A nipple piercing is a type of body piercing, centered usually at the base of the

nipple The nipple is a raised region of tissue on the surface of the breast from which, in females, milk leaves the breast through the lactiferous ducts to feed an infant. The milk can flow through the nipple passively or it can be ejected by smooth m ...

. It can be pierced at any angle but is usually done horizontally or, less often, vertically. It is also possible to place multiple piercings on top of one another.

History

The perforation of the nipple to apply jewelry has been practiced by various people throughout history. Male nipple piercing was reported to be done by the

Karankawa The Karankawa were an Indigenous people concentrated in southern Texas along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, largely in the lower Colorado River and Brazos River valleys."Karankawa." In ''Cassell's Peoples, Nations and Cultures,'' edited by John ...

Native Americans, female nipple piercing is practiced by the

Kabyle people The Kabyle people ( kab, Izwawen or ''Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', ) are a Berber ethnic group indigenous to Kabylia in the north of Algeria, spread across the Atlas Mountains, east of Algiers. They represent the largest Berber-speaking populat ...

in Algeria. In the western world it potentially dates back to the 14th century. The anthropologist

Hans Peter Duerr Hans Peter Duerr (born 6 June 1943) is a German anthropologist and author of ten books on anthropology. Duerr studied at both the University of Vienna and the University of Heidelberg, eventually gaining his doctorate in 1971 with a dissertatio ...

traces the earliest known practice of female nipple piercing as a fashion statement to the Court of

Isabeau of Bavaria Isabeau of Bavaria (or Isabelle; also Elisabeth of Bavaria-Ingolstadt; c. 1370 – September 1435) was Queen of France from 1385 to 1422. She was born into the House of Wittelsbach as the only daughter of Duke Stephen III of Bavaria-Ingols ...

(1370 to 1435), queen consort of France, quoting

Eduard Fuchs Eduard Fuchs (31 January 1870, Göppingen – 26 January 1940, Paris) was a German Marxist scholar of culture and history, writer, art collector, and political activist. Early life Fuchs's father was a shopkeeper. Early in his life, the you ...

he describes that: However, these sources are difficult to verify. There are also references to a fashion for nipple piercing among society women during the Victorian period around 1890. However, the historian Lesley Hall has commented that these can be traced to a few letters published in the magazine ''Society'' during 1899, and can be judged as erotic fantasies rather than descriptions of actual activity. Moderm_primitive_in_nature_2

In the late 1970s, the practice was revived by Jim Ward and it was adopted by the

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 ...

and

leather subculture Leather subculture denotes practices and styles of dress organized around sexual activities that involve leather garments, such as leather jackets, vests, boots, chaps, harnesses, or other items. Wearing leather garments is one way that pa ...

s of the

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

community. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the

modern primitive Modern primitives or urban primitives are people in developed, or modern nations who engage in body modification rituals and practices inspired by the ceremonies, rites of passage, or bodily ornamentation in what they consider traditional cultu ...

movement embraced nipple piercings among other forms of body modification. With its roots in the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S ...

, the modern primitive movement was intrigued by indigenous, so-called "primitive" cultures and adopted various forms of body modification. The mainstream popularity of nipple piercing is partly due to certain 1990s celebrities such as

Tommy Lee Thomas Lee Bass (born October 3, 1962) is an American musician and founding member of the heavy metal band Mötley Crüe. As well as being the band's long-term drummer, Lee founded rap metal band Methods of Mayhem and has pursued solo musical ...

, Corey Taylor and Lenny Kravitz who publicly displayed their piercings or said that they had them. Nipple piercing has gained in popularity in the 21st century with a number of celebrities and fashion models having this type of piercing. In addition, many people are motivated to have nipple piercings for personal reasons including self-expression and a desire to feel unique. At least one study has shown that people spend, on average, 1–2 years making the decision to have a piercing.

Healing and after care

Some people have noted that they can take up to a year and a half to heal fully. It is recommended that if

stretching Stretching is a form of physical exercise in which a specific muscle or tendon (or muscle group) is deliberately flexed or stretched in order to improve the muscle's felt elasticity and achieve comfortable muscle tone. The result is a feeling ...

a nipple piercing, the piercee waits at least the healing time of their piercings between stretches.

Nipple piercing and sensitivity

Sexual arousal created by areola and

nipple stimulation Nipple stimulation or breast stimulation is stimulation of the breast. Stimulation may be by breastfeeding, sexual activity, or an indirect non-sexual response. As part of sexual activity, the practice may be performed upon, or by, people of any ...

is reported to be enhanced by piercing of the nipple. Most women claim an increase in sensitivity and arousal after having their nipples pierced. As a result of a surge of information claiming sexual enhancement with a pierced nipple, there has been a reported increase of men and women requesting this procedure.

Nipple piercing and breastfeeding

A common question among women who consider nipple piercings is how it may affect

breastfeeding Breastfeeding, or nursing, is the process by which human breast milk is fed to a child. Breast milk may be from the breast, or may be expressed by hand or pumped and fed to the infant. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that br ...

. There is no evidence to suggest that proper nipple piercings can cause any complications with

lactation Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process naturally occurs with all sexually mature female mammals, although it may predate mammals. The proces ...

. A letter in the '' Journal of the American Medical Association'' suggests improperly pierced nipples and scarring may result in blocked ducts. It is recommended that good care be taken to prevent infection by using a piercing professional and good body piercing aftercare. Frequent re-piercings can also damage the nipple and cause complications. It is also recommended that the piercing be healed before breastfeeding. Most body piercing professionals will refuse to pierce a pregnant woman for this reason and because piercing causes stress on the body that could potentially complicate a

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops (gestation, gestates) inside a woman, woman's uterus (womb). A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occur ...

. Several complications have been noted involving

with a piercing present, so it is recommended to remove nipple jewelry before nursing. Several complications resulting from nursing with nipple jewelry inserted can include poor

latch A latch or catch (called sneck in Northern England and Scotland) is a type of mechanical fastener that joins two (or more) objects or surfaces while allowing for their regular separation. A latch typically engages another piece of hardware on t ...

, slurping, gagging, and milk leaking from the baby's mouth. It can also be a potential choking hazard for the baby. As the baby sucks, the ends on a barbell (if worn) may come loose and could possibly lodge in the baby's throat (a captive bead ring, properly inserted, would lessen the risk of anything becoming loose, falling out, and lodging in the throat). The baby's gums and tongue as well as the soft and hard

palate The palate () is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly separ ...

could be injured by the jewelry. Whilst there are some arguments made against having a nipple piercing and breastfeeding, some experts state it is okay to pierce nipples.

Piercing of inverted nipples

Inverted nipple An inverted nipple (occasionally invaginated nipple) is a condition where the nipple, instead of pointing outward, is retracted into the breast. In some cases, the nipple will be temporarily protruded if stimulated. Both women and men can have inv ...

s are primarily a cosmetic problem but might interfere with breastfeeding. Nipples that are inverted can be pierced; in fact, it has been proposed as a corrective strategy to protract the nipple.

Potential complications

The nipple is fleshy enough to pierce securely behind plenty of skin to prevent rejection. However, if the jewelry gauge is too thin or the piercing is not deep enough to begin with, there is a risk of rejection. Metal allergies, infections, or excessive pulling/tugging can also cause the piercing to be rejected. Death due to complications resulting from nipple piercings may have occurred, as have serious infections resulting in the removal of a breast after getting a nipple ring, but typically, a nipple piercing will take at least six months to a year for women or two to four months for men to heal fully. There is an increased risk of

nonpuerperal mastitis The term nonpuerperal mastitis describes inflammatory lesions of the breast (mastitis) that occur unrelated to pregnancy and breastfeeding. It is sometimes equated with duct ectasia, but other forms can be described. Types Duct ectasia—periduct ...

occurring in the months after nipple piercing.

Popular wearers

A nipple piercing gained considerable media attention after Super Bowl XXXVIII, during which Justin Timberlake accidentally exposed Janet Jackson's right breast on which she had a nipple shield applied to a piercing. This incident is humorously called Nipplegate. Nicole Richie set off an alarm at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport as she passed a metal detector with her nipple piercing.

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

had her nipple pierced backstage after a concert she was giving in Germany in the presence of her mother. The whole scene was filmed and later published on her DVD '' Pink: Live in Europe''.

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

had all her piercings removed except for her right nipple piercing. Also, R&B singer

Cassie Cassie is a feminine given name and a short form of various other given names mostly used in English-speaking countries. It is more rarely a surname. People and fictional characters named Cassie include: People with the name Given name or nickna ...

has both of her nipples pierced. Pictures of her breasts were posted on the Internet when someone hacked into her private photographs. Pop singer Rihanna had her nipple piercing exposed first in the same way and later in a '' Lui'' magazine pictorial. Nipple piercing process

References

External links

* {{Body piercing Body piercing

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 ...