A Monroe piercing is a

lip piercing A lip piercing is a type of body piercing that penetrates the lips or the area surrounding the lips, which can be pierced in a variety of ways. Procedure and healing Approximate healing time for most lip piercings is between 1 and 3 months ...

placed off-center, above the upper lip on the left-hand side and is meant to resemble

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

's beauty spot, although Monroe's beauty spot was on her cheek, not her lip. The Madonna piercing is similar but worn on the right-hand side.

Description

This piercing is typically fitted with a 14, 16, or 18 gauge labret barbell, the bars of which are usually shortened after healing. A variation on this piercing are angel bites, with both the

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

and Monroe style piercings worn on either side of the upper lip. This piercing may also be referred to as a Crayfish, Angel Bites, or Anti Bite (being the obverse of snake bites). When long barbells are worn in this piercing, they look similar to the antennae on a

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills. Some spe ...

, hence the name.

Health impacts

An advantage of a Monroe piercing is that the lip area generally heals faster than other piercings. The estimated healing time given by professional piercers for this type of lip piercing is between 8–12 weeks, but many find it heals in 3–6 weeks. The Monroe can be a very painful piercing process, as this area of the body contains a large system of nerves. There is a small risk of piercing the

superior labial artery The superior labial artery (superior labial branch of facial artery) is larger and more egregious than the inferior labial artery. It follows a similar course along the edge of the upper lip, lying between the mucous membrane and the orbiculari ...

, which lies just above the upper lip. The amount of pain experienced during the piercing process differs from person to person and depends on the specific location of the piercing. Those with thicker lips or well-exercised facial muscles will have more flesh or muscle to pierce, so they may experience more discomfort. Men may experience slightly more pain than women, as repeated shaving can make the skin of the upper lip tougher and harder to pierce. The

orbicularis oris In human anatomy, the orbicularis oris muscle is a complex of muscles in the lips that encircles the mouth. It is not a true sphincter, as was once thought, as it is actually composed of four independent quadrants that interlace and give only an a ...

(the sphincter muscle around the mouth) is used in the playing of brass and woodwind instruments; as a result, players of these instruments tend to have a larger muscle around the mouth and may experience more discomfort during the piercing process.

References

{{Body piercing Facial piercings Marilyn Monroe Fashion of Madonna de:Labret-Piercing#Madonna-Piercing