I've seen alot of posts on the Web regarding questions about Prince Alberts and jewelry. Having had my PA for at least ten years and up to a 00g, I have a little experience that I might be able to share. So this blog post is where I thought it might go. I am not an expert - just someone with a little experience. I intend to update this as I read the forums and see more questions that I have an opinion on.

I'm still amazed by people that went and got pierced and the piercers themselves didn't know what to recommend or how to do this piercing! I'm wondering if the rationale is similar to alot of other things sexually-related; the less it's talked about, the better. So, in the interests of talking about penises and Prince Alberts, here we go:

Placement

The piercing should be to the left or the right of the frenum line. If a piercing is done directly on the frenum line, there is danger of nerve damage! You do want to be able to feel your winky after you're done with this, right? Which side it's on is often referred to as "dressing right" or "dressing left" - though I've never heard it used in today's language.

The piercing should also be slightly inward of the ridge of your glans, "inward" meaning towards your body. I think I've got about 1/2" of visible skin between the piercing and my piss slit. Less skin means more chance of migration and/or tearing!

Jewelry Choice (new piercings)

I suggest a captive ball ring or circular barbell ring, in surgical stainless steel. I wouldn't suggest a curved (or "bent") barbell because there may not be sufficient movement of the ring through the piercing to prevent it from "sticking" to the piercing while it's healing. You really want the ring to move around in the piercing, and a circular piece of jewelry will allow this. In addition, with a curved barbell one bead will always be hanging against your piercing, which could promote irritation or bacterial buildup.

I suggest the biggest gauge that the piercer will do - typically 10g or 8g. The bigger the gauge, the less chance of the "cheesewire effect". I also suggest a large diameter; I've got 1/2" of skin between the piercing and my piss slit, and a 3/4" diameter ring is perfect for me. Think about this: If you have a smaller diameter ring, it could "pinch" that patch of skin that's holding it on, causing potential migration and discomfort. Don't forget that this applies to your Winky when it's erect too! Make sure it won't pinch when Winky's excited! I'm amazed to see guys that get a nice PA, then get this understated ring that barely fits. If you've got the nuts to get a PA, show it proudly!

For initial piercings I have read about some piercers who will use jewelry slightly bigger in gauge than the gauge of the piercing needle. Assumably this helps to stem the **** flow because the jewelry provides a pressure point. I have heard stories that this actually works, though there's not too much information out there. Something to consider!

Don't choose jewelry that is "used" or where the material could even possibly be porous. This leaves the opportunity for bacteria to collect and slow the healing process. Stick with stuff that's highly polished. I wished I knew of a place where you could get your jewelry repolished - they looks so good when they're all shiny!

Healing

Sea Salt soaks, once or twice a day, alternated with a shower (maybe SSS in morning, shower in evening). 1/4 tsp sea salt to 8 oz of hot water. Too much salt dries out your skin; you don't need much for it to work.

Don't handle Winky too much near the piercing site (though it is pretty, isn't it?).

Your pee is naturally sterile, but it doesn't last long that way, so take a shower and soap up real good at least once a day!

Over the long haul, I have a hot tub that I add a bag of sea salt to every time I change the water (once every three months). I think that might help heal the stretchings over time, and makes the water very comfortable.

Hitting a Nerve?

When I first got pierced and for probably a year after, whenever the ring would spin it felt like someone stuck a knife in there. I'm assuming that the piercing came close to a nerve. Over time, it lessened - maybe the skin that formed around the jewelry insulated the nerve a bit. It's kind funny because over time I think my mind started to equate this "pain" with "pleasure"... I'm convinced that the human mind can translate these situations to pretty much anything.

Balanced Jewelry

If your jewelry has beads or balls, you probably always want the balls to be facing "down" at all times. Some jewelry that uses lighter materials for the bead may not have this quality, causing the ball to ride against your piercing or your piss-slit. This might be a bit irritating on your skin. I try to stick with SS beads.

I bought a beautiful demon-tail captive bead ring from Tribe a long time ago, which had a niobium bead that "unbalanced" the ring. I replaced it with a stainless steel bead and it works great now.

Nice Jewelry for after the healing is done...

If you want weight, Stainless is fantastic. Keep an eye on your piercing though, and make sure that the weight isn't causing migration or other unpleasant effects.

Titanium is an excellent alternative. It's lighter in weight but you'll still know it's there. I've had problems with colored titanium rings getting discolored, so watch for that.

Curved barbells are great after the healing is done - I use them whenever I'm doing something that's strenuous or there's even a remote possibility of catching a ring on something. I don't like curved barbells for anal sex - once in, the barbell nearest your piercing may not want to come out, causing the whole piece of jewelry to turn a 180. Ow.

Here's a consideration: If you know you're going to gauge up but still like your smaller stuff, make sure you buy the smaller stuff with largish balls (in the case of barbells), that way you don't have to worry about the balls passing through the PA hole and losing the jewelry down your pant leg...

I tried a new thing recently that works pretty well. I bought a titanium solid plug with o-rings on each side, same gauge as my maximum gauge. It was a little bit of a pain to get it in the front with one o-ring on, but once it was in I could pee a straight line again! Personally I kinda prefer the weight of a regular ring, but I thought this would be great to wear in certain situations where you don't want the ring to move around.

Prince's Wands

I have a Prince's Wand that John the Wand Man made for me. Great guy, and very communicative (however, sadly, John is no longer with us). It's hollow stainless with a 0g crosspin and 00g barrel. It extends about 2" into the urethra from the crosspin. I have worn it all day in the past, but it does irritate after awhile, right where the shaft ends deep inside the urethra. It's also fantastic for preventing spray, though the bore of the hole is quite large and doesn't make a normal "pissing" sound when your pee hits the water. If I get another one, I'd try for a shorter one with a smaller center bore. Maybe something that's equally as long on both sides of the crosspin. Though I'm sure that some will say that a shorter barrel defeats the purpose of a Prince's Wand (urethral sounding); my priority is more directed towards reducing the "overspray".

I ordered another Prince's Wand, with the intention of using it instead of jewelry and allowing me to stand up while peeing. It works really great. I ordered it with a narrower bore so when I pee (or cum), it shoots forcefully and sounds like regular pee when it hits the water.

A note on the crosspin (the screw-in assembly that actually goes through your piercing). When you get pierced, the piercing hole is made at an angle to correspond with the needle going through your urethra first, then through the piercing. This creates a skin tunnel that is angled and shaped alot like the regular rings you wear. However, a Prince's Wand crosspin is at a right-angle to the barrel. This means that when you order the crosspin, if you order it at the maximum size of your PA, you may have trouble getting it in. I would recommend sizing the crosspin down just a bit when ordering. Also, I have noticed that the Wand does irritate the skin a bit because the fit is different. I'm assuming over time it will calm down.

I also have a very short crosspin - pretty much a "button" which is very low profile. However it is difficult to get in because you can't really grab it. I use aloe vera to lubricate the area (and my urethra) for insertion. Hand lotion works great too.

Spray

At bigger gauges, you're gonna get spray when you're peeing. There are a couple of things you can try:

Sit down (most effective, and I do this at home)
Hold Winky with your dominant hand, and with your non-dominant hand make a "salute" underneath. Your non-dominant hand collects all the spray, instead of your pants/shoes. You may want to wash that hand afterwards... This is my favorite method if I can't/won't sit down.
Turn Winky upside down when you're peeing
If you've got real loose jewelry, you could try pushing the bead right against your PA hole, thereby blocking the spray. Doesn't work for me...
I like jewelry that's slightly smaller than the PA hole. I'm at 00g but I like wearing 2g. The gap makes for alot of spraying. Jewelry that's sized right to your PA hole (or even slightly above) will prevent spraying - until your hole stretches, that is...
Hollow Prince's Wands are great for reducing/eliminating spray. However the one I have isn't good for long-term wearing, and the hole is quite large making for an "unusual" peeing sound as this big body of urine hits the water...
This is pretty unreasonable, but you could take it out, put your finger over the hole, pee, then put it back in. It's unreasonable because of the amount of time needed to do that, and the fact that I'm sure I'd drop the ball in the water...

Even with all that shaking, that ring seems to always be a little "wet". Absorbent underwear is a must. I also use a washcloth for a "quick wipe" after I'm done. Works great, but of course it's not always available and probably shouldn't be used for any other purpose...

Sex

I take the jewelry out for sex. With oral sex, I'm always afraid my partner will chip a tooth, and I've never met a guy who really liked the piercing anyways - at least for sex. Being a gay man, anal sex with the PA doesn't seem to do much for my partner so I usually just leave it out. This is probably different with women, but I have no experience there... I have not ever played with another guy who has a PA, but I'm sure that the "receptiveness" would be a little better(?)

I always keep the jewelry on when masturbating. This is probably one of my most favorite things about having a PA: you get a TON of extra sensation when that ring moves through your urethra! Lube helps alot (see "sticking" below).

Cleanliness

I find, with the big rings, I get a little funky by the end of the day. I'm sure it's because the ring retains some of your urine no matter how much you think you've shaken it loose. Even though your urine is supposed to be sterile coming out of you, I think it gets funky real quick. I've used Purell between showers for a freshen-up. Don't use this when you're healing!!!

Stretching

I've stretched to 00g now. I don't think I'll be going any further because 000g would require a stretch in my urethra and that's just not working so far...

The Tribe sells circular tapers that work great up to 0g. After that, I've used (unfortunately) some common household items to get to 00g, such as pens (Sharpies), etc. I also used the rubber worms you use for fishing (don't buy the scented ones!) The stretching process really hurts, but bear with the pain for an hour or so and tackle it once every day or two, and eventually it'll be stretched!

At the smaller gauges up to about 4g, I didn't really stretch the piercings at all - I just used SS jewelry and let the weight of the jewelry itself naturally stretch the hole. This took a long time but allowed the hole to get bigger more naturally.

Sticking

This has been a perennial problem for me: the jewelry tends to "stick" to the skin inside my urethra, and constricting clothing (or even turning over in my ****) can make for some painful "unsticking". Baby powder or any other drying agent makes it worse. I live in Florida, but vacations in dryer climates make it worse too.

Some things that work for me are:

Almond Oil - just a drop. It's sorta like "lubing the gun"
I use a smaller gauge ring when sleeping or wearing jeans. Usually one or two sizes will do it. I use a 2g or a 4g. The hole doesn't close up at those sizes. Just be careful if you've got a circular barbell that the bead won't pass through your piercing! Curved barbells work great too because they don't move much anyways.
Clean, highly-polished jewelry has a profound effect. Keep your jewelry clean, and don't use jewelry that has a "matte" finish. I have a beautiful titanium piece that I love but can't wear; the finish is a matte gold.

Again, this is my own experience; your mileage will vary.