Rising Stars of Modern Piercing: Getting Cheeky

Location: The cheeks, starting from just underneath the eyes, extending downward towards the chin, and outwards to the jaw.

Names: The anti-eyebrow piercing (high cheek piercing, Cleopatra piercing, teardrop piercing, butterfly kiss), the dimple piercing (cheek piercing, cheek bites, dimpler), and the cheek dermal (facial dermal, cheekbone piercing, teardrop dermal, Cleopatra dermal).

Piercing: Most anti-eyebrow piercings are performed as a surface piercing, which usually necessitates either the use of two needles, or punch and taper technique (employing a dermal punch). Dimple piercings however, may be performed with a single needle, much like dahlia or upper lip modifications. Microdermals can make use of either a hollow piercing needle inserted at an angle to create a pocket of skin, or a dermal punch to cleanly remove the skin leaving a small hole.

Aftercare: As with most piercings whose base rests inside the mouth, lower cheek or dimple piercings will require both external and oral aftercare. This often involves the use of both soaks/washes and oral rinses to prevent irritation from food particles. For higher set anti-eyebrow piercings, standard surface piercing aftercare will generally suffice, and the same will be true for dermal cheek mods. Microdermals will always require vigilance as well, as they are easier to pull free from the skin when bumped or snagged.

Jewelry: Anti-eyebrow style piercings are normally worn with surface bars, but can also be seen with flexible barbells or occasionally curved barbells, depending on their exact location. High cheek dermals can be worn with standard dermal anchors, which feature a removable decorative top, or with single piece micros called “skin divers.” And for lower cheek or dimple piercings, a labret/monroe style stud (usually with a flat back) is often used.

Popularity: Although cheek piercings are of primarily contemporary origin, they continue to rise in popularity and prevalence amongst certain social sub-groups of the younger modified generations. It’s estimated that dermal and surface piercings in general still compose less than 3% of the overall piercings amongst these segments of the population.