Nipple torture

Nipple torture, also called BDSM nipple play, is the application of erotic pain to the nipples.^[15] It is a popular element of breast torture.^[2][16] It can include biting, sucking, pinching and roughly touching or rubbing the nipples and the areolae. Submissives who experience it often enjoy it, even though it is painful.^[15] Some people find their nipples to be more erotically sensitive than their genitals.^[17] They are an erogenous zone of the body^[18] and their stimulation using techniques such as pinching can in some cases lead to orgasm.^[19]

During the 1970s, a study of S&M-themed contact magazines and club members in Germany identified nipple torture as one of the six most popular activities.^[20] BDSM literature sometimes shows household items attached to erect nipples to provide a pinching sensation. These include clothespins, mousetraps,^[2][4] clothes hangers with integral clips, or pairs of chopsticks with elastic bands wrapped around each end.^[21] If the nipples are prominent enough they can have elastic bands secured directly round them.^[22]

There are commercially produced apparatus designed for nipple torture such as the nipple clamp, a device which is sold as a type of sex toy.^[16] With many types of nipple clamps the degree of tightness is variable and the amount of pain produced is dependent upon how tightly they are applied.^[23] The pinching restricts the blood flow and, when the attachments are removed, further pain may be caused by the return of normal blood flow.^[24] Clamps may have smooth surfaces, plastic or rubber fittings or jagged edges. The last of these increases the pain when weights hung from the clamps tighten the pinch or add a tugging sensation that varies as the wearer moves.^[25] Nipple clamps are sometimes sold with a chain connecting them so that a dominant can pull on it to create tension.^[26] Alternatively nipple clamps may be attached to ropes, chains, or wall fixtures.^[16]

Twisting the nipples produces a painful sensation^[23] and nipple pain can be intensified by twisting nipple clamps, an action which pushes the nipple into the breast.^[27] A titty twister is a BDSM device used to inflict pain on the breasts and especially the nipples in this way. They are made in a variety of styles, but all have nipple clamps that can be made to rotate once in position, twisting the breasts and nipples of the person wearing the device.^[28]

There are some health risks associated with nipple torture. Nipple clamps that are positioned wrongly can cause small cuts.^[26] Nipple bondage can result in damage to the nipples^[29] and tearing the skin of the nipples can cause scarring.^[23] Regular heavy nipple play that produces scabbing and bruising can cause internal scar tissue and de-sensitization, resulting in permanent nerve and tissue damage.^[30] During pregnancy the nipples may be too sensitive for nipple clamps, and nipple stimulation can cause the release of the contraction-inducing hormone oxytocin.^[31]

Suction

Commercially produced nipple pumps,^[32] also known as nipple suction cups, are small cylindrical devices used to produce full nipple erections by pulling on the nipples. They also increase the circulation to the nipples and provide erotic nipple stimulation.^[33] They can be used to sensitise the nipples for subsequent nipple torture, and some models allow the suction level to be increased enough for the device itself to be used for nipple torture.^[32]

Breast pumps can be used for erotic lactation as part of BDSM play. They can trigger lactation without pregnancy, allowing for the milking of a submissive's breasts.^[34]

Suction is sometimes applied to the breasts via erotic cupping, a technique in which cups, bowls or bells are used to create suction on the skin in a method similar to the cupping therapy used in alternative medicine. The sensation can be erotic, and drawing blood to the skin can make the area more sensitive once the cups are removed. Larger cups create more suction, which makes the resulting sensations more intense. The practice can also cause pain and leave bruised marks on the skin.^[35]

Suction is also used as a form of erotic humiliation that can draw attention to the breasts or nipple areas which can be elongated or formed into unnatural shapes or sizes. The "milk cow" is also a common theme in this regard.^{[citation needed]}

Piercing

Nipple piercings are sometimes used to facilitate breast torture. Once inserted, piercing rings can simply be pulled as part of BDSM play.^[36] Alternatively they can be attached to heavy chains or to nipple cords (pieces of thin rope or heavy string) and the other end of these chains or cords can be attached to screw eyes or pulleys to allow the nipples to be put under great tension.^[16] Piercing allows heavier weights and more tension to be used in contrast to clamping.^{[citation needed]}

Piercing the breasts, nipples and areolae with sewing or hypodermic needles of various gauges as well as fabric pins is also sometimes done.^{[citation needed]} Nipples can have nipple rings or nipple cuffs placed around them and tightened to create and sustain nipple erections and also to cause pain.^[16]

Breast bondage

Breast bondage techniques are used to compress, bind, lift or squash the breasts, which in turn makes them more sensitive^[22] and erotically stimulates them, while focussing the submissive's attention on their submissive state and their vulnerability. The high concentration of nerve endings in the breasts means that having them tied tightly can be a painful experience.^[37] Increasing and trapping the blood flow in them heightens their sensitivity.^{[citation needed]} Breast bondage can be used as a show of power on the part of the dominant person or a way to inflict torture and punishment.^[38] Breast torture may include binding the breasts with ropes, chains,^[4] wire^[17] or bondage tape,^[39] or heavy rubber bands may be placed around the base of the breasts.^[40] Tight breast bondage is often depicted in BDSM imagery, usually using rope bondage techniques^[2] which are often derived from Japanese bondage,^[21] although breast bondage differs from most bondage techniques in that it is not intended to restrict mobility.^[14]

Breast bondage techniques typically lift and separate the breasts. Common methods include tying rope around the base of each breast causing them to bulge forwards, or ropes above and below the breasts to push them together so that they are pushed outwards from the chest. This effect is accentuated if the hands are tied behind the back.^[37] Ropes can also be used to flatten the breasts against the chest.^[41] Changing the shape and size of the breasts in this way makes breast bondage visually appealing to some people and is used in bondage art forms such as Shibari and Kinbaku. Breast bondage usually leaves the nipples and much of the breast exposed for other breast torture techniques^[37] such as whipping and clamping^[42] which can be more painful under the pressure of breast bondage.^{[citation needed]}

Breasts are sometimes compressed using a breast press. This device consists of two parallel bars or boards separated and fastened at either end by steel bolts^[4] or adjustable screws. The press is slightly longer than the width of the two breasts and typically made of wood or steel bars. Many of these devices are custom made at home.^[43] The breasts are placed between the bars and the bolts or screws are tightened to painfully compress them.^[4] The device is mostly effective on larger breasts. Sometimes the insides of the bars are lined with sandpaper or other uncomfortable surfaces for additional pain.^[43]

Breast bondage ropes, particularly if tied tightly, can damage the breasts.^[44] Using conventional rope for breast bondage can result in rope burns. Ropes designed for BDSM use are typically made from soft cotton that lies flat against the skin to avoid this.^[45] If rope is less than 5 mm (0.2 inches) in diameter it can cut into the skin.^{[citation needed]} Breast bondage also risks cutting off the blood circulation to the breasts^[45] and safety considerations require them not to be bound too tightly nor for too long.^[13] Tightly bound breasts can become swollen and darker, which can be visually appealing to some people.^[38] However, photographs of breast bondage sometimes show breasts that have turned purple or blue^[13] which indicates that blood circulation has been cut off.^[46] Numbness^[13] or a lack of sensation in the breasts are also indicators of this.^[46] It can be damaging^[46] and safety recommendations include the presence of scissors that can be used to remove ropes quickly if needed. It is also possible for additional supportive bondage used in breast bondage to restrict the flow of blood to the arms or legs, leading to nerve damage, muscle destruction, and eventually blood clots.^[12] Breast bondage in Japanese culture is generally practiced by women under thirty as a result of the body's decreasing ability to heal with age.^[44]

Impact play

Tit whipping is a type of breast torture that involves the flagellation of a submissive's breasts, usually with a small cat o' nine tails^[28] whip called a flogger.^[47] Other types of impact play that are applied to the breasts include slapping, punching, kicking, spanking and caning.^{[citation needed]} The implements used range from BDSM toys to household items such as spatulas and wooden spoons.^[17] Objects are sometimes shot at the breasts as a form of ballistic punishment.^[11]

The most common negative consequence of this type of breast torture is bruising^[29] but aggressive caning can result in welts,^{[citation needed]} and heavy impact play applied to the breasts can rupture the mammary glands and lymph glands and cause breast cysts.^[21]

Other techniques

Sensations such as squeezing, pinching, caressing, poking and tickling can be induced by hand or mouth or by making use of a variety of implements.^[17] Rubbing the breasts with rough or abrasive materials can be used to produce painful sensations as part of abrasion play, and other sensations can be produced by applying stimulating plant materials such as chilli, ginger or stinging nettles.^{[citation needed]}

Clothespins can be attached to the breasts in large numbers to pinch the skin in multiple places. When they are removed and the blood flows back a sensation of warm pain is experienced. The clothespins can be attached together using a string or wire and pulled off, creating a BDSM device known as a zipper.^[21] Alternatively the skin of the breasts can have nipple clamps, a wartenberg wheel or play piercing needles applied to it.^{[citation needed]}

Temperature play is sometimes applied to the breasts.^[11] For example, certain types of hot wax can be dripped onto the breasts as part of wax play, in some instances producing a wax mould of the nipple and breast.^[48] Care needs to be taken as wax play can produce irritation, burning or blistering of the skin.^[48]