The story behind Alysa Liu’s ‘teeth gems’ revealed
Team USA figure skating star Alysa Liu has shared that the flash of silver in her smile — which many fans have previously believed to be gems or jewels — is actually part of a mouth piercing.
Anytime Liu flashes a smile on the rink or the podium, she shows off her prominent frenulum piercing — commonly known as the “smiley” piercing — located in the tissue that connects the upper gum to the lip.
But the 20-year-old Winter Olympics competitor didn’t go to a professional to have it done.
“I did it myself,” she told NBC affiliate TMJ4 News of the piercing she’s had for just over two years. “I had my sister hold up my lip, and I was looking in the mirror, and I had my piercing needle, and yeah, just put it through.”
However, Liu trusts herself to do her own piercings, saying during a 2024 episode of the In The Loop podcast that it’s “another hobby” she picked up.
“Getting pierced at a shop is really expensive for no reason. So I thought I would learn it myself, be a little DIY girl,” she explained. “Yeah, so I picked that up just because it’s cheaper and I trust myself a lot to get it in the right spot placement wise for the jewelry.
“I bought all the supplies I would need, like piercing needles. I don’t do it with like safety pins or the piercing gun. I’m not, I don’t do that.”
Along with her piercing, Liu shows off her personal style with her hair. Her distinct, platinum blonde stripes in her dark brown hair hold special meaning, with each ring representing a year of Liu personal and professional growth. She first added a ring in 2023 and kept the trend going for the last three years.
“Every year, I add a stripe,” she told NBC in January. “It’s gonna be like this for a year, then—next wintertime, end of December—I do another ring.”
Liu made her Olympic debut in Beijing, China, in 2022, when she was only 16. Although she retired after that event, she announced her return to the sport in 2024 and went on to win the 2025 World Championships.
Already a gold medal winner this Olympics in the team figure skating event, Liu competed in Tuesday’s Women’s Single Skating Short Program. She sits in third place heading into Thursday’s Free Skate event, where she’ll have another chance to take home a medal.
