A corset piercing is a

body piercing Body piercing, which is a form of body modification, is the practice of puncturing or cutting a part of the human body, creating an opening in which jewelry may be worn, or where an implant could be inserted. The word ''piercing'' can refer t ...

that consists of multiple piercings in rows, usually on the back, with ribbon or string laced through to mimic the appearance of a

corset A corset is a support garment commonly worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape, traditionally a smaller waist or larger bottom, for aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or with a more lasting eff ...

. Two rows of bilaterally

symmetrical Symmetry (from grc, συμμετρία "agreement in dimensions, due proportion, arrangement") in everyday language refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, "symmetry" has a more precise definiti ...

piercings are performed and can be composed of as few as four piercings (two in each row) or as many as the length of the area being pierced and the vertical space between piercings will allow space for. Due to the difficulty and risks associated with permanently healing single surface piercings, most corset piercings are intended to be temporary.

As temporary piercings

Temporary corset piercings are often performed for aesthetic reasons, often as part of a fetish event or

photo A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now crea ...

shoot. A body piercer may also perform a corset piercing to promote their business, to be photographed for a portfolio or to be used for

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

purposes. They may also be performed as

play piercing Play piercing, needle play, or recreational acupuncture is body piercing done for the purpose of enjoying the experience rather than producing a permanent body decoration. Needles, sharpened bones, or other tools used in play piercing are removed ...

s as part of

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...

activity. Often temporary corset piercings are worn laced with

ribbon A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mat ...

rope A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibres, or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have tensile strength and so can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similarl ...

, or

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. ...

. Usually temporary corset piercings use

captive bead ring A captive bead ring (CBR), ball closure ring (BCR), captive hoop, or captive ball ring is a common example of body piercing jewelry. The captive bead or ball fits into a small opening in the circle of the ring. The bead is slightly larger than ...

s as

jewelry Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry ( U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a w ...

, but corset piercings intended as play piercings or as part of a short photo shoot might simply be done with

hypodermic needle A hypodermic needle (from Greek ὑπο- (''hypo-'' = under), and δέρμα (''derma'' = skin)), one of a category of medical tools which enter the skin, called sharps, is a very thin, hollow tube with one sharp tip. It is commonly used ...

s, which will be removed after the activity is finished. Rarely worn for more than a week, corset piercings are typically worn only for a few hours or until the event or activity they were required for has ended. Temporary corset piercings are open wounds, and are subject to the same

infection An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable di ...

cross contamination Contamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that spoils, corrupts, infects, makes unfit, or makes inferior a material, physical body, natural environment, workplace, etc. Types of contamination Wi ...

, and irritation risks as any other healing piercing or small wound.

Scar A scar (or scar tissue) is an area of fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after an injury. Scars result from the biological process of wound repair in the skin, as well as in other organs, and tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a ...

ring from the removal of temporary piercings is usually minimal or non-existent.

As permanent piercings

It is possible for the multiple surface wounds that constitute a corset piercing to heal; however, they are unlikely to heal properly. Permanent corset piercings would consist of multiple surface piercings, pierced with jewelry designed for the purpose, and bear all of the healing issues and risks associated with them. To date, the most successful attempts at permanent corset piercings have been performed with surface bars, although some success has been reported using

Teflon Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that has numerous applications. It is one of the best-known and widely applied PFAS. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon by Chemo ...

Tygon tubing Tygon is a brand name for a family of flexible polymer tubing consisting of a variety of materials to be used "across a range of specialized fluid transfer requirements". The specific composition of each type is a trade secret. Some variants have ...

, both of which are flexible and move with the body. There have also been experiments in healing corset piercings as

transdermal implant Transdermal implants, or dermal piercings, are a form of body modification used both in a medical and aesthetic context. In either case, they consist of an object placed partially below and partially above the skin, thus ''trans''dermal. The skin ...

s. Due to the tremendous potential for the healing piercings to be irritated by normal daily life, corset piercings, even healed ones, require constant vigilance by the wearer to prevent damage. Although corset piercings are usually intended to be laced, during the healing period, especially the initial healing period, surface piercings intended to be part of permanent corset piercings are not usually laced as it puts

pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country a ...

torsion Torsion may refer to: Science * Torsion (mechanics), the twisting of an object due to an applied torque * Torsion of spacetime, the field used in Einstein–Cartan theory and ** Alternatives to general relativity * Torsion angle, in chemistry Bi ...

, and tension on the piercing that can increase the chances of

migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

and rejection. Once the piercing is fully healed, one of the beads at the end of the surface bar can be replaced with a special bead, drilled to accept a ring, similar to the bead on a bondage bar. The healed surface piercings can then be laced for aesthetic purposes, although subjecting the piercings to extended periods of lacing can increase the risk of migration or rejection. Healing and aftercare for corset piercings is identical to healing for any surface piercings, although the healing process can be extended and complicated due to the number of piercings healing at the same time, which puts greater stress on the body. The location of most corset piercings, on the individual's back, can make caring for the healing piercings more difficult as well. Like all surface piercings, rejected or improperly healed corset piercings can leave noticeable permanent scarring.

History and culture

Although

ry has a long history, the corset piercing is of contemporary origin, coming into practice with the establishment of the

industry in the late 1990s. Like corsetry, it is associated with

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, scu ...

behavior and

aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed t ...

, particularly fetish aesthetics. Also paralleling corsets, most wearers of corset piercings are

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or Adolescence, adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female hum ...

. There is some controversy regarding the publication and promotion of images of corset piercing. Almost all of the photographs of corset piercing are of fresh piercings, which have not had the time to reject, migrate or otherwise fail to heal properly. Images used in advertising or magazines may be

photoshopped Photograph manipulation involves the transformation or alteration of a photograph using various methods and techniques to achieve desired results. Some photograph manipulations are considered to be skillful artwork, while others are consider ...

airbrush An airbrush is a small, Pneumatics, air-operated tool that Atomizer nozzle, atomizes and sprays various media, most often paint but also ink and dye, and Foundation (cosmetics), foundation. Spray painting developed from the airbrush and is c ...

ed to eliminate indications of swelling, redness, or infection, further promoting the illusion that these piercings are easy, or even possible to heal. Photographs of corset piercings done with captive bead rings, which are inappropriate for permanent corset piercings, vastly outnumber photographs of corset piercings done as proper surface piercings. Usually corset piercings are photographed laced, also leading the public to believe that they can be worn laced at all times, which is not possible, even in a well healed, permanent corset piercing.

External links

Body Modification E-Zine article on corset piercing

Body Modification E-Zine Encyclopedia entry on corset piercing

Snopes.com Urban Legends Reference Page on corset piercing

Painful Pleasures Body Mod photo Gallery - Corset Piercing Pictures

GreatPiercingShop.com Original information taken from source - Reference Page on corset piercing
{{Body Piercing Surface piercings Corsetry