Alysa Liu has a couple of trademarks. Her halo hair might be the most distinguishable, but her smiley piercing is a close second. And in a new video for Teen Vogue, she’s opening up about the challenges of having that statement piercing.

Everyone knows getting a piercing is not for the faint of heart. They usually require a lot of maintenance and can potentially become infected or be rejected during the healing process. However, as Liu reminds us, the healing process is not the only time you should be extra careful when getting a smiley, also known as a frenulum piercing.

Though the piercing was a 0 out of 10 for her on the pain scale, she shares a key detail to consider when deciding whether to get a smiley: potential gum recession and how to track it.

“You have to be very cautious with this piercing. You have to take a photo of it every couple of weeks just to keep track of your gums and how your teeth are doing,” she says. Liu did her smiley in December 2022, so she has had it for a relatively long time. Her tracking photo folder must be heavy, but anything for oral hygiene!

She seems to have it all under control, but if anything were to happen, she knows what comes first. “Gum recession could happen with this piercing, so you gotta be careful and take it out if your gums are receding, obviously. You want to keep your teeth,” she says. And, well, those are words of wisdom!

If you want to see Alysa Liu talk at length about her firsts, including piercings and tattoos, check out the full video below: