HISTORY:

A great deal of lore surrounds Female Nipple Piercing, but most of it is more fantasy than factual. The fact is that if Victorian women and women of the 14th century did pierce their nipples, there is no documentation. That said, it is safe to say that since nipples lend themselves to piercing, someone must have pierced them before modern times; there isn't any documentation. This isn't surprising when you consider that sexuality was not widely discussed in Western Culture.

There is documentation that the Native Americans who were located in what is now the Gulf Coast of Texas did pierce their nipples. For the most part, though, only those on the outer fringes of society were pierced. There are a few isolated cases throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, but widespread adoption is a relatively modern phenomenon.

ADVANTAGES:

Many have found (including myself) that nipple piercing increases sensitivity. Before I got mine pierced, they were just these two bumps on my chest. After the piercings healed, they suddenly became alive and reactive. I have had several Female clients who have stated that they noticed a return of the sensitivity lost from Breastfeeding. With men and women, the nipple will grow in size and become more pronounced when healed..

DISADVANTAGES AND CONCERNS:

The number one concern among females is migration and breastfeeding. Women with large breasts are more prone to migration, and this can be reduced with extra care to minimize stress to the piercing and piercing with Standard Barbells. To relieve stress on the piercing, I suggest wearing a sports or jogging bra to reduce movement during the first two weeks of the healing process.

There should be no problem with breastfeeding, except that the baby may swallow the jewelry, beads, and/or balls if they become loose. I suggest that the jewelry be removed before feeding. As far as affecting the nipple itself and the natural workings of it, there should be little or no change. Since the piercing is placed at the base of the nipple, which is, for the most part, spongy tissue and free of milk ducts, the production of milk should not be affected.

Another concern is the fact that the nipple can not have any contact during the first stage of healing. So your partners have to stay free of the piercing, and it tends to be too big of a temptation for some people. The number one cause of migration and infection in nipples is contact from partners during moments of passion. I suggest that you discuss this with them beforehand and decide whether it would be best to do one at a time. This will give them one to work with, so to speak, during the healing time. That is the advantage of doing one at a time, but the disadvantage is that the placement of the second one may be different, and you have to go through the whole healing thing twice.

MAIN HASSLES & HEALING TIME:

For Women, you're looking at a change in bras. Avoid swimming and hot tubbing, sleeping on your stomach, cross-contamination, and keeping your partner and others away from the piercing site. You must clean the piercing twice a day, and I strongly suggest hot soaks with Sea Salt twice daily. Healing time can take an average of 6 to 12 months.

• Healing Time: 6 months to a year
• Common Jewelry: 14g to 10g, 5/8 to 3/4
• Axiom base price with 14g Implant Titanium Barbells - $75.00 or $140.00 for a pair.
• Pain level on a scale of 1-10, 4-7