I love the look of surface anchor piercings! You can put them in so many different places on the body and they add just the perfect amount of sparkle to your body. Some of the more popular placements for surface anchor piercings are on the face, collar bones, just about anywhere on the chest, along the front hip bone and back dimples, and a row of them starting from the back of the neck down the spine is even an option. But before placing these versatile piercings, it’s a good idea to think about some of the things you do in your day to day life that might affect the longevity of your new piercings.
One thing about surface anchors that differs from most other piercings is that they do not have an entry and exit point as most other piercings will have. Surface anchors are considered a “single point” piercing, meaning they have only one hole that is both their entry and exit point. Because of the way these piercings sit in the body, they are inherently more effected by outside influence then the regular “through and through” piercings.
Here’s an example, you’re brushing your hair and the brush catches on your well-healed ear cartilage piercing, and gives it a good tug. It hurts like hell, probably gets very red, but eventually is fine and goes back to normal. Now let’s think of the same scenario but this time you get caught on your well-healed surface anchor piercing. Because the piercing is only being “anchored” in by the bottom part of the jewelry, a good tug can be enough to dislodge the jewelry from its healed position. This disturbance to the piercing can be enough to cause your body to begin to push the jewelry up, and eventually out of the body. We call this movement “migration” with the eventual “rejection” of the piercing.
Because of these reasons, taking a moment to consider the possible things that might effect a chosen surface anchor piercing placement is a good idea. Consider things like where your favorite clothes lay on your body, such as your bra straps or pant waist, and even how you like to sleep at night. All of these thing can play a part in the success or failure of a surface anchor piercing.
If you’re thinking about getting new surface anchor piercings, consider your day to day lifestyle when deciding where you might want to put them. A little planning can go a long way towards happy, healthy piercings.
