User:Switchercat/Sandbox/Plug
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A plug, in the context of body modification, is a short, cylindrical piece of jewelry commonly worn in larger-gauge piercings. Due to their size—which is often substantially thicker than a standard wire earring—plugs can be made out of almost any material. Acrylic glass, metal, wood, bone, stone, horn, glass, or silicone are all potential plug materials.
Plugs are commonly worn in the ears, although they can be inserted into any piercing.
[edit] Flares
In order for a plug to stay put within a piercing, the ends of its cylindrical shape are often "flared out," or the plug is fastened in place by o-rings. Combinations of these two methods may also be used.
- A double-flared (or double-flare) plug flares outward at both ends, and is thinner towards the middle. No o-rings are needed to keep the plug in the piercing, but the fistula needs to be wide enough to accommodate the flare when the plug is initially put in.
- A straight plug (or no-flare plug) is a typical-looking cylinder, without flares, and is kept in place by sliding o-rings against both ends of the plug. A grooved plug is a variation on the straight plug, with grooves carved in the material to hold the o-rings snug.
