A frenum piercing is a piercing of the

penis A penis (; : penises or penes) is a sex organ through which male and hermaphrodite animals expel semen during copulation (zoology), copulation, and through which male placental mammals and marsupials also Urination, urinate. The term ''pen ...

shaft's underside. A series of

parallel Parallel may refer to: Mathematics * Parallel (geometry), two lines in the Euclidean plane which never intersect * Parallel (operator), mathematical operation named after the composition of electrical resistance in parallel circuits Science a ...

frenum piercings is known as a frenum ladder. A frenum ladder may extend to include lorum, hafada, and guiche piercings.

Placement

It is almost always pierced through the

frenum A frenulum or frenum (: frenula or frena, from the Latin ''frēnulum'', "little bridle", the diminutive of ''frēnum'') is a small fold of tissue that secures the motion of a mobile organ in the body. In human anatomy Frenula on the huma ...

that connects the head of the penis to the shaft. The frenulum is often missing in

circumcised Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. T ...

males.

Healing

Frenum piercings generally require from two to five weeks to heal fully. Depending on the placement it may be a surface piercing, but due to both the vascular, fast healing nature of the penis, and loose nature of the

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

in that area, frenum piercings rarely reject if pierced properly, although they may

migrate Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

. Those wishing to stretch this piercing to accommodate larger gauge jewelry should wait until at least two weeks after the initial piercing has fully healed. It is common for a frenum piercing to start to close soon after the jewelry has been removed. A fairly recent piercing may start to close in less than an hour. Temporary removal and replacement (for example, to accommodate a partner who finds it uncomfortable) may mean reinserting with a smaller gauge and then restretching to get back to the original, larger gauge. This tendency for the piercing to close up will diminish over time.

Jewelry

Both

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 ...

s and

ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

s can be worn in frenum piercings, both as initial jewellery and on an ongoing basis. Sometimes, when rings are worn, the diameter of the ring is specifically chosen so that the ring can be worn encircling the penis. A wide variety of chastity devices make use of frenum piercings to secure themselves to the penis, as part of fetish or

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often Eroticism, erotic practices or Sexual roleplay, roleplaying involving Bondage (BDSM), bondage, Discipline (BDSM), discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given ...

activities.

History and culture

The earliest literary reference to frenum piercings occurs in 1884 in ''Zeitschrift für Ethnologie'' which states: "Amongst the

Timor Timor (, , ) is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is Indonesia–Timor-Leste border, divided between the sovereign states of Timor-Leste in the eastern part and Indonesia in the ...

ese of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, the Frenulum beneath the glans penis is pierced with brass rings...the function of the ring is to enhance stimulation during sex." Anecdotal piercing lore associates this piercing (along with many other male genital piercings) with various chastity devices that have been used throughout history, although there is little hard data to back up this claim. In contemporary society, frenum piercings were primarily found amongst the members of

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture, cultural society that differentiates itself from the values of the conservative, standard or dominant culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures ...

s, until body piercing became re-introduced to mainstream society in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Frenum piercings are often intended to provide sexual pleasure to both the bearer and the person they are having

sexual intercourse Sexual intercourse (also coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion of the Erection, erect male Human penis, penis inside the female vagina and followed by Pelvic thrust, thrusting motions for sexual pleasure ...

with. They may also be used to attach chastity devices to the bearer, denying them sexual pleasure.

Frenum ladder

A frenum ladder, also known as a Jacob's ladder, consists of a series of frenum piercings often extending from below the head of the penis and as far as the base of the shaft of the penis. Sometimes, a frenum ladder will be accompanied by a hafada ladder and/or a guiche ladder. Due to the relatively easy healing of these piercings it is not uncommon for several, or even all of them to be performed at the same time. Less common is a lorum ladder which consists of a series of lorum piercings.

References