Snake Eye Tongue Piercings: Everything You Need to Know | Chronic Ink Tattoo

New piercings types don’t come along every day. But when they do Toronto & Vancouver is pretty fast to adopt them. Yet one of the latest piercing fads, snake eye tongue piercings hasn’t really caught on here. With Toronto & Vancouver’s strong piercing culture, it’s leaving a lot of people wondering why. Skipping over a piercing trend isn’t like us. Just look at eyebrow piercings. They’re one of the most recent major piercing categories. They took off here quickly, and are still going strong. So why didn’t snake eye piercings get the same treatment? One of the biggest reasons seems to be safety concerns.

 

Are Snake Eye Piercings Safe?

Most piercers consider the snake eyes piercing to be unsafe. Most reputable piercing shops refuse to do it. There’s a high risk of rejection as well as gum rejection, cracking or chipping of the teeth. The health risks alone are enough to put most people off of this piercing. In addition to the known health risks of snake eye piercings, the unknown long-term risks are a concern. The tongue consists of two muscles which are connected by the piercing, preventing independent movement. At this point, the long-term effects of this are still unknown. Plus, removing the piercing can leave a pretty nasty scar. Health isn’t the only concern stopping people from getting this piercing. Another is the appearance itself - it’s really not for everybody.

 

People Are Turning Their Tongues Into Snakes!

The snake eye piercing is a curved barbell placed horizontally towards the tip at the end. Two ball ends give the appearance of eyes, making your tongue look like a snake. Turning your tongue into a snake may sound awesome to some of us, but not everyone’s a fan.

Long Healing Times

Snake eye piercing face one of the same hurdles that all tongue piercings face. The healing time is pretty long with 4-8 weeks for the swelling to decrease and 2-3 months to fully heal. It’s not the longest healing time in piercings, but being inside your mouth makes it feel a lot longer. A standard tongue piercing is a little easier to care for because placing the piercing in the centre of the tongue is safer. There is less contact with teeth and the inside of the mouth, so the initial healing period is faster with swelling reducing in just 2-4 weeks. While you wait for your piercing to heal you need to be extra careful. Your diet is generally limited to soft and boring foods, many people end up eating a lot of baby food. On the plus side, it’s a great excuse to eat a lot of ice cream.

 

Alternatives to Snake Eye Piercings

Fortunately, there are a lot of good alternatives to snake eye piercings. Two of the most popular options are:

1. Snake Bite Piercings
2. Tongue Piercings

Our Favourite Facial Jewelry

Snake Bite Piercings

If you’re still looking for a snake-themed piercing, one of the coolest alternatives is a snake bite piercing. A snake bite piercing is a type of lip piercing where two symmetrical piercings are placed on either side of the lower lip, resembling the fangs of a snake.. This lip piercing takes a little longer to fully heal but is ultimately a much safer piercing. It’s a great option to get cool, unique piercing without sacrificing safety.

Tongue Piercings

All tongue piercings require attentive care. But by piercing the centre of the tongue you can eliminate many of the health risks of snake eye piercings. It avoids potential damage from piercing through the two muscles of the tongue. It also avoids chipping teeth and causing gum erosion. If you’re getting a tongue piercing, there are plenty of safer options than snake eye piercings available. Tongue piercings are still pretty rare, so even a more standard piercing ends up looking unique. Just be sure to get it at one of Toronto & Vancouver’s best piercing shops to ensure a safe, high-quality piercing.