Piercings and glasses, just how important is it? Very! It is currently estimated that in the UK 69% of people require glasses, making it fairly common for clients to require that visual aid, and despite people choosing to use contact lenses, there are still people that choose or will need to wear actual glasses, I am one of those people. When it comes to bring both glasses and piercings together, there are many considerations to be thought off!
Facial Piercings
There are quite a few facial piercings that you might want to consider when getting pierced! Despite nose piercings resting on the bridge of our nose, they can move up and down and be bumped – creating contact with our eye area.
Bridge Piercings – Bridge piercings and glasses can be compatible, but this isn’t always the case. Depending on where your glasses rest, there might be a space that would allow for the jewellery to sit comfortably without intervention from the jewellery. You still want to be careful when placing them on or removing the frames, to avoid any knocks or snags. However, if you are the type of person who wears their glasses quite high up on that bridge, then you may not be suited towards a bridge piercing. You can try with frames that sit lower than the bridge, or forego the piercing entirely.
Nose Piercings – Nose piercings and high nostrils are commonly effected by your glasses. As we discussed previously, its quite common for our eye wear to slip down our nose, and bump into those new piercings. And if care isn’t taken, it is very easy to catch those nose pads on the end of our piercing and give them a quick snag, especially fi wearing taller or larger profile ends. Some clients decide that this is something they can deal with, and some decide it’s not worth the hassle. For example, I personally choose not to get high nostrils because i’m not prepared for the knocks and snags that would happen (I’m typically quite clumsy). Your lifestyle will always need to come first!
Ear Piercings
If you are a glasses wearer, you will need to heavily take this into consideration with your ear piercings. With the arms of the glasses sitting on top of your ears and around the back, these arms can be a number one risk of bumps and snags.
When we pierce you, we want to make sure there is enough clearance between that longer post and your glasses. There is no point giving you an industrial piercing if it is going to be in constant contact with the arms, this is a recipe for disaster. That constant pressure is going to cause irritated and grumpy piercings that won’t settle, and can even migrate or move those angles.
The same can be said with helix piercings, conches, or even forward helix piercings. We want to place them in a position where when removing or placing your glasses on that they’re not going to get hooked onto that longer labret post and create a sudden snag or pull. A) That’s going to be painful and B) we want to avoid causing any irritation bumps to give you a smooth and easy healing period.
Considerations
You can absolutely still get ear and facial piercings with glasses, however there are a few things to keep in mind so that we can give you the best possible heal we can.
- Bring your glasses to your appointment!
Even if you only wear your glasses *sometimes* we want to work out the best possible placement to create a smooth heal. Every pair of glasses is different, some are thick and chunky, some are quite thin. We want to see how your glasses sit on your face and around your ear and work out the risk of impact between the frames and jewelelry. - Be mindful of your glasses!
it’s really easy to forget we are healing a new piercing, but when removing your glasses, or wearing them, it’s really important that you take a quick second to think about it. You don’t want to just throw them on and they snag that labret post, or remove them quickly and catch the nose pad on your nostril piercing. - Keep them clean!
It’s really easy to forget to wipe down the arms of your glasses, or the nose pads, but bacteria, hair/face products, dirt and debris can build up on there really quickly. Make sure you’re giving them a quick clean and wipe down to avoid any of this transferring to your healing piercing. - Downsizing!
You should always follow up for a check-up and a downsize for your piercings at the recommended time frame. However, especially as a glasses wearer this is really important. Wearing appropriately sized, snug and fitted jewellery will really minimise any impact between your frames and your jewellery. - Experiment with your frames!
You may find that changing to glasses with adjustable nose pads work much smoother for your heal. You may realise that adjusting the shape or size of the frame allows more space for bigger or chunkier jewellery (if that’s your goal). Don’t hesitate to experiment with different frames to find what is perfect for you.
There’s so many misconceptions surrounding wearing glasses and having piercings, but it is important to note that the answer is never a straight yes or no. There are so many considerations to be taken into account, and sometimes just small changes can change that answer from a no to a yes! So don’t hesitate to have a thorough discussion with your piercer, or change things around. However, ultimately, your lifestyle, your needs, and your comfortability should always come first.
You can chat with us in person via a consultation to thoroughly discuss any piercings you have in mind!
