A philtrum piercing, nicknamed a medusa piercing, is an upper lip piercing placed in the
philtrum
The philtrum ( la, philtrum from Ancient Greek ''phÃltron,'' lit. "love charm"), or medial cleft, is a vertical indentation in the middle area of the upper lip, common to therian mammals, extending in humans from the nasal septum to the tubercl ...
, directly under the septum of the nose. It is typically pierced using a
labret
A labret is a form of body piercing. Taken literally, it is any type of adornment that is attached to the lip (labrum). However, the term usually refers to a piercing that is below the bottom lip, above the chin. It is sometimes referred to as a ...
stud as jewelry, with the ball sitting outside the mouth in the dip of the top lip.
A variation of the philtrum piercing is a
jestrum, where the piercing is placed vertically through the lip using curved barbell so both beads are visible. The other variation is called double because it features two pierced spots in a line.
References
External links
Encyclopedia entry on the medusa: Body Modification E-Zine
{{Body Piercing
Facial piercings
de:Labret-Piercing#Medusa-Piercing