What Are Angel Fangs?
What are they?
Angel fangs are really just paired vertical upper lip piercings with a cone shaped end on the bottom, giving it a pointy look like a fang. They are placed centered between the philtrum (the little divot in your upper lip) and the outer corner of the upper lip, one on each side of the mouth. One of the nice things about this piercing setup is that no part of the jewelry is inside the mouth, meaning that it doesn’t potentially put your teeth at risk like a horizontal lip piercing might.
The piercing & healing process
While this piercing is a cute combination of angel and vampire, it does come with some devilish issues to deal with while healing. One is swelling. Lip piercings swell like…. a lot. They are notorious for this. Going through the lip vertically can mean more swelling than one would have with a horizontal lip piercing, especially since they don’t generally go through actual lip tissue. There’s nothing to be done about this except waiting it out as it will eventually dissipate on its own. You can help minimize the swelling by using ice (carefully) and by taking Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory medicine like ibuprofen (check with your doctor first!) You may also find that your lips become chapped or dry during the healing process. Using lip balm or any other similar products on your lips while you are healing fresh angel fangs is a giant no-no!!!!! The best way to cope with dry, chapped lips without putting lip balm on them is to deal with the root problem. The root problem here is dehydration. If you are a lip balm lover, please invest in a reusable water bottle. Staying hydrated will keep your lips healthy and moisturized so you aren’t tempted to reach for your favorite lip balm. Putting lip products on while these piercings are healing is a perfect setup for irritation or infection or both. Don’t do it.
More to consider...
Angel fangs can NOT be pierced with the cone end bottom that gives them their name and distinctive look. They must be pierced with ball ends using a pair of curved barbells. This is actually not that big a deal because the barbells will have to be extra long to accommodate the aforementioned swelling. Your piercer will tell you when to come back to have your jewelry downsized for shorter barbells. However, the cone end should not be added until the piercings are entirely healed. That takes roughly six to nine months. It is also very important that you have this done by an experienced piercer because placement and anatomy are incredibly important for these piercings. They can migrate very easily if not placed absolutely perfectly and migration can leave unsightly scarring. Your piercer will also give you aftercare advice, which should be similar to the exterior portion of a horizontal lip piercing. Because these don’t go inside the mouth, they shouldn’t require rinsing, just the standard twice-a-day spray with sterile saline wound wash, followed by a rinse with running water and drying with a hair dryer (on “cool” setting) or clean paper towel using clean hands.
