Well, I guess I need to start this experience saying that everyone has a lapse in judgement sometime in their lives, and I suppose this was definitely mine. I know quite a bit about piercing, but was an idiot in the presence of my friends, as people sometimes tend to do, when their friends whine. I spent all day trying to convince my friend to get a piercing, she consented,but on her own terms, which involved seeing me getting a piercing first, and not having it look painful.
At A Glance Author anonymous Artist Some guy in Spain Studio on the street at a vendor Location Barcelona, Spain To start the story, and a little about me - I got my tragus pierced on a trip to Spain with my highschool, in my senior year, to the dismay of my chaparones. I already had both of my nipples pierces, my hood (vertical) - I now have it done horizontally after the barbell came unscrewed and fell out. I also have my septum, my nostril, my tongue, my bellybutton, have had my eyebrow twice, and numerous cartilage piercings in my ears. Oh yeah, and 3 tattoos. In fact, I have had to have my Nipple piercied twice, because my boyfriend mistakedly ripped it out once when I was tickling him, and now it is growing out yet again. but.... this experience is definitely about my Tragus. In fact, I have had to have my Nipple piercied twice, because my boyfriend
Ok, heres the scene, I am walking the streets with my friend and we spot a little place on the street that was advertising piercing. She really wanted her nose pierced, and so, me being fairly experienced with piercing, and her nose being her first, she asked me to get pierced for support. Well - a Tragus was 5 bucks, so I said sure, I've got the cash.I asked the guy if he could do a tongue piercing originally actually, but he said no, he could at his studio, but at this booth, he did not have the means. I was happy though that he spoke fluent English, and so he somewhat won me over. My first warning sign once in this booth, sitting on a stool, in a stand that was 6 by 6 (which egh... SHOULD have been my first warning, period) was when the guy decided to pierce my tragus with a gun. Everything was sterile, the earrings, the gun was fresh, metal, and autoclaved, so that made me a little more comfortabled. So, I get lined up for this piercing, but get that feeling in the pit of my stomach that something is wrong. He puts the dot on my ear with a purple marker, and shes it to my in a mirror, it looks a little close to my head, but being a trusting person, and trusting someone who seems to have more expertise than me, I consent, and tell the man I trust his judgement, and stupidly, that it looks fine to me. I am very nervous by this point, as I always get with piercings, no matter how many I inevitably get, that its going to hurt, I am going to faint, I am going to cry, etc...
So he lines the gun up, and bam - its over, didn't hurt at all, although the piercing begins to instantly feel tight, VERY tight.
My friend then gets her nose, holding my hand and shaking the whole time - it looks great, and still does, although she kept messing with it and her nose turned a redish purple on the trip. We go back to the hotel. My piercing starts to hurt, I keep cleaning it and ignore it, for like 4 days, just assuming that it is supposed to swell a lot.I do however losen the earring a lot, hoping it will help a little. Well I woke up on the plane a few days later with a throbbing headache, and of course blamed my ear. I go into the bathroom and look at my ear, the skin of my ear has swollen AROUND the front of the piercing, and it hurt so bad. I get back to my house, my parents naturally yell at me about it, say it looks nasty, and offer to take me to the doctors.I say no and go to the bathroom and try to pull it out, it won't give! I t was also subsequently bleeding down my face. So I took a pair of tweezers and Ripped it out, the back sticking inside my ear - I had to again take the tweezers and rip it out separately, it was caked in there with blood, just hoping to float Luckily, the piercing has healed ok, although I have some scar tissue still, months later, and i am afraid to get my Tragus re-pierced. I am still enjoying my other piercings and continue to get more- just goes to prove the point people state over and over again, do not get things with piercing guns!