Cheek piercing (also known as a ''

dimple A dimple, also called a gelasin (, ), and a fovea buccalis, is a small natural indentation in the flesh on a part of the human body, most notably in the cheek. Numerous cultures believe that cheek dimples are a good luck charm that entices peop ...

'') is a facial body piercing through the

cheek The cheeks () constitute the area of the face below the eyes and between the nose and the left or right ear. ''Buccal'' means relating to the cheek. In humans, the region is innervated by the buccal nerve. The area between the inside of th ...

. The most common variation of the cheek piercing penetrates the facial tissue into the oral cavity. The usual placement is symmetrical on either side of the face, either penetrating (and enhancing) or imitating dimples. The piercing can cause nerve damage and may leak or secrete lymph fluid, which has a saliva-like texture and can create an

unpleasant odor An odor (American English) or odour (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is a smell or a scent caused by one or more volatilized ...

. An alternative is microdermal implants, placed in the intended dimple location. This method avoids drawbacks of full cheek piercings. Though microdermals do have a slightly larger chance to leave a scar than a piercing, they will heal eventually and be almost unnoticeable. The rate of infection is also lower in the long run. Because the piercing does not penetrate the cheek completely, there is little to no chance of tooth or gum damage. Microdermals are like a 'one hole' piercing, where the 'foot' of the jewelry sits below the skin and the decorative jewel or flat disc is above the skin.

Jewelry

Cheek piercings are sometimes pierced with 1.6mm flat backed labret studs, but is mostly done with a regular

barbell A barbell is a piece of exercise equipment used in weight training, bodybuilding, Olympic weightlifting, weightlifting, powerlifting and strongman, consisting of a long bar, usually with weights attached at each end. Barbells range in length ...

so the cheek tissues do not grow over the back of the jewelry. Also, so the wearer doesn't accidentally break/crack the jewelry by means of unintentional biting. The flat back provides comfort and lessens the chance of the jewelry damaging the teeth and gums of the wearer. However it proves problematic during the healing process because the cheek will likely heal over the flat back if the bar's length is too short. In this case, the piercer will have to cut the barbell out from the inside of the mouth. The cheek is pierced with a 22 - 24 mm labret/barbell during the procedure. This will accommodate for swelling. After the piercing is healed, shortened jewelry further reduces the chance of damage to the teeth from unintentional biting.

History and culture

Permanent cheek piercing appears to be of primarily contemporary origin. Ritual cheek piercings were and are common throughout the world in both primitive and modern cultures. Perhaps the most well known of these rituals is the annual

vegetarian festival The Nine Emperor Gods Festival (; ; ) or Vegetarian Festival or Jay Festival is a nine-day Taoist celebration beginning on the eve of the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, celebrated primarily in Southeast Asian countries such as Malays ...

s in

Phuket Phuket (; , , or ''Tongkah'') is one of the Southern Thailand, southern Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, List of islands of Thailand, the country's largest island, and another 3 ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

where "mediums" (both lay people and monks) pierce their cheeks with an array of objects in varying sizes, while in an altered state.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheek Piercing Facial piercings