Clitoral Hood Piercings
Ladies, if you want a piercing that will enhance your sexual experiences without being excruciatingly painful to get, consider either a vertical clitoral hood (VCH) or a horizontal clitoral hood (HCH) piercing. Not sure which to get? Let’s go over the differences between the two and why you may or may not be a candidate for an HCH vs. a VCH piercing.
VCH Piercings:
A VCH piercing runs from the top of your clitoral hood down/out the bottom of it.
Your piercer will need to do a cotton swab test to find out if you’re a candidate for this piercing. If the tip of a cotton swab fits into your clitoral hood with no problem, then there should be room for the receiving tube your piercer will use to ensure that no damage is done to your clitoris when piercing you.
Some women find the receiving tube a bit uncomfortable, but the actual piercing should only hurt for a moment as the needle passes through the top of the clitoral hood. Many women compare this type of piercing to earlobe piercings pain-wise—in other words, it’s minimal.
You don’t have to worry about whether or not your outer labia might cover the jewelry, which is an issue that can prevent a woman from getting an HCH piercing.
Starter VCH piercing jewelry is typically size 16g or 14g. Captive bead rings and bent/curved barbells make the best VCH piercing jewelry. The nice thing about a bent barbell is that the bottom ball will rest against your clitoris, providing ongoing stimulation. Also, it’s less likely to get caught up in clothing.
This type of piercing tends to heal very quickly, but it’s important to treat it as though it’s still healing and practice safe sex for at least 6-8 weeks after getting pierced. Even if you’re in a monogamous relationship, your partner should wear a condom during intercourse and use a latex “dental dam” barrier during oral sex to protect your healing fistula (i.e. hole where you were pierced) from bacteria. If you experience any discomfort during sex, take a break or stop altogether. Always clean well afterwards.
HCH Piercings:
With an HCH piercing, you’re pierced from left to right through the clitoral hood.
This tends to be a very quick and relatively pain-free piercing, just like a VCH piercing.
During your consultation with your piercer, s/he will tell you if your outer labia would cover an HCH in a problematic way. If so, then this isn’t a good piercing for you, because the constant twisting of the jewelry will be uncomfortable and it could delay healing or even contribute to infection.
Typically, a 14g or 12g captive bead ring (CBR) is the ideal type of jewelry for this piercing. You can request a curved (horseshoe) barbell if you prefer, though.
An HCH piercing may not provide the same level of clitoral stimulation that a VCH would, unless the ball on your CBR stays fairly stationary and rests against your clitoris, but every woman is different. You may find it provides more stimulation than you bargained for!
HCH piercings also heal quickly. (The vaginal area tends to have great blood flow, which minimizes the healing time for most female genital piercings.) When it comes to sex, the rules listed for VCH piercings apply: You don’t have to abstain from having sex while your piercing heals, but it’s important to practice safe sex for at least 6-8 weeks after, even if you’re in a monogamous relationship.
Will a VCH or an HCH cause me to lose sensitivity? You don’t have to worry about losing sensitivity with either type of clitoral hood piercing, since the clitoris itself isn’t being pierced.
We also can’t stress enough how important it is to either abstain from sex or practice safe, gentle sex during the healing process. Some women believe they’re fully healed after just a week or two, because they aren’t experiencing any discomfort and see minimal crusties (i.e. dried lymph). No matter how your piercing looks or feels after a week or two, you need to be careful with it for a minimum of 4-6 weeks after getting pierced. Ask your partner to use a latex barrier for oral sex, and explain that condoms are a necessity during intercourse, at least until you’ve hit that 4-6-week mark. Shower after intercourse, letting warm water flow over your vagina. Urinating after sex can help flush the area, too.
If you have any questions about horizontal and vertical clitoral hood piercings that aren't addressed here, you can use the Facebook comments box below to contact us, email us AT ARTISLIFEINK@YAHOO.COM (917)526-6267
