A few years ago, piercings that had once been considered extreme became almost mainstream. It all started with the nose ring (yes, that really was a rebellious act once) followed by the grungey eyebrow ring back in the 90s, then a decade later the labret became so commonplace among both women and men that snogging turned into something of a challenge. This trend was soon followed up by the popularity of Monroe, Medusa or Madonna piercings.
As we approach a new decade, however, I wonder if the trend for visible piercings will start to level out. Even the most hardcore bodymods enthusiasts I know are now 'retiring' their facial piercings: some claiming practical reasons, others simply going off the look.
Having worn a labret myself for a few years I soon discovered the unglamorous practical downsides of many, inclding tooth erosion and painful infections (I also got sick of idiots in the street asking me why I 'wanted to look different'l an irony when I was aiming squarely at a particular 'look' I'd seen on a thousand other people). I took it out three years ago and haven't looked back.
So what do you think. Has the age of the facial piercing past, or do we just need to identifiy new bits of skin to skewer?