Labret Piercing 101

Labret piercings! This term applies to any piercing through the lower lip into the mouth. Not to be confused with vertical labrets or inverse vertical labrets (which will be coming up next!). When many folks hear labret they think of a single piercing in the center under the lower lip. But this term also applies to any setup of lower lip piercings. Like any other piercing, these are anatomy dependant and there are a few things to consider before getting pierced. Let’s take a look!

A note on terminology

Before we start I’d like to address two things. First, pronunciation. Labret is said Lay-BRET rather then lah-bray. That’s because it comes from a Latin word for labrum- the area between the lower lip and the chin where this piercing sits. There is often heated debate over pronunciation online, but the root word is what matters here. Second- slang terms. Many folks refer to pairs of labrets as different names- snake bites, spider bites, cyber bytes, etc. I have a whole blog about slang terms here, but in short these terms can be inaccurate and confusing for piercers. A pair of labrets is just that- a pair of labrets, regardless of the exact placement and pattern. These slang terms can mean different things regionally which can lend to confusion and miscommunication.For example, snake bites can be a pair of lower lip piercings, but some people also use it to refer to a type of tongue piercing. For the best communication referring to the anatomy and the piercing is always best- aka paired labrets. When in doubt, have a photo handy!