What is "Anatomy Dependant"

When we discuss piercing there is one term that you’ll hear over and over and over. And that is “anatomy specific”. But what exactly do we mean when we say something is “anatomy specific or anatomy dependent?” And how does that affect our piercing and our experiences with piercing? Today I want to discuss what this means, and why it matters!

What is Anatomy Specific?

Anatomy- the bodily structure of an organism

To put it simply, anatomy is the term given to everything that makes up our bodies, or the bodies of other things. Our hands, feet, ears, and noses, are all parts of our anatomy. When we discuss a piercing as “anatomy specific” what we mean is that there is specific anatomy that is required for this piercing to be able to be performed. Industrial piercings are a fantastic example of this. I have an entire blog about them here, but industrials require enough ridges on both the front and rear of the helix to be able to place a piercing. If a client has no ridge in these areas, there is nowhere for us to place a piercing.

An ear with great industrial anatomy, featuring a healed industrial

An ear with almost no outer helix ridge, unable to support a traditional industrial

Are all piercings Anatomy specific?

Yes! This is something I think many folks don’t realize- literally every single piercing is anatomy specific. Now you’ll mostly hear this term surrounding piercings that are more advanced or more dependent on anatomy than others. But the truth of the matter is every single piercing we do depends on your anatomy. There isn’t a single piercing that is always, universally piercable on every person.

When I mention this many folks response is “Well Lynn, of course technically everything is anatomy specific but let’s be real, some piercings it really doesn’t matter. What about earlobes!”

So, let’s take a look at some earlobes!

See what I mean? Yes, the majority of people will be able to get lobe piercings in a very straightforward manner. But that doesn’t mean every client will. As we just saw there are still some major anatomical variations that can occur on the earlobe! From natural structures and birthmarks to surgical scars and injury scars. And even beyond that- some people have attached and unattached ear lobes! They can both be pierced but how we approach piercing them is different- because of their anatomy!

Are some piercings more Anatomy Specific?

So, it’s not that only some piercings are anatomy-specific- they all are. It’s that some are more specific than others. For example, those variations on earlobes are fairly uncommon. I may pierce 200 sets of earlobes in a single month and encounter only one client with an anatomical variation I need to account for on that scale.

But when we start to talk about more complex piercings, the anatomy becomes significantly more important in our piercing process. You’ll hear piercers discuss these piercings as “anatomy specific” far more than any others-

-industrial

-anti-tragus

-snug

-forward helix

-septum

-navel

-nipple

-eyebrow

-bridge

-all surface piercings

-all genital piercings

That is because these piercings often fall into two categories when we discuss things being anatomy-specific. Either the anatomy we see for these piercings is often much more variable than other anatomy. Or the anatomy for these piercings plays a larger role in whether the piercing can be done, and how it will heal. Many fall into both of these categories.

Anatomy is Variable

The first conversation about anatomy is about how much it ranges. I’m sure you’ve heard that humans are like snowflakes, no two are exactly perfectly identical (yes, even twins). We are all different, from our genetic anatomical differences to the lives we live- scars, surgeries, injuries, etc that affect our anatomy. When we talk about several different piercings there can be huge anatomical variations that affect piercing. Ears are a fantastic example of this. Have you ever really looked at your ears and others’ ears? They are so widely different! Some of us have small ears, others large. Some are flat to our heads and others protrude, some have thick hard cartilage ridges and some have thin flexible ears. Even the same portions of the ear can be shaped completely differently on different bodies. Navels are another great example, I find they are as unique as finger prints- no two are the same. Look at the variation in these navels!

As piercers, when we are working on bodies we are never doing the same piercing twice. Give me 10 clients for a helix piercing and I will show you 10 different helixes- different anatomy, different placement needs, different jewelry considerations, and sometimes even different aftercare considerations. There is simply so much that is unique about every single ear! In the context of piercings being anatomy-specific or anatomy-dependent, this means that your ear is shaped totally differently than someone else’s. The same exact piercing may look totally different on you than on your sibling, friend, or teacher. And you may not even have anatomy that allows for us to do the same piercing.

Anatomy Affects Piercing and Healing

The second conversation to be had is how anatomy can affect piercing and healing. As we discussed above- you need to have a certain body part for me to pierce it- like the industrial and anti tragus piercing examples. But it goes further than that. Not only does someone need to have the anatomy for me to pierce it- but it has to be viable for piercing. Bridges and Eyebrows are a great example of this. Virtually all of my clients have a nose bridge and have an eyebrow ridge. But that doesn’t mean I can pierce them. If these ridges are too shallow, if there’s not enough tissue over them to support a piercing, then I can’t safely put a piercing there. It’s just going to grow right out. Some folks have bridges that are very prominent, and the tissue there is nearly a shelf protruding between their eyes- plenty of room for a piercing. Others have a very very shallow flat nose bridge with no protrusion at all, and very little tissue in the area. If I pierce that anatomy, the chances are extremely high that it will migrate and reject, often leaving very severe scarring. Brows are the same- some folks have very substantial brow ridges, and others have next to none. So while both clients have eyebrows and nose bridges, they aren’t both viable to safely pierce. Due to their anatomy.

Beyond that, sometimes clients have anatomy that will be viable to pierce but the anatomy will really affect how we do the piercing. Navels are a fantastic example of this. Depending on the anatomy of your navel you may need a floating navel style for this piercing to heal. Others may need a double gem style for this to heal. Pierced with the wrong style of jewelry, your piercing may fail and leave you with bad scarring. Your anatomy is the determining factor in how we approach doing this piercing for you and the jewelry we can pierce you with initially. It can even affect the size of the jewelry- some navels need really small barbells and others need super long ones! Our bodies are just so different.

And some anatomy can affect how a piercing may heal. Nipples are a great example of this. Flatter, and even inverted nipples, often have a much more difficult healing process than more pronounced nipples. They deal with migration and rejection more often and can be tricker to pierce well. Sometimes the factors are external as well. Clients with much larger breasts often need to wear more supportive bras for the sake of their back and body. These bras can sometimes cause irritation during the healing process- something a client with a or b cups who can comfortably go braless all day doesn’t have to worry about. The anatomy affects not only how the piercing heals but external factors like clothing that can impact healing as well.

Anatomy is a huge factor that goes into whether we can safely pierce someone, how we go about piercing them, and even how your piercing heals. When you see a piercer for any piercing, but especially one more affected by anatomy, it should be a discussion that is had! Your piercer should be assessing your anatomy, making sure you have the appropriate anatomy for the piercing, and being honest with you if you don’t. No one likes to hear no, and I promise piercers don’t enjoy telling clients no either. But it is our job to be honest with you about your body and only do piercings that are safe for your anatomy. Make sure you are seeing a piercer who is going to be honest with you about your anatomy and take every consideration to give you a safe, successful piercing! Happy healing!