Most piercings are unisex in nature--piercings like eyebrow piercings, lip and nose piercings, ear piercings, and even nipple piercings. When it comes to genital piercings, though, the options for men are quite different than those for women. There are 15 different male genital piercings from which you can choose, if you're interested in getting one or just learning more about your options. You can choose from a variety of glans piercings, penile shaft piercings, pubic piercings, scrotum piercings, perineum piercings, and even anal piercings. Which piercings fall into which of those categories? Are some more painful than others to get? Which ones are most sexually stimulating? Let's find out!



Types of Piercings Just for Men

The 15 types of male genital piercings fall into different categories based on where they're located in the male genital region. Read on to learn which male genital piercings fall into which categories, the benefits and drawbacks of each, and what types of jewelry work best in which piercings.


Penis Head Piercings

The head of the penis is known as the glans penis, or glans for short. There are three glans piercing options that any man can get, and a fourth option for uncircumcised men:


Dydoe Piercings

Dydoe piercings go through the top ridge of the glans, parallel to the penile shaft. Once a dydoe piercing has been placed, the front ball of the short straight barbellused for this piercing sits centered atop the glans, and the back ball lays against the top of the penile shaft. Dydoe piercings are often done in pairs with a little space in between them, but you can get just one or several, if the girth of your glans will support more than a pair of dydoe piercings.

Benefits of Dydoe Piercings:

Dydoe piercings are one of the less painful male genital piercings to get.
Their position makes them sexually stimulating for partners--particularly for female partners during intercourse when you're in any sexual position that puts the balls in contact with a woman's G-spot.
Most people consider dydoe piercings to be attractive looking piercings that enhance the appearance of the glans.
Drawbacks of Dydoe Piercings:

Dydoe piercings are technically surface piercings, which means they're more prone to migration and rejection than piercings that go straight through the penis, like apadravya piercings. If they're placed as deeply as possible (so the barbell lays flush against the penile shaft on the back side) and heavier-gauge jewelry is used, you won't have to worry about migration/rejection as much.
If you like being able to wear a variety of different types of jewelry in your piercings, this may not be the male genital piercing for you. Short straight barbells are the only style of jewelry that works well for dydoe piercings.
Like nearly all other male genital piercings, there's no physical sexual enhancement factor for the wearer. However, dydoe piercings can be mentally sexually stimulating, especially if your dydoe piercings are a turn-on for your partner and s/he enjoys the feeling of them during intercourse.
Dydoe piercings take 2 to 3 months to heal, and you can't have intercourse, engage in self-stimulation, play with your jewelry, or come in contact with others' bodily fluids during that time.

Ampallang Piercings

Ampallang piercings go straight through the glans horizontally, so the barbell balls sit on the left and right sides of the head of the penis after this piercing is placed.

Benefits of Ampallang Piercings:

Many men find ampallang piercings to be an aesthetic enhancement to the glans.
This piercing can be sexually stimulating for partners, but only in certain sexual positions. It can also be a mental turn-on for the wearer, particularly when it does stimulate a partner sexually.
Drawbacks of Ampallang Piercings:

Ampallang piercings are one of the most painful male genital piercings to get. If you really want one, you may want to ask your piercer to apply a topical anesthetic like Derma Numb 20-30 minutes before piercing you to take the edge off the pain of getting this piercing.
Jewelry options are limited for these piercings. They're typically done with a straight barbell with balls on the ends, but you could add half balls in place of regular balls. You could also try wearing a D-ring in this piercing once it's fully healed, but most men stick with straight barbells.
This can be an uncomfortable piercing for partners during intercourse--particularly when having sex with a woman in common positions like missionary and doggy style. In those positions, the barbell balls would rub the vagina's side walls in a potentially uncomfortable way and may even cause tearing of the delicate tissue there. Sideways sexual positions could put one of the balls in contact with a woman's G-spot, though. Wearing half balls on your ampallang barbell can make sex more comfortable for both female and male partners in any sexual position.
Ampallang piercings take longer to heal than nearly any other male genital piercing. You'll be out of commission sexually for 4 to 6 months or more.

Apadravya Piercings

Apadravya piercings go straight through the glans vertically, with one barbell ball sitting centered atop the glans and the opposing ball centered beneath the glans.

Benefits of Apadravya Piercings:

Apadravya piercings can be very sexually stimulating for female partners in particular, because the barbell balls will rub against a woman's G-spot in common sexual positions like missionary and doggy style.
Many men find this piercing to be an attractive enhancement to the glans and get turned on by the way it stimulates partners sexually during intercourse.
Drawbacks of Apadravya Piercings:

Like ampallang piercings, apadravya piercings are one of the most painful male genital piercings to get. Having topical anestheticapplied before getting an apadravya piercing can help with that, though.
Jewelry options are limited for apadravya piercings, too. Straight barbells are really the only good option for this piercing. You can choose between regular balls and half balls, though.
Apadravya piercings take 4-6+ months to heal, and you can't have sex of any kind during that time. That means no intercourse, self stimulation or oral sex for a minimum of 4 months and quite possibly longer.

Kuno Piercings

Kuno piercings are foreskin piercings, which is why this option is only available to uncircumcised men. They can be placed through any point of the top rim of the foreskin.

Benefits of Kuno Piercings:

Uncircumcised men often find kuno piercings to be an aesthetically-pleasing enhancement to the glans.
When an uncircumcised man is aroused, the kuno piercing ring sits just below the glans and may titillate partners during intercourse in a manner similar to the way a frenum piercing would.
On average, most kuno piercings heal within just 8 weeks. However, it can take as little as 6 weeks for some and as many as 12 weeks for others to fully heal.
Drawbacks of Kuno Piercings:

Only uncircumcised men can get kuno piercings.
Foreskin piercings are surface piercings, so they're more prone to migration and rejection than some other male genital piercings. Wearing a heavier-gauge ring and getting pierced at least 1/4" or more below the edge of the rim of the foreskin will help you avoid these potential issues.
Jewelry options for kuno piercings are typically limited to rings, although there can be a lot of variety within the broad category of rings. You can choose from captive bead rings, segment rings and seamless rings in a variety of styles.


Penile Shaft Piercings

There are seven types of penile shaft piercings from which you can choose. They fall into three groupings: frenum piercings, Prince Albert piercings, and dolphin piercings.


Frenum Piercings

Traditional frenum piercings are placed horizontally along the underside of the penile shaft. If you choose to have them placed along the top of the penile shaft, they're called dorsal frenum piercings. Men who get just one frenum piercing initially will often choose to have it placed near the head of the penis, which allows them to choose between straight barbells and D-rings. You could also wear circular barbells or captive rings in your frenum piercings, but the other two styles tend to be more comfortable and stimulating for partners during intercourse.

If you get several frenum piercings in a row with equal spacing between them along the top or bottom of your penile shaft, this arrangement is known as a Jacob's ladder. Some men build a Jacob's ladder slowly over time, if they like the look of the first one so much that they want more or they find their partners really like the feel of their frenum piercings during sex and think they'd enjoy the feel of additional frenum piercings even more. Alternatively, you can have several frenum piercings done in one sitting, if you want to minimize the amount of time you're out of commission sexually while your piercings heal.

The fourth type of frenum piercing is a low frenum, called a lorum. Lorum piercings sit at the base of the penile shaft where it meets the scrotum. Lorum piercings are really more of a cousin to frenum piercings, but they're closer to frenum piercings than any other piercing. They may serve as the base of a Jacob's ladder on the underside of the penile shaft. Although you could wear a straight barbell in a lorum piercing, most men opt for circular barbells or captive rings.

Benefits of Frenum Piercings:

Frenum piercings can be very sexually stimulating for partners of either sex during intercourse. They give the penis a ribbed feeling that's amplified by each frenum piercing you add to your collection.
You have many placement options when you choose to get a frenum piercing. They can be placed anywhere along the penile shaft--even on the sides, although that position is less common than traditional frenum and dorsal frenum piercing placements.
If you get a frenum piercing towards the top of the penile shaft, just below the glans, you can wear a D-ring in it and loop it over the head of your penis so that the ring entirely encompasses your penis. In that position, a D-ring would act somewhat like a cock ring, trapping blood in the head of the penis and keeping it engorged.
Although straight barbells are the most common type of jewelry worn in frenum piercings, you have more jewelry options with this type of piercing than with most other male genital piercings. You can wear circular barbells, captive rings (which include seamless rings, segment rings, D-rings, and traditional captive bead rings), straight barbells, or even bent barbells in your frenum piercings.
Drawbacks to Frenum Piercings:

Frenum piercings are surface piercings, which means they're more prone to migration and rejection than piercings like ampallang and apadravya piercings that go straight through the penis. You can minimize the chances of rejection by asking your piercer to place your frenum piercings as deeply below the skin as possible and wearing heavier-gauge jewelry.
Although most partners find frenum piercings to be sexually stimulating, they aren't for everyone. It's not a bad idea to start with just one and make sure your partner likes the way it feels during intercourse before getting more frenum piercings.
Traditional frenum piercings, dorsal frenum piercings and Jacob's ladders take anywhere from 4 to 6 months to heal, during which time you have to avoid all forms of sex. (That means no self stimulation either!). Lorum piercings are the exception, taking just 2 to 3 months to heal.

Prince Albert Piercings

Prince Albert piercings may appear to be glans piercings, but the only part of the penis that's actually pierced is the shaft. With a traditional Prince Albert piercing, the underside of the shaft is pierced just below the head of the penis. The needle has to puncture the urethra, which can be tough to do and sometimes requires a needle pusher for leverage. Once the urethra has been pierced, your piercer will typically thread a bent barbell up into the urethra and out through the urethral opening in the tip of the glans.

Bent barbells are ideal starter jewelry for PA piercings because of the curved path of this piercing, but other styles of jewelry can also be worn in Prince Albert piercings. If you'd rather wear a circular barbell, captive ring or PA wand in your Prince Albert piercing, it's best to wait until the piercing is fully healed.

Some men prefer to get Reverse Prince Albert piercings, where the urethra is punctured from the top of the penile shaft instead of the underside. This position can be more sexually stimulating for female partners during intercourse in common positions like missionary, whereas a traditional PA piercing would be more likely to hit a woman's G-spot in a position like doggy style.

Benefits of Prince Albert Piercings:

Both PA piercings and reverse PA piercings can be very sexually stimulating for partners during intercourse.
There are a number of jewelry options for PA piercings. You can wear a bent barbell, a circular barbell, any type of captive ring, or a Prince Albert wand in your PA or reverse PA piercing.
PA piercings heal more quickly than many other male genital piercings, usually in just 4-6 weeks.
Drawbacks of PA Piercings:

Partners tend to either love or hate PA piercings. If your partner can't stand intercourse when you're wearing PA jewelry, you can try wearing a condom to ease her or him into it, see if a PA wand is more comfortable for your partner during intercourse, or remove your jewelry when having sex.
The moment the urethra is pierced can be excruciatingly painful, but it's a momentary, fleeting pain and it can be minimized by having a topical anesthetic applied before you get pierced.
It can be challenging to urinate when wearing PA jewelry. Some men have to pee sitting down for awhile after getting pierced, until they learn to manage the flow better.

Dolphin Piercings

The dolphin piercing is the 7th type of penile shaft piercing. To get one, you have to already have a well-healed traditional PA piercing, since dolphin piercings are done on the underside of the penile shaft and connect to a PA piercing hole. If you get a dolphin piercing, your piercer will puncture your urethra in a second spot that's roughly 5/8" below your PA piercing hole. S/he will then thread a bent barbell up into the new hole, through your urethra, and out through your PA piercing hole. If wearing a bent barbell in your dolphin piercing is uncomfortable during the healing process, you can ask your piercer to replace it with a longer bent barbell that stretches far enough to exit through your urethral opening instead of your PA hole. A longer bent barbell will have a gentler curve to it and will put less pressure on your healing piercing.

Benefits of Dolphin Piercings:

Dolphin piercings can be very sexually stimulating for partners of either sex during intercourse.
Partners who dislike PA piercings usually find dolphin piercings to be a more enjoyable alternative. Getting one gives you a way to keep your PA piercing hole while keeping your current partner satisfied sexually. There are even PA wands with two posts that can be worn in dolphin piercings (like the one shown to the right) that your partner may enjoy more than your original PA jewelry.
Dolphin piercings heal relatively quickly, usually in just 4 to 8 weeks. The reason it can take a little longer for a dolphin piercing to heal than a PA piercing is due to the fact that the tissue further down the penile shaft tends to be a bit thicker than it is where a traditional PA piercing is placed. Sometimes they'll heal in exactly the same amount of time, though.
Drawbacks of Dolphin Piercings:

You can only get a dolphin piercing if you already have a traditional PA piercing that's well healed.
They may take a bit longer to heal than PA piercings, but usually not by more than 2 extra weeks.
With a dolphin piercing, you're limited to wearing a bent barbell. Other styles of jewelry don't typically work well in these piercings.


Pubic Piercings

Pubic piercings can be placed anywhere in the pubic area. They're more aesthetically-pleasing than sexually stimulating piercings, but they're a great alternative for men who want a genital piercing that doesn't go through the penis.

Benefits of Pubic Piercings:

You aren't limited to a single spot if you want to get a pubic piercing; they can be placed anywhere on the pubic mound.
You can get one pubic piercing or numerous ones, if desired.
There are a few different jewelry options for pubic piercings, including captive rings of all types, circular barbells, micro straight barbells, and even bent barbells.
Many men find pubic piercings to be an attractive enhancement to their genital region.
Drawbacks of Pubic Piercings:

Pubic piercings are surface piercings, so they're more prone to migration and rejection than some other male genital piercings. Being pierced deeply and wearing heavier-gauge jewelry will help you avoid these issues, as will wearing loosely-fitting underwear and pants during the healing process.
There's no physical sexual benefit for partners of men who have pubic piercings.
They take 2-3 months to heal, but as long as you're careful, you don't necessarily have to wait until they're fully healed to resume sexual activities.


Scrotal Piercings

Scrotal piercings, which are more commonly known as hafada piercings, are surface piercings placed anywhere on the scrotum. You can get one or several, or even a row to create a scrotal ladder. As with pubic piercings, scrotal piercings have more aesthetic than sexual value.

Benefits of Hafada Piercings:

Hafada piercings can be placed anywhere on the scrotum, and you can get as few or as many as you want. Some men have their entire scrotums covered in hafada piercings.
You can wear captive rings, circular barbells, micro straight barbells, or bent barbells in scrotum piercings. Depending on where you get a scrotal piercing, bent barbells may be the ideal jewelry to wear, since they'll hug the curves of your scrotum.
Scrotal piercings can make an attractive addition to the male genitals.
Drawbacks of Hafada Piercings:

Hafada piercings are surface piercings, so it's important to be pierced as deeply as possible and to avoid fine-gauge jewelry to reduce the chances of migration/rejection.
Scrotal piercings have no physical sexual benefits for the wearer or sexual partners.
These piercings take an average of 2 to 3 months to heal.


Perineum Piercings

The perineum is the stretch of skin between the scrotum and the anus. It's an erogenous zone, so getting a guiche piercing in this area can be somewhat sexually stimulating for the wearer, particularly if the jewelry is manipulated and pressure is applied to the skin around it once the piercing has healed.

Benefits of Guiche Piercings:

Guiche piercings can be sexually-stimulating for the wearer once healed, if manipulated gently.
You can wear captive rings (including D-rings), circular barbells, micro straight barbells, or bent barbellsin a guiche piercing. Bent barbells are ideal because of the way they cradle the perineum.
If you wear a ring in your guiche piercing, you can attach small weights to it once your piercing's healed for added sexual stimulation. D-rings are an ideal option for this purpose.
Drawbacks of Guiche Piercings:

Perineum piercings are surface piercings, so it's best to be pierced as deeply as possible and wear heavier-gauge jewelry to minimize the chances of migration and rejection.
Guiche piercings usually take 2 to 3 months to heal.
They have no physical sexual benefit for partners, but guiche piercings can be mentally arousing, particularly if you guide your partner in how best to manipulate your jewelry to titillate your perineum.


Anal Piercings

Although they're technically not in the genital region, anal piercings are considered the 15th type of male genital piercing. This is a less common piercing, but one that men who have them seem to enjoy. It's no wonder, since the anus is actually quite an erogenous zone.

Benefits of Anal Piercings:

Anal piercings can be sexually stimulating for the wearer, particularly when gently manipulated by a partner during sex.
This is one male genital piercing that won't put you entirely out of commission sexually while it heals. You can have intercourse, engage in self stimulation, and even enjoy oral sex without worrying about interfering with the anal piercing healing process.
Drawbacks of Anal Piercings:

Because of the delicate positioning of anal piercings and people's varying attentiveness to aftercare, anal piercings can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months to heal.
There can be intermittent anal leakage throughout the healing process. For that reason, some men need to wear absorbent pads for awhile.
There's potential risk of damaging the sphincter with anal piercings.
They're hard to keep clean, and must be rinsed with a saline piercing aftercare spray every time you defecate.
If you have problems with constipation, an anal piercing may not be for you. The internal pressure can put undue pressure on your anal piercing, too.
Captive rings (preferably of the segment or seamless variety) are the only style of jewelry appropriate for anal piercings.
Some of the men who have posted anal piercing pictures in our photo Gallery have also shared information about their experiences with their anal piercings alongside their photos that may help you decide if an anal piercing is really for you. You can see the photos and read the posters' comments if you're 18 or older by logging into your Painful Pleasures account (sign up for one here) and visiting our Anal Piercing Picturessection.