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Body piercing has become the newest fashion trend and currently, snake eye piercing which is also known as tongue piercing has become another fashion trend. Large number of people try to pierce their tongue to look attractive across the globe. However, sometimes tongue piercing can become highly injurious to your health.
Here we have tried to provide all the important information about the problems you may face with infected snake eye piercing along with the procedure which you can consider before getting your tongue pierced.
What is snake eye piercing?
In snake eye piercing, your tongue is pierced horizontally across the tip with the help of small barbell. These pierced balls can be seen through either side of the tongue and this is also the reason why it is known as snake eye piercing.
How is snake eye piercing done?
To do the snake eye piercing properly, it is important to find the correct piercer at the first place. This is important as the piercer will check the area of your tongue to check whether it is suitable for piercing or not.
As the structure of the tongue in everyone’s body is different, the piercer checks whether the blood vessels on your tongue is more prominent. If this is the case then it might be difficult for you to get snake eye piercing. Always remember, your health, as well as safety, should be prioritized over the piercing.
If you are okay with your tongue, your piercer then numbs the area with the help of the anesthetic. Lidocaine is the product which is used more often. However, it fully depends on the person who is carrying out the procedure.
Then the blotting tissue will be applied on the tongue to soak up the saliva on the tongue surface. The place of piercing will be marked by making by the two dots which will help the piercer while inserting the jewelry.
The jewelry is most of the times made up of 14g titanium barbell. However, you may also use 16g barbell depending on the size of your tongue. Your piercer may help you in guiding on this.
Your tongue will then be picked with the help of clamps through the sides. This will help in pushing the tongue together and will help in avoiding the contact with the major veins.
At last, with the help of the inserting needle the correct jewelry will also be inserted through the tongue and then a ball will be fixed on both the sides. This completes the procedure of snake eye piercing.
How to take care of snake eye piercing?
After getting your snake eye piercing, you may experience huge pain and it is important to try the best possible ways to remove this pain. You may also experience light bleeding, swelling along with bruising as well as tenderness in the beginning after getting the snake eye piercing.
You may follow some of the important tips to get rid of the pain along with taking care of your snake eye piercing. Some of the major tips are listed below.
● Use ice to reduce swelling
Drinking a lot of cold water along with ice chips might help you in eliminating swelling. However, it is important to prevent your mouth getting freezed due to ice chips. You can do this by letting the ice chips to melt in your mouth without sucking them.
● Avoid foods which are salty or acidic in nature
Consumption of acidic, salty as well as spicy foods after getting your tongue pierced may cause the problem of burning or stinging sensation around the pierced area.
● Do not consume potentially harmful food products
You should also avoid the consumption of alcohol, tobacco along with caffeine. Along with this, making oral sexual contact such as French kiss should also be avoided at the beginning when the wound is healing.
● Expect discharge
While it is common to experience some kind of discharge which would be white in color after getting your tongue pierced, it is important to ensure that it is not puss.
● Rinsing your mouth
RInsing your mouth regularly with the help of an alcohol-free mouthwash for minimum 4-5 times every day for around 60 seconds in the morning as well as before going to bed may help you in preventing the infection.
● Cleaning piercing
Cleaning the pierced area with the help of some sea salt around 2-3 times every day might help you in preventing the infection. You may also use mild antibacterial soap for cleaning minimum 2 times every day.
However, make sure that you are drying the piercing properly to eliminate all the germs as well as bacteria. It is recommended to use clean tissue papers instead of towels.
● Change your jewelry after removal of initial swelling
It is also important to change the jewelry and wear a shorter one after the elimination of initial swelling. You can see your piercer for this and the piercer will check whether your tongue is ready to change the jewelry.
● Choose the right style
It is important to choose a right style for you while changing the jewelry for your snake eye piercing. Avoid choosing a material which you are allergic or sensitive with.
Snake eyes piercing infection and complication
Some of the common infection, as well as complications due to snake eye piercing, are listed below.
● Tongue tenderness and swelling
One of the most common symptoms of tongue infection is tenderness as well as swelling of the tongue. Even though swelling is considered normal after snake eye piercing, if you are having a problem while swallowing, it is important to consult with your doctor immediately.
● Inflammation and redness
Another one of the common symptoms of infection is the appearance of inflammation as well as redness. While the redness should disappear in few days, worsening swelling along with painful inflammation may cause severe problems.
● Bleeding
Bleeding may also appear after having snake eye piercing on the tongue. Even though initial some bleeding is normal, a large amount of bleeding with no sign of clotting may cause various health problems, according to the experts.
By Prajakt K.