Alysa Liucertainly has a reason to smile: The figure skater has already won a team gold medal at the 2026 Olympics! But fans across the globe can't help but notice a flash of silver every time she smiles. At first glance, it looks like Liu has braces on her two front teeth, but it's actually a smiley piercing—and she did it herself.
On Thursday, Feb. 19, the 20-year-old will compete in the Women's Free Skate finals, where she's currently in third place. We can't wait to watch her performance, but in the meantime, here's everything we know about her piercing—including why she did it, what doctors say and how much it costs. Plus, how her shocking retirement in 2020 got Alysa exactly where she is today.
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Alysa has smiley piercings—also known as frenulum piercings—on her two front teeth. It is pierced through the thin webbing that connects your upper lip to your gums, but sits between the teeth and gums, staying hidden inside of your mouth until you smile. "I pierced them a little over two years ago now," she told TMJ4 News.
But she didn't go to a piercing shop—she did it herself! "I had my sister hold up my lip and I was looking in the mirror," she explained. "I had my piercing needle and then yeah, I just put it through!" While Alysa appears to have a circular barbell with spear ends, there are several other options—including captive and seamless rings.
Alysa Liu’s Olympic Style: An Artist at Heart
But Alysa isn't just making a statement through her pearly whites: From her costumes to her curated song list, she loves expressing herself on the ice. “This sport, it's also artistic," she told NBCOlympics.com. "You get to pick music, design dresses, do choreography and dance ... Music is big for me. If I really love what I’m listening to, my body just moves.”
And in case you were wondering about her unique hair color, her inspiration for that is amazing, too. She calls them angel halos. "You know how trees have rings for their age?" she told her hometown NBC affiliate. "I thought that every year, I'm gonna add a new halo around my hair. It's been two years, so I have two [and] pretty soon I'll have a new stripe!"
Alysa Liu adds a new stripe to her hair every year. She calls them 'angel halos.'Photo by Andy Cheung on Getty Images
But unlike her piercing, she didn't do her own dye job. Instead, she visited a local salon in St. Louis, Missouri, where stylist Kelsey Miller provided her services. "I have a client who ... reached out and was like, 'We have a girl who needs her hair done and she couldn’t tell me anything or who it was or what we would be doing,'" Miller told 12KFVS. The stylist couldn't believe it was Liu. “I’m like oh my God, I cannot believe I’m doing Alysa Liu’s hair,” she added.
Related: Who Is Alysa Liu? Inside the Life of America’s Top Women’s Figure Skater
While it looks great on the Olympic gold medalist, Healthline.com warns that this kind of piercing can cause gum damage, enamel damage, infections and other issues. "The mouth is a breeding ground for bacteria," says the team at A Lifetime of Smiles in LaSalle, Illinois. "It’s easy for them to slip into wounded areas of a new piercing and cause an infection."
Did Alysa Liu really retire from figure skating in 2020?
Believe it or not, the gold medalist actually retired from professional figure skating back in 2020, after her local rink shut its doors during the COVID-19 pandemic. “I really felt trapped and stuck, and the only way—in my brain—to try other things, was to leave the sport,” she explained.
But during those two years of retirement, Liu took advantage of finally having time for herself. She went to Nepal, Everest Base Camp and had memorable road trips with friends. Eventually, she rediscovered her passion for skating. "I really got to know myself," she said on 60 Minutes. "At 16, I really didn’t know myself. I learned that I have to listen to my brain and body, and taking a rest or knowing when to stop is crucial.”
Now, skating is a totally different experience. "I get to pick my own program music," she continued. "I get to help with the creative process of the program. If I feel like I'm skating too much, I'll back down. If I feel like I'm not skating enough, I'll ramp it up. No one's gonna starve me or tell me what I can and can't eat."
The Oakland, California native will compete for her second gold medal on Thursday, Feb. 19.Photo by Atsushi Tomura - International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images
Alysa is absolutely crushing it in Milan Cortina. In fact, on Feb. 8, she secured her first Olympic gold medal, leading Team USA to victory in the team event. Then, on Feb. 17, she scored 76.59 in her short program—a new personal best—and is currently in third place. "It felt great," she said after the event.
"I don't know if I felt this good because it was Olympic ice, or because my best friend, my siblings, my parent and my friends were watching," she continued. "I don't know which it is—I'm just really happy, and this moment is really exciting."
When does Alysa skate next?
The final segment of the Women's Free Skate is scheduled for tomorrow—Thursday, Feb. 19—at 1 p.m. ET. As the reigning 2025 World Champion, Alysa is a heavy favorite to finish in the top 3 and hopefully, she'll win her second medal at the Winter Games.
Up next: The 13 Most Unforgettable (and Controversial) Figure Skating Moments Ever
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