Because they are so small, they heal faster and the insertion process is less painful.

Men & Women

Can certain piercings be categorized by popularity and gender? While some trends do emerge, the differences are really only in frequency. These days, it's generally acceptable for both men and women to wear any piercing. The only piercings that can be definitively attributed to either women or men are genital piercings. Everything else is a mixed bag; you see men with belly button piercings and women with nipple piercings. Other variations, like snake bites on the lips or septum piercings, are very popular with both genders. Plugs and tunnels are also worn by both sexes today; the only difference lies in the designs. For example, women might prefer hearts, rhinestones, and flowers, while men might opt ​​for gears, skulls, dragons, or eyeballs. However, even these designs are no longer clearly gender-specific. Even rhinestones in the ears have been a trend among men.

Who is more sensitive to pain?

There are scientific findings on the topic of pain perception in men and women: according to some studies, women generally experience pain more intensely than men. Hormones are to blame: while the male sex hormone testosterone reduces pain perception, the female hormone estrogen has the opposite effect, increasing pain perception. The result is that men perceive pain less intensely; their pain threshold is higher. This can be applied to piercing: men perceive it as less painful. Interestingly, a woman's pain perception fluctuates with her menstrual cycle. There is another reason why women perceive pain more intensely: emotionality. Women associate pain more strongly with negative feelings, thereby amplifying it. Men, on the other hand, process pain in the rational part of the brain and therefore cope with it differently. Another factor is the distribution of pain receptors, which also differs between men and women and leads to women suffering more. Women perceive pain earlier and more intensely than men and cannot tolerate it for as long. This is also due to the fact that their skin is thinner than men's. But don't worry, ladies! Many women have successfully gotten their piercings done, and with a positive attitude, pain is easier to bear, as described above. Beauty is pain – unfortunately, getting a piercing isn't completely painless. But afterwards, you'll be rewarded with the result you desire: your new piercing.

What jewelry are the girls wearing?

As mentioned before, the only piercing jewelry worn exclusively by women are the various female genital piercings. Everything else is also found on men, albeit less frequently and usually with different designs. Typical female piercings include the nostril piercing, especially if the nose stud features a faceted crystal as a sparkling stone. Lip frenulum piercings are also much more common on women, as is the tragus piercing. Tongue piercings and navel piercings are also more popular among women. The navel piercing, in particular, is considered sexy and feminine. The septum piercing is currently very popular. Playful and feminine are also microdermals, which can be worn as sparkling stones anywhere. With tunnels and plugs, the typically female version is the one with a pendant. These pendants dangle below the tunnel or plug and resemble earrings—a plug and earrings in one, so to speak. Feminine attributes in tunnels and plugs include bows, certain shapes like roses, hibiscus flowers, dreamcatchers, swallows, and hearts, and certain glittering materials such as resin, mother-of-pearl, paua abalone, or faceted glass crystals, as well as glitter-filled transparent plugs. Stainless steel in rainbow colors and generally very colorful plugs also appeal more to women. Delicate patterns, lace, and small ornaments are also popular with women. Wooden piercings combined with gemstones like turquoise or cowrie shells, or painted in colorful patterns, are also preferred by women.

What kind of jewelry do boys wear?

Boys prefer different designs, colors, and materials than girls. Certain types of piercings are also more common among them than others. Popular choices include eyebrow piercings, nipple piercings, tunnels and plugs, snake bites on the lip, and, increasingly popular, septum piercings on the nose. Tongue piercings are also more common among men than other types. The only piercings truly worn exclusively by men are the corresponding male genital piercings, of which there are many variations. Stainless steel and clean, simple designs without many embellishments are very popular with men. Popular designs include screws, Thor's hammer, skulls, tribal patterns, hemp leaves, spikes, and classic spirals. When it comes to colors, less vibrant options are preferred, or men opt for bright neon colors. Simple, solid-colored wooden tunnels or plugs are also in demand. Piercing jewelry with rhinestones is sometimes fashionable among men as well. Plug designs such as the biohazard symbol, gears, or dragon eyes are popular with men, as are the Om symbol and the Flower of Life. If men opt for intricate designs, they usually choose hand-carved tribal patterns made from solid-colored organic materials. Black and silver are preferred for stainless steel. Besides the septum piercing, another popular nose piercing is the bridge piercing, located at the top of the nose.