At my body piercing and jewelry studio in Arlington, Virginia, I get calls fairly often asking if I will do cheek/dimple piercings. I do not do them at this time. There are a few reasons for this decision.

The first reason is that I have had many experiences where people won’t take heed of my aftercare instructions. Cheek piercings may require a few jewelry changes during the healing process. This is due to the likelihood of periods of great swelling. Often, I have found that people won’t listen to this advice and/or think that it will be a free service. While I am concerned about everyone’s health and well-being, I need to charge something for jewelry, supplies, sterilization, etc.

Secondly, quite often, the person wanting the cheek piercings are not anatomically suited for it. The dimples should not be pierced any further back than the first molars. I have tried to explain this to people and have found that it has become easier to just not do them at all.

Third, cheek piercings can be EXTREMELY dangerous! That region of the face contains a host of significant structures, including blood vessels, nerves, and the parotid duct (a conduit for a component in saliva). Piercing into any of these can be disastrous.

Last but not least, if abandoned (and it VERY often is), cheek piercings can cause permanent scars and excessive dimpling of the skin.

PLEASE think about all of the possible complications of this piercing before having it performed. If you do choose to have your cheeks pierced, please make sure that you go to a VERY experienced piercer who has many years of experience and has performed many cheek piercings.

See You On The Sharp End!

~ Craig