The Pierced Consumer

Prince Albert  Piercing

The Prince Albert piercing is one of the most popular  genital piercings for men.  It’s decorative, it’s functional, and it really doesn’t go through all that much skin, so it’s a much less scary piercing than it might appear.

The eponymous prince was the husband of Britain’s Queen Victoria.  ( Wikipedia entry on Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg.) The story goes that men of those days used such a ring through the end of the their penis to tie it away in order to wear the close fitting breeches of their day.

This is a myth! Although there may be some tiny kernel of truth, more likely it was made up by Doug Malloy, an influential early piercing enthusiast.  I’m not a clothing historian, but it would be interesting to do some scholarly research on this and on the claim that some Victorian ladies pierced their nipples.  But I’m getting sidetracked . . . Regardless of satrorial utility,  it’s a very fun piercing and easy to get.  Maybe too easy–is the PA a “gateway piercing?” Maybe–piercings are habit forming!

PA Piercing

A PA, or Prince Albert piercing is made on the underside of the penis at the juncture of the head and shaft, the jewelry rests within the urethra and is worn out the tip of the  . . . urethral opening,” according to The Piercing Bible (p. 156).   For further surfing, here is the link to the BME Encyclopedia entry:  PA. And here is the actual Wikipedia entry:  Prince Albert Piercing.

If you are considering this piercing, here are a few points to think about:

–This piercing stretches easily, and is likely to be permanent, so consider placement and stretching options carefully. Before the poke, discuss with your piercer how big you are likely to go.  There are also options for expansion or addition to this piercing, such as a Reverse PA or an apadravya.  A project with multiple piercings should be planned in advance with your piercer.

–A typical starting gauge would be 10 or 12, and healing is relatively fast–one or two months for the majority of healing to take place.  It’s a bleeder, so don’t be surprised if you need to keep things wrapped up for a few days.

–Urination may be permanently affected.  Just so you know . . .

–Don’t overuse your new toy! Give it a rest and let it heal.

–After the initial healing period, a certain amount of trial and error may be needed to determine the best jewelry for you.  Circular barbells, captive bead rings (CBRs), segment rings, and curved barbells are all possible choices.Here’s a pic of a Tribal Dream ring from Wildcat, which PA newbies can aspire to.  And a link to more info at Steel Navel.

Tribal Dream Ring

Unfortunately, not having the equipment, I’m not an expert in male genital piercings, so I’ve asked some friends of mine to share their experience and advice with this piercing.   In Part 2 of the PA Project, they’ll share some drabbles of wisdom:  pearls, drops, or just shaken off.

I’ll be back for Pt. 2!

Statue pic from mira66’s photostream at Flickr.  Drawing by cloudlb, after the much nice drawings by Jennifer Klepacki in The Piercing Bible.  Jewelry pic from Steel Navel, with permission.