NYC Vertical Industrial --that wasn't so bad!!

At A Glance Author VolcanicGlass Contact Pysche@sprintmail.com Artist Carmen Studio Andromeda Location St. Marks Place, NYC, NY

Vertical Industrial in NYC—how I became a hard core piercing chick

So, I've been wanting my tongue pierced for about a year, but my parents just weren't into it (in other words, I kept getting big fat NO's). Now my parents weren't totally anti-piercing, my mom's ears are pierced all up her lobes and helix, but tongue nipples and clit were out. So after a while I started looking into other piercings, focusing on ear piercings since I'm still too vain to get facial stuff. So I was thinking of getting a tragus-helix industrial on my right ear because I have my tragus pierced on my left and it would be balanced. Also, I didn't have a lot of trouble with my tragus the first time so I figured it wouldn't be that bad to get it done again on the other side. So I was scanning BME's pictures of industrials and ear projects and I kept seeing vertical industrials. After looking at all of the vertical industrials it was decided-I had to have a vertical industrial. I brought it up with my mom and after asking me what it was and stuff she was like "ok." (Pretty simple, great!) First, I wanted to check out other piercers since a new piercing place had just opened up and I wasn't sure if I wanted to go there or to the place where I got my tragus done (Ian's). So on a half-day from school my friend Alexey and I went downtown to St. Marks Place. We stopped in at Ian's and talked to Tony, the piercer, saw his portfolio, asked about the piercing and stuff. Alexey loved him but I still wasn't sure. Then we went to Medusa, the new place, and waited for about 15 minutes for Tom (?) the piercer to arrive. I sat and talked to this girl who does tattoos there about random stuff until he got there. So then I talked to him about it and though he was a really nice guy, he didn't seem too experienced. Also, his portfolio was filled with navels and tongues, but only one industrial and it was a normal helix-helix one. So we moved on and started walking west.

We stopped into Cutting Edge Piercings and talked to the piercer...he seemed ok, but he was pretty bland, at least he had a couple of industrials in his portfolio. Then we came across Cassiopia, I personally LOVE this store. The jewelry, the people, it's known to be very clean and to have great piercers...Andromeda, its sister store on St. Marks is good but just not as friendly...I don't like it as much. I stopped in to ask about the piercing even though I knew I could never get it there- I thought you HAD to be 18 with or without your parent's permission. So I walked in and lo and behold, there's a guy working the counter (Amando, sp?) who has a vertical industrial. This was amazing b/c it was and is the only other person in the flesh that I've ever seen with one. So I stayed and had a long conversation with him about it and for the hell of it, asked how old I had to be to get pierced. He said I had to be 16 with my parent and proof of age and proof that they're my parent (!!!) This was great because I'm 16 and my mom would be totally cool with coming down and everything. The piercing with the barbell was going to be $65. I thought I was going to be getting pierced on Saturday so I told him that I'd see him soon and left. I stopped in some other place and bought a $3 plastic blue ball for my CBR in my tragus (which later fell out, grrr...) and then I went home. When I got home, my mom was there which was strange because it was like 4:00 and she should've been at work until at least 5. So I told her all about my day, and she was like "let's get it done today!" I was like, "really? Great!" First, we went and got our hair cut, mine to about an inch past shoulder length, just doing a girl's thing. Then we went downtown and had to buy a 1 ˝" stainless steel barbell or larger, but we couldn't find one and ended up buying the expensive one from Cassiopia. Amando said that I should be pierced by Carmen, the piercer who works there that did his ear; she wasn't at Cassiopia though, she was at Andromeda. My mom didn't feel like walking all the way cross-town from W. to E. so we took a bus.

We got off across from Andromeda, but I wanted to eat something because I heard that you should eat something before getting pierced so you don't faint. We went into the falafel place across the street and I got like tobouli or something. Then we went into Andromeda and talked to Carmen and showed her id and filled out stuff and then we went back into the room. I sat in this dentist-like chair and my mom was there and Carmen was messing with preparation stuff, needles etc. I was nervous as hell because cartilage is supposed to be painful as hell, and lots of blood and everything. She got out the needles (two) and I felt better b/c they weren't long scary sharp looking things but were like black short um, pikes. (Ever seen Braveheart? Like those wood things they make to stop the horses. So she cleaned my ear and made the dots, I looked at them and was sort of surprised b/c the bottom hole was going vertically through my anti-tragus instead of through my inner conch like all the BME pics. But I figured she knew what was best, and besides, it would look cooler through my anti-tragus, she did it so you could see it more, which you could. So then she held a needle against my anti-tragus and was like, "ready?" I sort of nodded, grabbed the chair armrests to brace myself, and then she just...pushed it through. It was like OW and then it was over. I was trying to do some strange breathing exercise and I was like, "can I have 2 min.?" She was like, sure. After about two seconds, she said that if we wait a while it'll start to bleed and stuff, so we went to do the other one. Same thing, needle against my ear, then push. Just ow and it was done. Not too bad at all!! Ok, now I really braced myself for her to pull the barbell through, she started at the top or something...it hurt! But it was bearable, then I was ready for the bottom...she adjusted something and then she said, "It's done." I said, "what?!!" and looked in the mirror, it was great! She put the bottom ball on and wiped off the LITTLE bit of blood from the bottom hole. My ear was bright red and felt hot, sort of buzzed. We thanked her, tipped her, she said to come back so she could take pics for her portfolio and left. I TOTALLY recommend anyone to go to her and to go to either Cassiopia or Andromeda, the places, the people (Amando for ex.) are very friendly and helpful, and Carmen is a great piercer!! On the train home I could feel my ear buzzing, sometimes throbbing, but it wasn't really painful. Got home, called people about it, I was so excited! I woke up the next morning expecting blood all over my ear...there was dried blood on my lobe, but nothing really anywhere else. For about three days my ear was hurting dully, not any real pain. It was red and still is swollen. Everyone asks me about it, it looks really painful so everyone is really shocked and stuff. One person grabbed it (?!!) and the bottom hole started bleeding a little, no big deal. A friend of mine came and hugged me on my right side and her hair got caught on my ear. THAT was fun =) No, but really, we got disentangled and my ear bled a little again, again, it was no big deal. If it bleeds, it only bleeds from the bottom hole and never a lot or anything, it's not painful. The first week it bled a little when I cleaned it, but now it's clearing up.

Here's how I do my aftercare: I keep a bobby pin in at all times keeping my hair out from my ear. At night, I pull my hair back loosely and secure bobby pins in. During the day, my hair is always back w/ bobby pins keeping my hair around my ear back. Twice a day, I clean my ear with hot water and then bactine. I use about 4 q-tips each cleaning so I'm going through them pretty fast. I use 2 q-tips to clean my ear with hot water, and then 2 for cleaning with bactine. I *try* to take a 50mg Zinc pill every day, but since I suck at taking pills, I don't do it that often. Also, about once or twice a week I do a sea salt soak of a ˝ tsp. For 8oz of water.

It's been working really well, me ear's only been healed a week and a half but I already don't have like any pain unless I push on it, I can move the barbell up and down and twist it without any pain, my ear's not red anymore and the holes look healthy. Yesterday I went downtown to let Carmen take the pictures and she said that it looked great too. I totally recommend this piercing for everyone, it wasn't that painful, and you have a lot of aftercare, but it's not that bad. Best of all, it's very original, very painful LOOKING (so you look all hardcore), and looks great.

DIAL/ANTI-BACTERIAL SOAPS- Don't use them! They're really too harsh for your ear at least at the beginning (first 2-3 months).

BACTINE- Perfect for your cartilage, it soaks in better, in the 2nd month, dilute it half-half, in the third, you can use it less or switch to less harsh soap.

ZINC- great to take, helps healing lots

SEA SALT SOAKS- very, very good to help you heal. Do them once-twice a week .25-.50 tsp. p/8oz.(1 cup)

VITAMIN E- the stuff inside a vitamin E gel capsule can be put on your piercing to help moisturize it if it's looking a little rough and red from the soap or bactine you're using, but don't use it during the first month.

TEA TREE OIL/LAVENDER OIL- Tee tree oil is much to harsh for your ear, first to even use it you need to dilute it in grapeseed oil or something else that can carry it. Secondly, don't use it during the first two months, better yet-don't use it at all. Lavender oil is a little better, again, don't use during the first month.