A nape piercing is a

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 Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry ( U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal ...

through the surface of the

nape The nape is the back of the neck. In technical anatomical/medical terminology, the nape is also called the nucha (from the Medieval Latin rendering of the Arabic , "spinal marrow"). The corresponding adjective is ''nuchal'', as in the term ''nu ...

(back part) of the neck. Nape piercings are a type of surface piercing. They carry a high rate of rejection and migration,The Point #33
''A Statistical Look at Surface Bars'' unless they are properly measured and placed. They may reject if they are not pierced properly, as they are in a part of the body that moves constantly and are easy to irritate, catching on clothing or other objects. Being surface piercings, nape piercings require special jewelry to minimize the risk of

piercing migration Piercing migration is the process that occurs when a body piercing moves from its initial location. This process can be painful or go unnoticed, until it has progressed. Given enough time, a ring may migrate entirely outside of the skin, althoug ...

and rejection. Both surface bars and

barbell A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, bodybuilding, weightlifting, powerlifting and strongman, consisting of a long bar, usually with weights attached at each end. Barbells range in length from to above , alth ...

s with bars made from flexible material, such as tygon or

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 ...

, are commonly used as both initial and long term jewelry in nape piercings. More appropriate is

titanium Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion i ...

, which, due to lack of nickel, is less prone to irritation of surrounding skin. For most surface nape piercings, a quality piercing is done in two steps with different bars, one with long rises (used at time of piercing) to allow for initial swelling, and the second bar (shorter rises with balls a few mm from skin) to be inserted months later once most (if not all) healing has taken place. Other similar jewelry include specially made and bent barbells, which are made either by the piercer or ordered from a dealer. Somewhat less common are surface anchors, commonly made from surgical implant-grade titanium. A surface anchor has two parts: a base or foot which is inserted under the dermis during the piercing process and which incorporates a stem exposed to the surface, and a decorative disc or ball of jewelry which typically appears flush with the surface of the skin. Surface anchor nape piercings are most commonly found placed symmetrically on either side of the spine at the nape.

History and culture

Nape piercings, like most surface piercings, are of completely contemporary origin. Numerous

urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

s and

popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...

myths associate nape piercings with a potential for spinal or nerve damage, due to their location. Nape piercings do not interact with nerve tissue more or less than any other surface piercing, and there is no risk of nerve damage associated with nape piercings.

Problems and considerations

Nape piercings can be problematic for those who wear long hair, scarves, or necklaces. Care must be taken to ensure that hair, jewelry, and clothing is not caught on the exposed jewelry to avoid tearing the piercing or exacerbating issues of rejection, both of which can be more common with surface piercings than with other piercings.

References

{{Body Piercing Surface piercings