What Does It Feel Like To Get Your Eyebrow Pierced?

Needles. Clamps. Yikes! Getting a piercing can be an intimidating procedure, no matter where the location. Before you head out to a piercing shop to get your new body mod, you might find yourself doing a quick online search. “What does it feel like to get my _________________ pierced?”

Let’s talk about eyebrow piercings. An eyebrow ring is located in your brow above the upper eyelid and runs behind the hair that makes up your eyebrow. There are variations to this piercing (horizontally, vertically, barbell, ring) which can be discussed before the procedure. One thing to keep in mind about eyebrow piercings – they are surface piercings, which means they can be prone to migration and rejection. It’s important to get this piercing performed by a professional to ensure it is 1.) pierced deep enough into the skin and 2.) adorned with jewelry that is the correct gauge (aka not too thick or too thin).

As for eyebrow mods, what does it really feel like to get this procedure done? We asked a bunch of Body Candy piercing enthusiasts what it was like to get their eyebrow done. Keep in mind, every piercing experience is different. But sometimes just knowing what to expect is a weight off your shoulders. We’ve put together a nice little blog with a few helpful answers – hopefully now you might have a better idea of what to expect before you get your brow pierced.

(some BC customers’ names have been altered for privacy):

Leesa J. – New York City, NY

It felt like a big pinch. It was just like I took my fingers and pinched my eyebrow really hard between my nails.

At worst, this was like a 5 on the pain scale. It definitely stung a bit, but nothing I wasn’t over in a minute or two. I did experience a bit of swelling for the few hours afterward, but even that went away by the end of the day.

Since then I haven’t had any issues with my cute little eyebrow ring! I’m more of a metal finish girl, so I like to wear a little stainless steel opal-studded barbell in my piercing. I’ve gotten a bunch of nice comments on it already!

Virginia R. – Saratoga Springs, NY

I just got mine done and honestly it didn’t hurt at all. This is going to sound obvious but it hurt in a way that putting a needle through your skin would hurt, know what I mean? Obviously its like getting a shot or something, it’s gonna sting a little bit.

I have a ton more piercings, including my nipples, two helix piercings, an industrial, two nose rings, and my tongue. By far, my eyebrow was the least painful and the least annoying. Seriously, it was like a solid 2 in pain, if that.

My only complication was that I snagged it when I was changing a few days after I got it done. It was sore for one or two days but it ended up being ok. Just don’t forget once you get it done that there’s something new in your face. I think that could have gone a lot worse tbh.

Marcie K. – Las Vegas, NV

So I finally got my eyebrow done last month and I’m so happy I finally did.

I showed up to the piercer and told them what I wanted. She led me back to her station and made small talk, I felt really comfortable even though I was still a little bit nervous. Before I knew it, all her gloves and mask was on and I had my eyebrow in a clamp, which was almost worse than the piercing itself. She put the needle through me and it hurt but not too bad. Before I even knew it, my barbell was in and she showed me in a mirror. I was so happy!

From 1 to 10, I would say my eyebrow was like a 4. It’s on my right side so my right eye watered up a bit, but I didn’t full on cry from the pain. It felt a little puffy for a day or so. The initial insertion was definitely the worst part.

My mom hates my piercings but I don’t care, I love the way my new eyebrow ring emphasizes my facial features. Right now I’m wearing just a regular silver barbell, but I’m planning on buying eyebrow jewelry in a ton of different colors once I heal up.

Kit R. – St. Petersburg, FL

I love piercings so I’m no stranger to needles. I have a labret piercing, a navel piercing, both my nipples done, and a bunch in my ears. Compared to all those, this one was such a breeze, I barely even know what to talk about.

I did my research before I went in to get it done and I think that helped me so much. I already wasn’t nervous, but reading that there just aren’t a ton of nerve endings in the brow was nice to know. The mindset that this one was going to be an easy mod made me feel really chill about the whole thing. Really, it was so simple. Before I knew it, I was clamped, pierced, and out the door. I give it a 1 on the pain scale.

I will say, I was dumb and got a little too much sun the next day. The sunburn was minor but it really dried out my piercing, which I think extended my healing by a few days. It was itchy, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I wouldn’t recommend making that mistake though!

Saria O. – Nashville, TN

I didn’t make an appointment or anything, I just showed up as a walk in customer with my friend. My piercer was about to take another customer, but I approached her and asked if I could get my eyebrow pierced. She said yes, as soon as she was done with her current customer. I waited for about 15 minutes and then headed back.

I could tell the piercing shop was very clean, it had a very sterile smell to it (in a good way. She let me pick out a barbell (I just went with a plain silver one) and then I filled out a bunch of forms and gave her my license.

From there, she sat me down on her piercing bench (idk what those are called) and we started talking about aftercare. She let me know about saline sprays and also suggested that I could use a tea bag on my piercing if I wanted. By then, I was super excited and just ready to get my eyebrow done.

She put on some gloves and started cleaning my right eyebrow where I was ready to get pierced. At this point, my heart was racing but I did my best to focus my breathing. She marked me with some purple dots using a toothpick and let me take a look in the mirror to make sure that’s where I wanted it.

I sat back down and she clamped my eyebrow and kind of pulled it away from my face a little bit. She asked me to breath in real deep and when I did, that’s when she pushed the needle through. Before I knew it, the barbell was in and she was screwing the little ball end on tight. I was so surprised, the clamp was more uncomfortable than the needle.

Including my wait time, I was probably at the shop for a total of 40 minutes. I was expecting to be sore and miserable all day, but this was only a two or three out of ten on the pain scale.

If you’re on the fence about it, my advice is DO IT. Just take really good care of it during the healing process and you’ll have nothing to worry about!

We want to hear about your eyebrow piercing experience!

Do you have an eyebrow piercing? What happened for you when you were at the piercing shop? Do you think you have something more to add to the conversation? Let us know in the comments!

Shop all of our eyebrow jewelry now!

Always wanted one but unsure of how it would look. I dont think I have the best shape of face for one

Angel Russell on July 27, 2020

Hi Dorothy, A little bit of discharge/crust is normal, but any yellow/green discharge could be a sign of an infection. Keep up your salt soaks and do your best not to touch, snag, or bump your eyebrow otherwise. If you start to notice any pain, discomfort, redness, or odd smells, it’s time to talk to your piercer and your medical professional.

Alley (Body Candy Team) on July 02, 2020

It’s been three months since I had my eyebrow pierced. A month in I replaced my piercing with a gold one. No pain no swelling but I am getting a little pus. I am still cleaning but the bottom part of my piercing has a little pus. What should I do? Like I said not hurting or swelling and I am saline cleaning. What should I do.

Dorothy Williams on July 02, 2020

I got my eyebrow piercing a couple years ago. For me the clamp hurt worse than the piercing itself. I could feel the needle push through, but I felt no pinch or pain with it at all. Mine bled a little though, so it required some cleanup, and I had a weird headache for a few days afterward in that part of my head. It also took a litle bit to get used to it being there, but it healed really well and I love it.