Once you've decided you want a body piercing, it's important that you learn which of the variety is best for you, taking into account the risks and disadvantages that may come with each. Healing times and tendency to become infected vary widely, as does the degree of pain experienced during the piercing itself. Be sure before going to the studio that you are comfortable with the style of piercing you've chosen and know exactly what it will look like--it wouldn't do to be surprised after the fact. The following is an extensive, alphabetical list of the most common types of body piercing, each accompanied by a brief description.

Ear Piercings:

- Helix (upper lobe/cartilage): A piercing of the upper earlobe, close to the top of the ear. A helix piercing can go through cartilage in this section of the ear as well.
- Industrial (cartilage): A double piercing of the upper ear cartilage, one close to the middle of the ear through the conch and another through the outside of the ear, through the helix. A barbell is extended from one piercing to the other.
- Inner/Outer Conch (cartilage): A piercing of the cartilage circling the center of the ear. An inner conch piercing is a piercing of the area closest to the ear canal, while an outer conch piercing is placed in the outer ear cartilage, as the names might suggest.
- Lobe: Your traditional ear piercing. The lobe of the ear is the flappy bit at the bottom. It contains no cartilage.
- Tragus (cartilage): A piercing of the thick, hard piece of cartilage in front of the ear canal.

Facial/Oral Piercings:

- Anti-eyebrow : A sort of surface piercing, the anti-eyebrow is a barbell placed above the cheekbone or below the eyebrow.
- Bridge: A piercing through the skin of the bridge of the nose, between the eyes. A variation exists, called the vertical bridge piercing, but this is a surface piercing and carries all the associated risks.
- Cheek: A cheek piercing may either be a surface piercing of the cheek or a piercing that enters the oral cavity, which would usually be filled with a labret stud.
- Eyebrow: A piercing through the eyebrow, usually either a barbell or a captive ball ring. This is not a surface piercing, due to the amount of loose skin near the brow.
- Lip (labret): A lip piercing, called a "labret" (pronounced "la-BRET", being from Latin and not French), can be anywhere around the mouth and usually is filled with a labret stud, which is flat on the side that would be inside the mouth.
- Lip frenulum: A piercing of the flap of skin inside the mouth and under the lip, called the frenulum. Distinct from the tongue's frenulum. A tongue frenulum piercing heals quickly, but a high rate of rejection frequently makes these piercings temporary.
- Nostril: A piercing inside the nostril, filled with a small stud or ring.
- Septum: A piercing through the septum, or middle of the nose. Usually filled with a ring or barbell.
- Tongue: A piercing through the center of the tongue, often with a barbell. Usually accompanied by heavy swelling.
- Tongue frenulum: A piercing through the flap of skin under the tongue, called the frenulum. Distinct from the lip's frenulum. A tongue frenulum piercing heals quickly, but a high rate of rejection frequently makes these piercings temporary.
- Uvula piercing: A piercing through the uvula, the loose bit at the back of your throat. Because the uvula has a good blood supply, it is difficult to pierce safely. The rate of rejection with such a piercing is relatively high.

Body piercings:

- Madison: A surface piercing through the skin at the front of the neck. Like all surface piercings, Madison piercings are rarely permanent and have a high rate of migration and even rejection. The constant movement of this skin makes it difficult for such a piercing to heal.
- Navel: A piercing of the skin surrounding the navel. Such a piercing tends to heal slowly due to body movement, but this depends heavily upon the amount of loose skin present. Without enough loose skin, a navel piercing can be more like a surface piercing.
- Nape: A surface piercing of the skin at the back of the neck. A high rate of migration and rejection, like most surface piercings, exacerbated by the constant movement of the area.
- Surface piercing: A surface piercing is the piercing of any essentially flat area of skin, usually filled with a specialized barbell intended to lessen the stress placed upon the skin. Surface piercings have a high rate of migration, or movement of the jewelry, which can end in rejection, a process in which the jewelry is pushed completely out of the body over time by skin tension.

Genital Piercings (Male):
- Ampallang: Horizontal piercing spanning the glans.
- Apadravya: Vertical piercing spanning the glans, usually in the center.
- Hafada: A piercing just through the skin of the scrotum, much like a surface piercing but unlikely to reject or migrate due to the looseness of the scrotum's skin.
- Foreskin: Essentially the equivalent of a clitoral hood piercing for the male, this is a simple piercing through the foreskin of an uncircumsized penis. The healing process is usually very swift.
- Deep shaft: Usually a variation on an ampallang or apadravya piercing, deep shaft piercings pass directly through the shaft of the penis. They are exceedingly painful and recuperation can be very slow.
- Dydoe: A piercing through the ridge of the glans, usually performed upon an uncircumsized penis.
- Frenum: A piercing of the underside of the shaft of the penis. This may be a piercing of the frenulum of the penis, which is the small flap of skin connecting the glans to the shaft, or it may begin further toward the base.
- Frenum ladder: Sometimes called a "Jacob's ladder", the frenum ladder consists of a number of frenum piercings, usually filled with barbells, organized lengthwise down the underside of the shaft of the penis.
- Guiche (male): A male guiche is a piercing of the region between the scrotum and the anus, medically called the perineum. Guiche piercings are more common in men than in women.
- Lorum: Named as a composite of the words "low" and "frenum", meaning a low frenum piercing, placed at the base of the penis but above the start of the scrotum.
- Prince Albert: A piercing that runs from below the front base of the glans and through the urethra. There is a "reverse" Prince Albert which instead exits through the top of the glans.
- Pubic: The male form of the "Christina" surface piercing, placed at the bottom of the pubic mound and just above the start of the shaft, aligned vertically.
- Trans-scrotal: A complicated and rare piercing in which a barbell or similar piece of jewelry is run from one end of the scrotum to the other. Performed with a scalpel, rather than a needle, due to its complicated nature.

Genital Piercings (Female):
- Christina: A surface piercing of the lower pubic mound, just above the clitoral hood. A relatively high rate of complication is associated with a Christina piercing, as with all surface piercings.
- Clitoris: A piercing through the clitoris itself, commonly confused with a clitoral hood piercing, intended to provide stimulation to the clitoris. This can be set horizontally or vertically, and placement or even the possibility of its implementation requires that the recipient have a sufficiently large clitoris.
- Clitoral hood: A piercing through the hood of the clitoris, either vertical or horizontal.- Fourchette: A piercing of the rear rim of the vagina, where the inner labia meet.
- Isabella: A deep clitoral shaft piercing, extending from the clitoral hood to the top of the pubic mound.
- Labia piercing: A piercing of the inner or outer labia.
- Nefertiti: A piercing that passes from the top of the hood to the pubic mound, essentially a combination of Christina and clitoral hood piercings.
- Triangle: A piercing of the base of the clitoral hood, where it meets the inner labia. Meant to improve sexual stimulation.
- Princess Albertina: An exceptionally rare procedure in which a piercing is made between the urethra and the top of the vagina. It is frequently meant to improve sexual stimulation.