Nina Anniston

Author
Nina Anniston

Has Snake Eyes Piercing Inspired You? Here’s A Guide

  Jan 17, 2024
Reviewed by Dr Saket Srivastava

There is no such thing as ‘piercings are boring,’ especially in the Gen-Z era. Any kind of tattoo or piercing is crazy popular these days. 

And talking about piercings, one of them that comes at the top of the chart is the snake eye piercing. Despite not having the best reputation due to the health hazards that come with it, people still willingly get it done.

Snake eye piercing

But every treasure comes with a price to be paid – by it as small as a bruise after piercing or the after-effects of procedures like smile line fillers. It’s all fun and games until you land in trouble with chipped teeth and a damaged tongue. 

If you think this is a stretch, you may want to go through the guide, which includes pretty much everything you need to know about snake eye piercing.  

What is Snake Eye Piercing After All?

Piercings can be a symbol of elitism and royalty in many cultures, and many are now deemed as a bold statement. There is a vast range of piercings available, but one that is a matter of discussion today is the snake eye piercing. 

Snake eye piercing is the type of piercing that is done at the tip of the tongue (snake eye tongue piercing), and many have their own fair share of preconceived notions about it. However, if you wish to know what exactly a snake eye piercing is, there is more than just one answer to it. If you are wondering why, it is because it falls under the category of snake bite piercings. 

Labret studs resembling snake eyes1

Ever since they came out, snake bite and snake eye piercings have only been on the rise in numbers. As you may already tell by its name, the ‘snake eye’ piercing is due to its striking resemblance to that of a snake’s eyes. When you look at them, the two studs pierced on the tongue’s tip, at the ends are termed as snake eye piercing, and it is pretty uncanny. 

Things to Know Before Getting A Snake Eye Piercing

If you are planning on getting any type of snake bite piercing anytime soon, let us tell you that there are some things that you may like to consider prior to that. And those points are as follows: 

  • Pain Endurance: The first and foremost thing that you should consider is your pain endurance. Whether the piercing will be painful or not should be out of the question, as any kind of piercing causes pain to at least some extent. So you can ask those who have it done earlier and share their pain experience. However, it varies from person to person and their pain endurance while getting a piercing done. 
  • Use of Correct Terms: You certainly won’t wish to come out of the piercing shop getting a different piercing from the one you asked for. And if you are wondering how that might be the case, it can be due to the use of the wrong terminology. 

Therefore, you have to make sure that you are using the correct term for the piercing that you are interested in getting after thorough research on its name. If you don’t do that and show up to the piercing parlor, it will only create misunderstandings. 

  • Consider the Dental Risks: In case you aren’t aware, the health risks of getting snake eye piercing are not only limited to your tongue, but also lead to dental problems. So to not fall prey to damaged teeth, you need to work with a professional who can help in carefully nesting the piercing at the right spot without causing harm to the muscles and the teeth. This way, the stud will not rub off constantly against the teeth. 
  • Aftercare Approach is Different: The post-recovery process of snake eye piercing is pretty much different from what you may expect after a mere piercing. It is important to be noted that the experience of taking care after getting a snake bite piercing is nothing like other piercings that one may get done. 

Moreover, it is essential to take care of the snake bite piercing with what goes into the mouth. You have to rinse your mouth with water to keep the hygiene of the piercing after you eat anything. 

Different Types of Snake Eye Piercing 

If you are interested in getting a snake bite piercing, here are two types of popular tongue piercing. However, both aren’t the ‘tip of tongue piercing’ type.

  • Snake Bite Lip Piercing 
    Snake bite lip piercing

You may have seen this cool looking piercing with labret studs on each side of the mouth, depicting a snake bite. It is usually done on the corners of the lower lip. As you can see in the above-given image, they look like a snake bite, and the studs are facing outwards direction. It can also be called snake bites lip piercing.

  • Snake Ear Piercing 
    Snake bite ear piercing

Just like any other snake bite piercing, the ear one also looks like a snake bite when two studs are pierced next to each other at a distance. It can be done in any style as long as the resemblance is still there.

While the snake bite piercing jewelry is usually around $10 to $30 for one piece, the piercing can cost $60 to $100. The prices may vary from parlor to parlor. 

How to Decide the Right Snake Eye Pierce for Yourself? 

Now you may have an idea about different types of snake eye piercing and the information about them. So if you have made up your mind for getting one, depending on your pain endurance and the category of snake bite piercing that you are going for, you have to choose the right one. And be mindful to consider the consequences of it, before taking any step. 

To help you understand more about snake bite piercing before you finalize a decision, you can go through the explained procedure in the following section. 

Process of Getting Snake Eye Piercing Done 

You might think that snake eye piercing is not that risky, but things can go wrong. 

Now that you know about the pre-procedure things that you must take into consideration, we will be explaining what is it like to get a snake eye piercing done. Given below is a list of steps for how this snake eye tongue piercing is done. 

  • First, the piercing artist will analyze the area where you want to get the piercing done and see from their end how it can be done.
  • Then you will be asked to sign a consent form in case any unfortunate consequences happen during the piercing process. 
  • After that, the artist will ask you to select the jewelry that you want to get pierced. 
  • Now you will be given an antiseptic mouthwash to curb the bacteria in your mouth. You will also be provided with an antiseptic wipe to wipe your outer lip if you are going for mouth piercing.
  • And now comes the important part – the artist will start marking the entry points for the piercing. 
  • Then they will start inserting a hollow needle through the marked spot on your tongue and pierce the area. 
  • Lastly, another dose of mouthwash and you’re done!

You’ve successfully got your snake eye piercing done now! However, the experience will be different for everyone for the needle insertion part. 

Now, to help you learn about the jewelry part, we will list below the ones the types of snake bite piercing jewelry:

  • Surgical steel
  • Titanium
  • Niobium
  • 14-karat or higher gold

If you want to know more about going to a reliable modification artist near you for piercing, you can head over to the Association of Professional Piercers

You can read different reviews there to be secure before visiting them and getting the snake eye piercing done. 

Healing and Aftercare 

In order to lower complications with the associated risks of snake eye piercing, having the right aftercare is a must. Since there happens to be a lot of bacteria in your mouth after piercing, here is how you need to take care of it: 

R-I-C-E: A very simple approach that you have to take for recovery post-procedure of piercing is RICE. It is a simple way to take care of an infection or injury. In this case of infected snake eye piercing, here is how the RICE formula helps:

  • Rest: The first and foremost thing to do is rest your tongue. Avoid talking to others and keep the movement of your tongue is less as possible.
  • Ice: For easing up the skin, apply ice to the pierced area and soothe the pain, apply ice to it gently and make sure you do it with clean hands.
  • Compression: By avoiding the movement of the tongue and letting it rest, the skin around the pierced area won’t feel itchy or irritated. 
  • Elevation: You have to sleep carefully and stay mindful of possible swelling. So, in order to avoid so, make use of pillows to elevate your head upwards. 

If you don’t stay patient and do not follow the steps for healing, it will not only affect the internal muscles of the tongue, but may also cause your face, especially cheeks, to look swollen. So, in order to retain the natural look of your cheeks, you may seek help from medical procedures like cheek fillers.

There are some risks that you need to be aware of. To learn about them in brief, read on. 

Risks Associated with Snake Eye Piercing 

Now that you know about the recovery from snake bite piercing, there are also some risks that you have to keep in mind apart from the pain, swelling, and bruising. So we are going to list below some side effects and the possible risks of getting the snake eye piercing: 

  • Bleeding 
  • Infection 
  • Nerve damage 
  • Swelling
  • Scarring 
  • Allergic reaction 
  • Gum and teeth damage
  • Choking on Jewelry

Apart from these potential risks, there are others as well, including heart and brain abscesses (some are even fatal), increased saliva production, blood-borne infection due to bacteria, and more. 

So to not let any of these take hold of you, you have to make sure to follow some dos and don’ts post the piercing procedure. 

The Dos and Don’ts 

During the healing process, there are some points that you need to take care of. We have listed them below:

Healing Dos

  • Maintain utmost hygiene while handling your piercing.
  • Make it a habit to rinse your mouth with a saline solution throughout the day.
  • Always wipe the outside of your piercings with saline solution as well, don’t neglect the outer part of the piercing.
  • Use a soft-bristled toothbrush, and keep it away from the rest of the toothbrushes.
  • Only use mild soap while gently washing the pierced area.
  • Please avoid crunchy, hard-textured, hot, or spicy food for the time being, and be careful when you eat.
  • Avoid getting swelling by sleeping with your head elevated and letting ice chips dissolve in your mouth.

Healing Don’ts:

  • Touch or fiddle with your piercing with unsanitized hands.
  • Fiddle or play with your jewelry.
  • Talk excessively when the piercing’s new (It may damage tissue and cause scarring).
  • Chew on gum or consumables that are easily susceptible to bacteria.
  • Engaging in any form of sexual contact, even with a long-term partner.
  • Share utensils amongst others.
  • Use alcohol, including mouthwashes or saline solutions that contain alcohol.
  • Smoke. 
  • Submerge your piercing in open water areas such as pools, etc.
  • Take your piercing out before it’s fully healed.

Now, in case you unluckily did any of the don’ts and now an infected snake eye piercing is bothering you, you have to confirm the case and look out for its symptoms. 

What to Do if Your Snake Eye Piercing Gets Infected? 

If you have recently got a snake eye piercing done, it is high time for doing the aftercare and look after the tongue since the chances of infection stay high.

However, if you think you have an infected snake eye piercing, before you get started with taking any measures for healing the infection, you have to confirm the infection by checking for possible symptoms. So the following are the signs that you must look out for confirmation:

  • Uncomfortable swelling
  • Persistent warmth
  • Severe pain
  • Excessive bleeding
  • Pus or yellow discharge
  • Inexplicable bumps at the front side or the back side of the piercing
  • Fever

Now that you know about the symptoms of infection on your snake eye piercing, the following are some points that will help you out with the healing of your infection.

  • Clean the area thrice a day: You have to make it a habit to clean the pierced area at least three times a day. Using an alcohol-free saline solution, the skin surrounding the infected area will heal and ice will also help with soothing the inflammation. 
  • Avoid any antibiotics and creams: If you think using antibiotics on infected pierced areas will help – it will do more harm than good. Why? The antibiotics and cream tend to capture the bacteria and further inflate the infection around the piercing. So you are advised to avoid them until the infection is completely healed.
  • Don’t touch the jewelry frequently: It might feel like you watch to itch at times on the pierced area spot. But, touching the snake bite piercing jewelry or moving it will cause unnecessary infection, further irritating the skin even more.
  • Rinse and repeat: It is a must to ensure the hygiene of the mouth and keep bacteria at bay. You can use an alcohol-free mouthwash to rinse and keep the pierced area clean as much as possible.
  • Avoid eating anything spicy or too salty: It is not a joke when they say that baby foods work the best if you recently got a tongue piercing done. Most people are recommended to eat light and liquid food and not intake heavy and spicy food. One might get bored with the same food and desire to try the flavored food, but this will only make the infection worse.

Signing Off 

And that was all for the guide about snake eye piercing! It is surely an irreversible procedure, so you have to think carefully before getting it. 

The snake eye piercing is stylish, in trend, and very cool, but there are also some serious health concerns that you should pay attention to before going ahead with its procedure. There are many tattoo artists who clearly deny getting it done due to the health hazards it causes.  

Not only that, but there is long and delicate aftercare required for the post-procedure. So keep in mind that the way it worked for some, doesn’t mean it will work for you too! In the end, the final call is yours to make.

FAQs

Ans: A straight answer to whether snake eye piercing can paralyze you is NO. But, it has to be noted that it is still not the safest piercing procedure.

Ans: Frog piercing is one of the types of tongue piercing. Like snake piercing is done on the tip of your tongue, it is done in the middle with two studs inserted at the same distance from each other. 

Ans: It is not snake piercing which is a bad idea but what concerns many is the number of risks it carries with it like chipping of teeth, issues eating and speaking impediments as well.

Ans: Venom piercing is also a type of tongue piercing like snake eye piercing, done at the tip of the tongue, but it is more on the sides. 

Ans: The snake bite piercing usually costs between $60 to $120.

Ans: Due to the multiple health risks like gum and tooth damage and other serious medical conditions, snake bite piercings are considered dangerous. 

Sources:

SUGGESTED AFTERCARE FOR BODY PIERCINGS, Association of Professional Piercers 

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