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We are always looking for the most unique piercings. The coin slot is a truly beautiful and exciting style that allows you to wear even more jewelry. However you may be disappointed to learn that a coin slot “piercing” is not actually a piercing at all – it’s a body modification! Unfortunately this look is harder to get than it appears, as body modification is harder to find a professional who will do it, they take more to heal, are more expensive, and they’re permanent!
What is a Coin Slot Piercing/Mod?
A coin slot modification is the removal of a small section of cartilage. The purpose of a coin slot is to fit many rings in one hole, so they can stack on top of one another and appear as coins (hence the name). For this reason, coin slots are often confused for piercings. Coin slots are most often found on the helix, but they can be in the conch, flat, snug, or anywhere your artist is willing to place them. The width and length of the slot is up to you, so you can estimate what gauge and how many rings you’d like to wear in your slot.
The Coin Slot Modification Procedure Explained
If you are familiar with body modifications already, you may be familiar with the term “cut and stitch”, which is also how a coin slot is performed. The desired tissue is removed with a scalpel. The artist will then give you stitches, which you’ll need to heal with for two weeks. After this short healing period, you will need to have your stitches removed, and then you’ll have your permanent slot!
How Do You Heal a Coin Slot
As previously mentioned, you’ll need to first wait two weeks before your stitches can be removed. As with all stitches (and piercings) you should not get your coin slot wet during these two weeks, so be careful while washing your hair! After the removal of the stitches, you should wait an additional week just to make sure your new wound is fully healed before you begin wearing jewelry. Most people who have coin slots are surprised by how quick and painless the healing is compared to a regular piercing. The difference here is that a piercing is a puncture wound, which are the hardest and longest wounds to heal, while a coin slot is simply a removal of tissue, aided by the stitches.
Where Can You Get a Coin Slot and What is the Price?
The hardest part about getting a coin slot is finding someone who can! Unfortunately it is illegal in some states for just anyone to perform body modification, so you will need to find a body modification artist who can. You may be able to ask your piercer if they know anyone or you can take a look on Instagram – many body modification artists travel from state to state and they will post pictures of their clients to their Instagram, so it is a good way to find artists. As for what you should expect to pay – a lot more than your standard piercing. The average coin slot modification costs between $550-$900, and that doesn’t include any jewelry.
Coin Slot Alternatives
There are a number of reasons you may not be willing to commit to a full body modification. Luckily, there are a few options to create something similar to a coin slot. The best coin slot alternative is a high gauge. You can ask your piercer for help gauging up existing piercings or they can start off a new piercing with a thick gauge and you can work up from there. Instead of wearing one thick gauge of jewelry, you will be able to swap out instead to several smaller rings. This is commonly referred to as a “stack“. Another alternative is simply to get multiple piercings side by side. This doesn’t look quite like a coin slot, but it is an option if you aren’t interested in a gauge.
Real Coin Slot Mod vs Fake Coin Slot
Obviously there are many negatives when it comes to getting a body modification. Its hard to find someone who can do it, they are more dangerous than a regular piercing, they’re expensive, and they’re permanent. On the other hand, the actual modification will of course look the way you want it to and it heals much faster than a piercing or stretching a gauge.
Conclusion
Coin slot “piercings” are actually modifications. They heal very quickly and are relatively painless, however they do require you to get stitches and avoid water for two weeks straight. It’ll cost you roughly $750 to get this modification, after you go through the lengthy process of finding a body modification artist. If you want to look for an alternative that isn’t so permanent, consider asking your piercer to help you gauge up your cartilage.
