Anti Eyebrow 101

We have been talking all about eyebrows here recently, from classic eyebrow piercings to the recently popular centered brow piercings. So it feels appropriate to me to continue the trend and talk about anti-eyebrow piercings! Now these aren’t technically eyebrow piercings- these are surface piercings done below the eye, opposite the position of your eyebrow. You can learn more about surface piercings here. Hence, Anti Eyebrow. These piercings became quite popular in the early 2000’s, and are seeing a bit of a resurgence recently. They are fun piercings, but like all surface piercings, they are long-term temporary, meaning they will eventually reject or need to be removed. This means there’s a lot to consider before getting them pierced, so let’s jump right into it!

Anatomy

Like most piercings, these are anatomy-dependent. However, unlike most piercings, the anatomy has less to do with the ability to get this piercing and more to do with how long it will last and what style will work best. Given the temporary nature of surface work, no matter how we do this or what we choose to use, it is going to eventually end up needing to be removed. As long as clients are ok with this risk and understand everything going into it, we can choose a style and placement that is a compromise of their goals, and their anatomy.

When we look at the anatomy for these piercings, we want to look at a few different factors. First, I look at the structure of the orbital socket. We do not want these to be too close to the eye or to the socket. This is a high-risk area to work, and the tissue in the orbital socket is often very thin as well and much less likely to be stable. From there, I look at the tissue of the cheek. Some folks have very full round cheeks and others have thinner more defined cheekbones. I also want to look at the natural crease lines around the eyes and see where those creases lay. We want to avoid going directly in a crease if possible, as this area is going to be prone to more movement and potentially faster rejection.

Your piercer may have you make some silly facial expressions, look at your head from multiple angles, and have you wiggle your brows or scrunch your nose. All to see how your face moves and determine the best placement for this piercing.

Surface Anchor Vs Surface Bar

Now one of the big decisions we need to make with this placement is which style we are going to use. This placement is suitable for both surface bars and surface anchors, with some pros and cons to each one.

The traditional Anti-Eyebrow is done with a surface bar, featuring two gems or ends below the eye. Surface bars are great here for folks who prefer the look of two decorative ends, and are going for that classic anti-eyebrow look. For folks who heal exceptionally well, surface bars can have a very long lifespan in this placement, with some folks wearing them for decades. However, surface bars are still a form of surface piercing and still prone to rejection- so many folks can expect a 1-5 year lifespan as a good run with these. If these do begin to reject, these can leave some pretty severe scarring, sometimes worse than that of a surface anchor. Placement on these may also be more limited, as they need a larger flat area free of much movement.

We can also do surface anchors aka microdermals in this placement, usually featuring one gem or end below the eye. Surface anchors are not the traditional jewelry for an anti eyebrow, but have grown in popularity for this placement in recent years. I actually used to wear some adorable little heart ends in this placement myself! These are great for folks who prefer the look of a single gem or adornment under the eye. Much like bars 1-5 years is a solid run with these, although mine lasted me 7 nearly 8 years when I had them. Some clients hwoever may only get a year or two out of these, and they have a tendency to settle a little lifted from the movement in this area for many. When they reject they tend to leave more minimal scarring than surface bars do. We have a bit more freedom over exact placement with these as well since the base is quite small and can be tucked in places that a surface bar may not be able to.

Now the question folks always ask…. What about curves? And when we first started doing anti-eyebrows, we did sometimes use curved barbells in the placement. And yes- some folks got lucky and they managed to heal with curves. Most folks just ended up with long, deep scars from migration and rejection. See, curved barbells are not ideal for surface piercings. They aren’t what is perpendicular to the tissue, and they don’t hold up well to the movement around the eyes. While we may have experimented with them a bunch in the past, it was so we could learn that surface bars and anchors both did much better in this placement.

Initial Jewelry

Now we’ve discussed different styles for the bases on these. But what about initial jewelry for the tops? There are some things to consider! I do find surface work tends to heal the best with simple jewelry, plain discs and cabochon gems are my favorite because of their low profile. Taller pieces or settings can be more prone to catching or snagging, which can spell disaster for healing surface piercings.

But primarily, I want to talk about directional pieces. When I say directional, I mean jewelry we want to have wear a specific way. Like the cute little heart ends I used to wear for mine.

With directional jewelry, most clients want their hearts to be upright, their teardrops falling downwards, or daggers running below their eyes. Most clients don’t want a sideways heart or upside-down teardrop. But with surface piercings, we have no way of knowing how an end is going to thread down into the base. IT might thread down perfectly upright. It also might thread down diagonally or upside-down or just ever so slightly off enough to be annoying. So if your plan fore these pieces is jewelry that is directional, it's essential to be pierced with that piece. We can then ensure that the alignment of the piece is perfect before we ever do the piercing.

Healing Expectations

Now we know what goes into considering the anatomy for these piercings, the pros and cons of surface bars vs surface anchors, and what jewelry we may want to choose between. But what about the healing process for these piercings? Well good news, surface piercings tend to be fairly easy healing piercings.

Initially, much like traditional eyebrows and centered brows, anti-eyebrows do run the risk of causing bruising around your eyes. When I had my hearts done I looked like I’d survived a bar fight if I’m being honest. Fortunately this bruising heals up easily in just a few days-weeks and makes for a funny story.

Beyond that, surface work is generally uneventful to heal.

Anti-Eyebrow piercings generally take 3-5 months to heal. Some folks, due to anatomy, medical conditions, lifestyle, climate, or jewelry choice may find that it takes a little longer for this piercing to be fully healed and comfortable. This is pretty normal and if you are someone who is a slower healer when it comes to your anti-eyebrow piercing don’t be discouraged- a lot of us are.

I have a blog post here that discusses how healing actually occurs in piercings which is very helpful when it comes to eyebrow piercings if you are curious about specifics of the actual healing. I have another here that discusses aftercare methods.

Many clients will have a fairly uneventful healing process for their anti-eyebrows. They’ll get it pierced, probably snag it a few times on pillowcases and shirts while you adjust to having it there, and then before you know it it’s healed and you are changing it in and out without issue. We love to see it! Some clients may have a more difficult process, especially if they are prone to catching or snagging these, if they wear heavy makeup over or around them, or anything that often causes irritation.

Some folks will suggest wearing bandages over these during the initial healing process. I don’t generally suggest this, as the adhesive from bandages can irritate the skin around the piercing. Beyond that, if the piercing is properly done and anchored into place, there shouldn’t really be any need to bandage these. Only in very express situations have I personally ever suggested this, usually when piercing with directional ends. But I find the risks from the adhesive and the irritation it causes to be not worth any benefit, and certainly not with well-done, simple pieces initially.

My main suggestion during healing is warm compresses. They are my absolute favorite thing for surface work because they soften up and crust or debris from below the tops without causing any irritation. The heat also helps bring blood flow to the area, soothes any tenderness or irritation, and promotes drainage of ant secretions from the piercing channel. I have personally always done weekly warm compresses on all my surface work and I truly believe that’s a major part of why may anti eyebrow piercings ended up lasting me nearly 8 years.

Anti- eyebrows are sensitive piercings that can easily become irritated. But thanks to their propensity to migration and rejection, it is important if you experience any irritation or issues to follow up with your piercer so they can check up on what going on and offer you their professional advice. Often clients just assume they can clean and baby their piercing and it will recover. And usually, I’d agree with that. But for any piercing that has a higher risk of rejection, I think it’s always worth following up with your piercer.

And there you have it, my guide on all things to consider before getting your anti-eyebrow pierced! These are such cool piercings, and wiring tis blog has made me deeply tempted to get mine redone one of these days. Hopefully, this helps anyone considering getting their anti-eyebrows pierced plan for it accordingly, and understand what to expect from the process. Happy Healing!