The infamous "they" say age is just a number, but society doesn't always agree. When a middle-aged man grows his hair long, some people roll their eyes and say "mid-life crisis" under their breath. When an older woman gets something more than her ears pierced, the reaction can be stronger, depending on what she's had pierced. Some might say, "That's totally inappropriate at her age", but is it? How old is too old to get pierced? Despite the opinion of many in mainstream society, you're never too old to get a body piercing. If anyone tells you otherwise, show them what real childishness is; just thumb your nose and walk away!
Practically speaking, getting a body piercing later in life does sometimes have more pros than cons. Up until your twenties, when you're in school or just starting your career, people will chalk up your "unusual" piercings to being an indiscretion of youth. Then suddenly you hit a point where piercings are deemed unprofessional. Having your eyebrow, lip or nose pierced or your earlobes stretched may hold you back from climbing the corporate ladder. If you're in a profession where visible body piercings may impede your career progress, that doesn't mean you can't have any body piercings, though. There are plenty of piercings you can keep to yourself. You could get a cleavage surface piercing or have a pair of dermals placed on your hip, lower back or a toe, have your nipples or belly button pierced, or even get a genital piercing. Just because you can't have visible piercings due to work doesn't mean you can't still enjoy a few tactfully-placed body piercings.
As the body modification scene grows in popularity, more and more people are getting the mods they've always wanted later in life. If you hang out in our forum long enough, you'll see just how popular tattoos and piercings are among middle-aged and older people. Women hit 45, 50 or 55, their kids are grown and gone, and they're looking for a little excitement–something to mark the milestone of the second half of their lives beginning. They'll post about how they finally got up the courage to get the VCH piercing or nipple piercings they'd always wanted, and how much of a thrill it's turned out to be. Getting nipple and genital piercings later in life is also common with men, for much the same reason. If you're constantly reinventing yourself, life never gets boring, and what better way is there to reinvent yourself than to get a mod you've always wanted?
Getting a piercing or tattoo can be incredibly freeing and exciting at any age–particularly when you've waited years to take the plunge. And anyone who has tattoos or piercings knows how addicting they are, and how exciting it is to add to your collection every single time. Body modification never gets boring, no matter how old or young you are!
If you're an older person and on the fence about getting pierced, hop on over and start having some fun! If you're where you want to be professionally and your work will allow it, or if you're retired, get that nose, tongue or lip piercing you've always wanted. And if you can't, or you're worried about what your kids will think, get a more discreet piercing and savor your little secret. Not sure what you want to get yet? Here are a few piercing options to think about that you could easily keep to yourself if you want:
- Female Genital Piercings – For women, the most stimulating genital piercings are vertical clitoral hood piercings (i.e. VCH piercings). If you don't have the right anatomy for a VCH, you could also consider a horizontal clitoral hood piercing, labia piercing, or even a Christina piercing. Learn more about each of these options in our article, The Basics of Male & Female Genital Piercings.
- Male Genital Piercings – Most pierced men will tell you that any genital piercing that turns on their woman is a turn on to them–that just having some bling down there is exciting in and of itself. The article referenced above is a great resource to learn about your many male genital piercing options, like Prince Albert piercings, frenum piercings and dydoes.
- Nipple Piercings – Nipple piercings are a favorite among men and women alike, regardless of age. They take awhile to heal (9 months to a year), and it isn't a good idea to take them for a test drive in the bedroom before then, so you have to be a patient person to get nipple piercings. Everyone who has them will tell you that it's totally worth the wait, though. Read our Nipple Piercing FAQs to learn everything you could possibly need to know about this type of piercing.
- Belly Button Piercings – If you don't think you have the body for a belly piercing, phooey! Anyone, male or female, can enjoy having one, whether or not they rock a bikini or go shirtless at the beach. Belly button piercings are especially popular with women, and it's no wonder. There are so many stunningly beautiful belly button rings available! Read our Belly Button Piercing FAQs and our Quick Tips for Choosing a Belly Button Ring, or any of our other belly piercing articles to learn more.
- Dermal & Surface Piercings – Both dermals and surface barbell piercings are forms of surface piercings, because the jewelry doesn't pass straight through the body part being pierced. Surface piercings are one of the most dynamic types of piercings, because they can be placed nearly anywhere on the body. If you're brazen, you can get a dermal below the corner of your eye or a dermal "necklace" comprised an arc of dermals around the base of your neck. If you don't want a visible piercing, consider getting a cleavage piercing with a surface barbell, or have dermals placed anywhere else on your torso, legs or toes. The possibilities are endless! If you're interested but want to learn more before you take the plunge, check out our Dermal Piercing & Surface Piercing FAQs or Everything You Need to Know About Dermal Piercings.
- Stretching – If you're feeling just mildly rebellious, you can stretch your ears a few gauges–just enough so that you can wear some of our beautiful, handmade Elementals Organics large-gauge earrings, like the ones shown to the right. Many people also enjoy stretching their genital piercings so they can wear larger, more sexually-stimulating body jewelry. Other than surface piercings, pretty much any piercing can be stretched. The key to it is that slow and steady wins the race. For 2 weeks before a stretch, massage emu oil into the skin around your piercing to increase its natural elasticity. Then, when you're ready to stretch, you have 2 options; Use a threaded taper and a drop of water-based lubricant to insert jewelry in the next size up from what you're currently wearing, or remove your jewelry, wrap it with a single layer of stretching tape, and reinsert it. If you go up a whole size, you should wait one-and-a-half times as long as it took for your piercing to heal initially before attempting another stretch. If you're using the tape method, you can add another layer every week or two, based on your comfort level and how your piercing is responding to the stretch. Don't go up too fast, or you can cause microscopic to large tears that can make you susceptible to infection or even blow out your piercing.
However old you are, whatever piercing you want, go for it! You're never, ever too old to get pierced, no matter what anyone tells you. Carpe diem!
Note: Our Info Center is filled with helpful articles and blog posts on every piercing imaginable, so take advantage of the free info and read up on the piercings you're considering. Join our Forum to talk to others in our online community about the piercings you want, get their opinions, and ask for help if you have a problem with a piercing. Check out our Photo Gallery to see piercing, tattoo and other body mod pictures shared by our community members, or sign up to share your own tattoo and piercing photos!
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