The Answers to Your Most Intimate Nipple Piercing Questions

To some, getting nipples pierced may sound like a scene plucked straight out of a horror movie, with words like "pain," "awkwardness," and "discomfort" coming to mind. But nipple piercings can actually function as empowering body modifications with the ability to increase body confidence and self-esteem.

The nipple piercing, once popular in the '90s, has recently gotten trendy again by way of celebrities like Noah Cyrus and Kendall Jenner. If you're considering getting one (or two) of your own, it should be a positive experience, not an intimidating one. That's not always an easy mindset to take on, especially when you're facing the thought of a needle going through your nipple, but there are many things you can do to make the process easier.

Whether you're still on the fence or already preparing to book your appointment, we talked to four different piercers about everything you should know before getting your nipples pierced. Read their advice for safer, healthier piercings you won't be able to resist showing off.

Although there are lots of things to consider before getting a nipple piercing, the most common questions piercers get asked are typically about pain. Lisa Marie Mytych, the owner and lead piercer for Straight to the Point in Tucson, AZ, says her go-to phrase is, "Nobody knows what it's like to be you for a fraction of a second."

John Joyce, the owner of Scarab Body Arts in Syracuse, NY, agrees, adding that, although pain differs for everyone, it's often overexaggerated. "Most women will find that — when it's done properly — the piercing is quite a bit easier than they expected it to be," he says.

While the pierced area can remain swollen or tender for a few weeks after your appointment, your body is still healing even after that. In fact, a nipple piercing generally takes anywhere between six to eight months to fully heal. To help speed up the process, try to leave the area alone and minimize intervention as much as possible.

After the piercing itself is done, Mytych says, "We don't twist, turn, or rotate, we leave them alone, [and] we also send you home with saline aftercare spray." Beall adds that for successful healing, people should also avoid partner play and oral contact with their nipples for about six months.

Another thing to try: sleeping with a bra. Beall suggests that clients wear a bra or protective layer of some kind to sleep in, so that nipple piercings stay compressed and don't get caught in the middle of the night.

The price of a nipple piercing will vary greatly depending on your location and the shop itself, but you can usually expect to pay a piercing service fee (which can range from $20 to $50 for the first hole) plus the cost of jewelry. The material of the piercing jewelry is really what's going to determine the price: for instance, solid-gold barbells can be significantly more expensive than surgical steel or other metals. With that in mind, the cost of nipple piercing jewelry can start at anywhere from $50 and cost upward of $300.

To clean the area after your appointment, Gottschalk says that saline spray can be applied to piercings twice a day and then dried completely, but not with Q-tips since their cotton fibers can get inside of the piercing and cause serious damage. He also urged clients to throw their loofahs away, saying, "Once you get your nipples pierced, the world is your enemy. Everything is going to try to snag on them."