Rising Stars of Modern Piercing: Dahlia Bites

Location: At the outer corners of the mouth on both sides, or slightly outside the corners but still in line with the closure of the mouth.

Alternate Names: Dahlias, Joker piercings, Joker bites, double corner piercing, lip corner piercings

Piercing: Dahlia piercings are usually pierced through the flesh of the cheek just outside the corners of the mouth, rather than through the actual lip corners themselves. Like any set of two piercings performed at once, they naturally take longer than a single lip or cheek piercing to complete. These will normally be done in a 14 gauge, with those who prefer to wear micro studs generally getting them in a 16 gauge instead.

Aftercare: Due to their placement in a highly motive area and their nature as an oral piercing, Dahlias will sometimes take slightly longer than average to heal, with initial healing occurring closer to the 12-20 week mark. Aftercare is normally along the same vein as other oral piercings of the cheek, and may include cleanings, salt water rinses, and oral rinses. Because the cheeks and lips are constantly moving, the risk of migration among Dahlias is slightly higher than average, and can be lessened through vigilant care.

Jewelry: For the most part, stud jewelry like what would be worn in a labret or monroe is most common in Dahlia piercings. Occasionally as a matter of placement or preference, a small curved barbell or captive ring may be worn.

Prevalence: Almost half of those under the age of 30 are pierced in both the US and UK, with women comprising the greater portion of those with multiple piercings. Though it is unclear how many of those are Dahlia piercings (lip piercing in general being estimated between 4 and 10 percent), due to the association, Dahlias are almost exclusively worn on females. The name itself is a reference to the famous 1947 murder case of Elizabeth Short, dubbed by the newspapers of the era “the Black Dahlia.” Consequently, the far smaller number of young men with this piercing generally refer to it not as a Dahlia, but as a Joker piercing, referencing of course the well-known villain from Batman.