A piercing which goes almost
parallel to the skin. Most piercings are fairly
perpendicular to the tissue being pierced, so being able to pierce flat areas of skin opens up the body to a number of ways of
adornment. A few common named surface piercings:
Surface piercings are not a typical procedure, and only skilled (or foolhardy) piercers will perform them. The healing period is fairly long and difficult, and they tend to come out due to
rejection.
Barbells or
curved barbells, the usual
body jewelry for most surface piercings in the past, put pressure on the skin above, leading to its eventual migration. Flexible jewelry is slightly better as it can move with the body, but still tends to migrate. Recently, piercers have been using
surface bars, which virtually eliminate migration. This is apparently the way to go.
Numerous pictures of all the types of
surface piercings can be seen through
BME at http://www.bmezine.com/pierce/11-surface/bme-pg11.html