The Prince Albert Piercing: Everything You Need to Know
With an entry point through the urethra and an exit point where the head meets the shaft on the underside of the penis, the Prince Albert piercing is one that both intrigues and horrifies—many wonder how anyone can stand to get pierced there.
You might be surprised to discover that the Prince Albert piercing, named after Queen Victoria’s husband who was rumored to have this piercing, is less painful and much more manageable than you might think. The most popular penis piercing, the Prince Albert offers aesthetic appeal and can add additional sexual stimulation for both the wearer and their partner.
Whether you’re simply satiating a curiosity or you’re considering this piercing for yourself, here’s everything you need to know about the Prince Albert piercing.
How much does the Prince Albert piercing hurt?
Surprisingly, the Prince Albert piercing isn’t as painful as you might think; it’s been likened to a lobe piercing.
This is because the skin that’s being pierced is actually quite thin. Upon looking at a PA piercing, it seems as though the jewelry goes through a massively thick portion of skin. In reality, a lobe piercing goes through more skin than the PA piercing. This makes the piercing process fast and easy for most people.
While the pain itself is slight, some have reported that the piercing can be mentally challenging—it’s a bit disconcerting to see a needle go through your penis. Because of this, you should prepare yourself mentally, and make sure that your piercer is well-versed in the PA piercing and can genty guide you through the process.
Prince Albert piercing healing process
The Prince Albert piercing only takes a minimum of 4 - 8 weeks to heal. Like any piercing, you should visit your piercer and confirm that your piercing is fully healed before stopping aftercare practices.
Prince Albert piercing aftercare
The PA piercing should be cleaned and cared for like any other piercing. Clean it with a piercing aftercare saline solution 2 - 3 times daily, try to move the jewelry as little as possible, and keep the piercing clean and away from debris.
Due to the location of the piercing, there are some special considerations that you should make throughout healing.
Avoid sexual contact with the piercing during healing. For the health of your piercing, you need to keep it clean and still while it heals. To accomplish this, you must stay away from sexual activity that will move the jewelry. Since this piercing appears at the tip of the penis, that takes a large portion of sexual activity off the counter.
Wear tight-fitting, clean cotton underwear. This underwear should be tight enough that it keeps the jewelry still but loose enough that it doesn’t put too much pressure on the jewelry. Cotton underwear won’t snag like other types of underwear and it’s breathable, offering the perfect protection.
Be prepared for somewhat heavy bleeding. Many who have gotten this piercing have been alarmed at the heavy flow of blood that can continue off and on for a few days. Don’t worry; this is normal. You can wrap the piercing in a bandage to absorb the blood flow. If you’re concerned with the bleeding or the bleeding continues for more than a few days, seek professional assistance; it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Take care while urinating. You might be surprised to learn that urine won’t affect the cleanliness of the piercing. However, since the PA piercing goes through the urethra, you may see a difference in the urine stream. Don’t panic; most people get used to this change fairly quickly. However, you may want to consider sitting down to urinate as you get used to the change or simply be aware and clean up any mess that may happen.
Prince Albert piercing jewelry styles
The Prince Albert piercing can take multiple styles of jewelry. The choice usually depends upon the aesthetic that the wearer is going for as well as increased sensitivity.
The initial gauge that you’re pierced with will depend upon your anatomy. Once your piercing has healed, however, the PA piercing has a lot of potential for stretching. (Some have even stretched up to 00G—around 8mm.) The reason for stretching is that bigger jewelry styles tend to cause more stimulation. If this is something you’re interested in, talk to your piercer about the proper stretching procedure once your piercing has fully healed.
Suitable jewelry styles include hoops (like captive bead rings), curved barbells, circular barbells, and c-bar barbells (which are specially made to accommodate certain anatomy). You’ll likely find that the jewelry is fairly easy to change on your own if you insert through the base of the tip rather than the urethra.
Why shouldn’t I get a Prince Albert piercing?
Whether or not you can get a PA piercing depends upon your anatomy. Your piercer should set up a consultation before the piercing, and they will be able to take a look and let you know if your anatomy is suitable.
If you’re uncircumcised, this shouldn’t prevent you from getting this piercing. However, your foreskin needs to retract far enough to allow for the piercing, and other considerations will need to be made.
If you don’t have the money to invest in a quality piercer do not get this piercing. The PA piercing is relatively low risk if you get pierced correctly. However, incorrect placement can cause devastating complications. You need to make sure that your piercer has the expertise to properly place this piercing, that they’ll offer consultation throughout healing, and that conduct the piercing in a thorough and professional manner. If there are no reputable piercers in your area, then you need to start saving up to take a trip to visit a piercer who can do it correctly.
