Pocketing can be kind of the opposite of a conventional piercing. With a piercing, the ends of the jewelry are exposed and the middle is underneath the skin. With pocketing, the ends of the jewelry are planted under the skin and the center is exposed. This is more specifically called a flesh staple, where small pockets hold the jewelry in place. This type of jewelry must be custom made to fit the client and perfectly fitted to the skin with smooth rounded ends.
Pocketings tend to have a low success rate similar to surface piercings. The placement of surface piercings and pocketings is very important in their chance for survival.
Pocketings can also have other variances of styles like a single-hole pocketing (a microdermal anchor or transdermal implant), which have a much higher success rate in the long run than flesh staples.