Eyebrow piercing variants
The eyebrow piercing was one of the most popular facial piercings of the 1990s-2000s, and in recent years it has come back strong, especially in its less common variants. At Funky Tattoo in Piața Romană, Bucharest, we perform all three main variants, each with specific aesthetics, anatomy and care requirements.
The vertical eyebrow is the classic variant — a thin curved bar placed vertically at the outer end of the eyebrow, usually in the outer third. The bar is curved (curved barbell) to respect the natural curve of the eyebrow arch. Healing takes 6-12 weeks, pain is moderate (3/5), and the rejection rate is relatively low (5-10%). It's an excellent entry choice for those who want a visible but not too extreme facial piercing.
The horizontal eyebrow is the rarer variant — the bar is placed horizontally along the eyebrow, immediately above or below the hairline. It's anatomically more demanding, since the skin above the eyebrow is thinner and less vascularised. Healing takes 8-16 weeks, and the rejection rate is higher (15-20%). At Funky Tattoo we recommend the horizontal variant only to clients who have favourable skin thickness, evaluated at consultation.
The anti-eyebrow (also known as teardrop or upper cheek) is not actually an eyebrow piercing, but a surface piercing placed below the eye, on the cheekbone, in an area that creates the visual effect of an "inverted" eyebrow. It's a classic surface piercing, which means it enters and exits through the same flat skin surface, without traversing tissue "from one end to the other". The rejection rate is high (25-35%), and healing takes 12-20 weeks. The jewellery used is a surface bar with a flat post (PTFE or flexible titanium), which reduces pressure on the skin.
For all three variants, the pre-piercing evaluation includes checking vascularity (superficial vessels in the eyebrow area are visible through transillumination with a small flashlight), skin thickness and facial symmetry. We do not recommend eyebrow piercing for clients with a tendency to keloids or a history of hypertrophic scarring, since the eyebrow area has a moderate risk of visible scarring in case of rejection. For successful piercings, we offer free jewellery change at 6 weeks and 3 months.