I got my tongue pierced at 17 when it very first started becoming popular, and it hurt like a bitch!!! If I had any idea that it hurt that bad, and for that long, I would have never done it. They hold your tongue with what looks like smaller spaghetti tongs, then (my piercer) manually stabbed the needle through my tongue. That part happened so fast I can’t say it hurt much.
It took a month to heal to where my tongue wasn’t painfully swollen in the morning, so much so that I couldnt move it.
I had to eat soft things, like refried beans, and use my finger to hook it around the piercing & swallow. I also lost weight…it was not fun.
Once it healed it was “cool” at that age. I promised myself to keep it in a year, and ended up keeping it in about 5 or 6, off an on two more after that.
I’m 27 now and a mother, and have decided it looks trashy in my new role (but I still think it’s cute on the younger 18/19/20 year olds, especially if you do a white diamond and match it to your earrings or belly button ring), so I took it out. It never healed all the way closed, only half way since I’ve had it out a year (longest before I went with it out without having to break skin to get it back in was about 8 months).
But to each their own! Good luck if you decide to get it done!
Note: I also have friends who’ve had it, who had no pain at all. It seems to be 50/50 – either horrible pain, or minimal pain. Go figure!
Oh yeah, it ruined the gums behind my two front bottom teeth. Wore them down to where you could see the curve of my tooth. I may have problems with that when I am older. I think it could have been prevented by a better fitting barbel (I looked online and ordered an off size which helped with that pain).
Also if you have any surgeries or visit the dentist they will make you take it out, and most people’s tongues will have started healing by the time you can put it back in so that hurts as well.