Well, it all started with my (don't try this at home kids!) self-done tongue web piercing (I repeat, don't try this at home). I just had to get some more holes in my body, I had to! There was no ifs ands or buts about it. So then I started thinking, my parents aren't exactly what you would call "mod-friendly." They completely despise anything that is not mainstream.
At A Glance Author Ashley Contact shortchick256@hotmail.com When A month ago Artist TC Studio Tomcat's Tattoo and Body Piercing Location Aberdeen,WA So first things first, I had to find SOME way to talk my mother into letting me get a new piercing. I figured that since she told me after my second lobe piercings that I couldn't get anymore, I would go for something in my ears (so it wouldn't be too much to ask). Well, my first option was an industrial, she said that would look tacky. Next came an orbital, no luck on that either. Then came the tragus. I fell in love with the look of it instantly and my mom said she would think about it.
Fast forward to the Friday following asking my mother. She was picking me up from school and I used it to my advantage. Being 16, there was no way I could go get the piercing by myself unless I wanted to go to one of the dirty shops in town. So when my mom got to the school I asked her if we could stop by the bank and then go get my piercing. She said that as long as the jewelry was tasteful and that I wouldn't ask for anymore, that I could get it done. So off we went.
Now, I had been to the shop before (pretty much every weekend since I found it!) and watched TC do some piercings (a navel and a tongue) and was extremely comfortable with him and the cleanliness and professionalism of him and his apprentice. So I had no problems with letting him pierce me. We got there and my mom told him what I wanted and then asked if she could pick what he put in it and he let her. She picked a cbr because she thought it was less "tacky" looking than a barbell.
Next, TC measured my ear, poked around a little with his fingers and then put a couple different sized cbrs next to my ear to find a good size. He finally decided on an 18ga 1/4" ring that we all liked. So he got everything he would need out-ring openers and closers, the jewelry, needle, receiving tube and miscellaneous other things that I didn't really pay much attention to.
Then was the cleaning, first iodine, then alcohol. Then he marked my ear and had me check the placement. It was a little too close to the edge of my tragus for me, so I had him move it a little closer to my head and when he did it was perfect.
Next was the breathing. Breathe in, out, in, out, in, pierce. Now I was expecting this to hurt since it's a pretty thick piece of cartilage, but I wasn't exactly prepared for what it felt like. It hurt as the needle went through the first layer of skin, then there was just a lot and I mean LOT of pressure as the needle went through the cartilage. But by the time the needle came out, the Bacitracin he used as sort of a lubricant/numbing solution had started working and I didn't feel anything in the back. Next came getting the jewelry in. Oh boy was that ever fun! (sarcasm)
The ring went in just fine, but I'm sure that getting a little tiny ball into my little ring wasn't exactly fun. I know it wasn't easy because it took what seemed like a half hour but was probably only 2 or 3 minutes. Then my jewelry was in and I was ready to go. Next came the ever famous aftercare instructions along with a bottle of Love My Piercing. Wash 2 times a day w/anti-bacterial soap, don't play with it, don't touch it unless I'm cleaning it, and don't force it to turn, normal stuff like that.
The ride home was an interesting one. My ear kind of ached. No, I guess it was just that I was more aware of my ears than I normally am. Either way, it was definitely a different feeling than I was used to.
Well, the healing process has gone pretty much uneventful. The anti-bacterial soap I got managed to thoroughly dry out my tragus, well whole ear actually, so I cut down my cleaning to one time a day and it seemed to get better. Then it dried out again, so I cut it down to cleaning it whenever I thought about it (probably not the best idea!). But now I'm cleaning it about 3 times a week and it seems to be doing fine. About a week after my initial piercing, a little red dot appeared above the entry hole then turned into a little red bump above the piercing hole when I didn't clean it very well. Now that I've picked the cleaning back up though, it's getting a lot better!
I would definitely recommend Tomcat's Tattoo and Body Piercing to anyone in the Aberdeen/Hoquiam area. They are very friendly, very clean and very professional.