Prince Albert (genital piercing)

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Prince Albert
Prince Albert piercing.jpg
Nicknames PA
Location Urethra
Jewelry Circular or curved barbell, captive bead ring, Prince's wand
Healing 2 to 4 weeks

The Prince Albert (PA) is one of the more common male genital piercings.[1] The PA is "a ring-style piercing that extends along the underside of the glans from the urethral opening to where the glans meets the shaft of the penis."[2] The related "reverse Prince Albert piercing" enters through the urethra and exits through a hole pierced in the top of the glans.[3]

While some piercers may choose to avoid the nerve bundle that runs along the center of the frenulum altogether, others will choose otherwise.[citation needed] The piercing can be centered if the bearer is circumcised. Otherwise, the piercing must be done off-center because the surrounding skin needs to be able to reposition itself dynamically.[4]

Healing and potential side effects[edit]

The Prince Albert healing time can take from 4 weeks[5] to 6 months.[1] A fresh PA piercing may cause bleeding, swelling and inflammation.[6][7] In rare cases, it can lead to local infections.[8] Some men find that the dribble caused by the PA when urinating necessitates sitting down to urinate.[9] With practice, some men are able to control the stream while standing.[10]

Some PA wearers report it enhances sexual pleasure for both partners.[2] Some people penetrated by males with this piercing report discomfort.[citation needed] PA rings can cause additional discomfort to female partners in cases when the penis comes in contact with the cervix.[11] Sexual partners of those with piercings may experience complications during oral sex such as chipped teeth, choking, foreign bodies getting stuck between the partner's teeth, and mucosal injury to receptive partners.[12]

As with many piercings, there is a small risk of the jewelry becoming caught on clothing and being pulled or torn out, but this is usually only a concern with small gauge rings (smaller than approx. 8 ga).[citation needed] Very large gauge or heavy jewelry can cause thinning of the tissue between the urethral opening and the healed fistula resulting in an accidental meatotomy.[citation needed] Conversely, extremely thin jewelry can cause the same tearing in what is commonly referred to as the "cheese cutter effect", either during sudden torsion or over a long period of wearing, especially if the thin jewelry bears any weight.[citation needed] In some cases this can be corrected surgically.[citation needed]


Erect Penis with 8 gauge circular barbell through a Prince Albert
10g Prince Albert Piercing

Prince Albert piercings are typically pierced at either 10 or 8 gauge. They are often (gradually) stretched to 8g, 6g or 4g soon after. Preventing the 'cheese cutter effect' can be one of the reasons not to perform the initial piercing at a small diameter (16g, 14g or 12g) and / or to rapidly start the stretching procedure to at least 8g or 6g, although personal preference and individual anatomy also play a role in these decisions.

Further stretching to sizes above 10 mm is possible. If a sufficiently heavy barbell or ring is worn continuously, a mild form of 'auto stretching' can be observed. This means that inserting jewelry one size larger the previous jewelry is easier and less painful than in most other piercing locations.

While most wearers find that PAs are comfortable to wear and rarely remove them, even during sex, some individuals might find that extremely large or heavy jewelry is uncomfortable to wear for long periods or interferes with the sexual functioning of the penis.

Jewelry suitably worn in a Prince Albert piercing includes the circular barbell, curved barbell, captive bead, segment ring and the prince's wand. Curved barbells used for PA piercings are usually 7/8" in length, such that one ball sits on the lower side of the penis and the other ball sits at the urethral opening. This type of jewelry prevents discomfort that can come from larger jewelry moving around during daily wear.

Prince's wand

Prince's wand[edit]

The prince's wand consists of a hollow tube with a threaded cap at the end. The tube is inserted into the urethra, and a stem is inserted through the PA piercing and into another threaded hole on the side of the tube. The general shape is similar to a policeman's baton. The side stem holds the tube in place. The threaded cap, often just a ball, can be removed so the wearer can urinate through the hollow tube without having to remove the jewelry.

History and culture[edit]

The origin of this piercing is unknown. Many theories suggest that the piercing was used to secure the penis in some manner, rather than having a sexual or cultural purpose.[citation needed]

In modern times, the Prince Albert piercing was popularized by Jim Ward in the early 1970s.[13] In West Hollywood, Ward met Doug Malloy and Fakir Musafar. Together, these men further developed the Prince Albert piercing. Malloy published a pamphlet in which he concocted fanciful histories of genital piercings in particular.[4] These apocryphal tales—which included the notion that Prince Albert invented the piercing that shares his name in order to tame the appearance of his large penis in tight trousers—are widely circulated as urban legend. No historical proof of their veracity has been located independent of Malloy's assertions.[14] Like many other male genital piercings, it has a history of practice in gay culture in the twentieth century and became known outside that culture at the same time that body piercing began to emerge in popular culture in the late 1970s.

See also[edit]


  1. ^ a b Gage, Simon; Richards, Lisa; Wilmot, Howard; and Boy George (2002). Queer, p. 159. Da Capo Press, ISBN 978-1-56025-377-8
  2. ^ a b Winks, Cathy; Semans, Anne (2002). The Good Vibrations Guide to Sex: The Most Complete Sex Manual Ever Written, p. 274. Cleis Press, ISBN 978-1-57344-158-2
  3. ^ Komisaruk, Barry R.; Whipple, Beverly; Nasserzadeh, Sara' Beyer-Flores, Carlos (2009). The Orgasm Answer Guide, p. 118. JHU Press, ISBN 978-0-8018-9396-4
  4. ^ a b Angel, Elayne (2009). The Piercing Bible, p. 157. Random House, ISBN 978-1-58091-193-1
  5. ^ Angel, Elayne (2009). The Piercing Bible, p. 156. Random House, ISBN 978-1-58091-193-1
  6. ^ De Cuyper, Christa; Cotapos, Maria Luisa (2010). Dermatologic Complications with Body Art: Tattoos, Piercings and Permanent Make-Up, p. 47. Springer, ISBN 978-3-642-03291-2
  7. ^ Aaron, Michele (1999). The body's perilous pleasures: dangerous desires and contemporary culture, p. 170 Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 978-0-7486-0961-1
  8. ^ Richens, John (2004). Other conditions of the male genital tract commonly seen in sexually transmitted infection clinics. In Adler, Michael W.; Cowan, Frances ABC of sexually transmitted infections, p. 21. John Wiley and Sons, ISBN 978-0-7279-1761-4
  9. ^ Stark, John; Hopkins, Will; Baumann, Mary K. (2008). The Dictionary of Love, p. 218. HarperCollins, ISBN 978-0-06-124213-7
  10. ^ Hudson Karen L. (2009). Living Canvas: Your Total Guide to Tattoos, Piercings, and Body Modification, p. 180. Seal Press, ISBN 978-1-58005-288-7
  11. ^ Vale, V.; Juno, Andrea (1989). Modern primitives: an investigation of contemporary adornment & ritual. Re/Search Publications, ISBN 978-0-940642-14-0
  12. ^ Greenberg, Michael I. (2005). Greenberg's text-atlas of emergency medicine, p. 448. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, ISBN 978-0-7817-4586-4
  13. ^ Ferguson, Henry (18 December 1999). Body Piercing. BMJ Volume 319, Number 7225; 319 : 1627 PMID 10600973
  14. ^ Rutty, Guy N. (2004). Essentials of autopsy practice: recent advances, topics and developments, p. 163. Springer, ISBN 978-1-85233-541-0

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