Piercing is a wonderful thing. It can enhance body confidence, and many people really love a good piercing (your humble author included!)… However, it can be painful – after all (especially if you have sensitive skin), a needle is piercing your skin! If you love the metalwork you may be wondering how to numb skin before piercing. We have a few tips for you!
How Can I Make My Piercings Less Painful?
Sticking needles and jewellery into your skin is going to be painful, there is no doubt about that! However, there are some things you can do to make it less painful:
- Numbing cream. This topical gel contains anaesthetic to help numb the skin, which will make the piercing less painful.
- Ice. If you hold a piece of ice wrapped in a cloth against the are for at least 15 minutes, your skin should feel slightly numbed and less traumatised by the needles.
- Meditation and breathing. It may sound funny, but spending a bit of time calming your mind and preparing yourself will help the piercing to be slightly more comfortable.
- Use distraction. Scrolling through Instagram or playing an absorbing game can really help to distract you from what is going on.
- Make sure your piercer is experienced. A good piercer will make sure the pain is over as quickly as possible, so ensure that they know what they are doing.
- Think about the final result. You want a piercing because they’re awesome, right? Picture yourself shimmying about in your new jewellery, and this should make the pain seem more worthwhile!
Here is a fun video, made by a man who has clearly been pierced a lot, which has some great tips for making piercings less painful:
How Long Does It Take For Ice To Numb Skin?
Holding ice to an area of skin can help it to become numb – but how long should you leave it on before it is effective?
The cold sensation of the ice on the skin can become pretty unpleasant, and even painful, after a short amount of time.
If you want to use ice to numb the skin, you will have to hold it in place for between 10 and 20 minutes.
It is recommended that you do not hold the ice to your skin unless it is wrapped inside something, as it will melt against the warmth of your skin.
You should wrap the ice in a cloth before you hold it against the area you wish to numb.
Ice can be a pretty painful thing, if it is held to naked skin for a long time. It is best to build yourself up slowly!
You may feel like you can’t touch the ice for any longer, if you have been holding it to an area for a while – but bear in mind that this will not actually numb the skin.
You will need to steel yourself, distract yourself with some good TikTok videos or an absorbing book.
Not watching the clock is the best way to ignore the painful sensation of the ice. Try to absorb yourself in something else for 10 minute, then you will realise how numb your skin is.
Can I Put Numbing Cream On Before Getting A Piercing?
- Numbing cream is safe to use and harmless, and it can make the pain of piercings much more bearable.
- You can reapply it several times in the lead up to your piercing, and it should numb the skin sufficiently to make it less painful.
- Numbing cream comes in a tube of gel, or sometimes in the form of patches – either form is totally safe to use before your next piercing adventure.
- The only thing you have to watch out for is putting on too much cream – it will get absorbed into the body, so make sure you follow the instructions!
- Don’t imagine that anything is going to magically not make it hurt. If you are expecting the kiss of a kitten, you will surely yelp as the needle touches your skin!
Piercings do hurt, there’s no doubt about that. However, it is over in an instant, and then you get to parade around in your new finery!
What Is The Most Painful Piercing?
Which type of piercing is the most painful is an objective thing, of course. However there is some consensus on which is the most painful type!
Some people cannot cope with an ear lobe piercing; others go to pieces at the thought of an under the skin piercing. We’re all different.
However, there is one piercing that is considered to be the most difficult one of all…
Because of the amount of cartilage the needle has to go through, industrial ear piercing is considered to be the worst type.
Industrial ear piercings are the type that go through the parts of the ear that are the most hard; not the fleshy lobes.
The industrial types go through not one, but two parts of cartilage, which adds to the pain ratio!
There are other types of piercing that are painful, of course (genital piercings, we’re looking at you!) but these tend to heal faster than the ear cartilage ones.
Some people report that the clamp used to clamp the piercing area is worse than the needle itself.
As with any pain, it is totally up to the individual – some people report that soft tissue piercing is harder than a cartilage one, others can’t cope with a needles near a harder area.
This article tells us all about the most painful ear piercing, plus some useful tips on aftercare.
Piercings are great, but they can be very painful. If you enjoy having piercings but not the process of them, then you are not alone!
Hopefully this has shown you some ways that you can relieve some of the pain before your piercings, so you can enjoy more of them in the future.
