I have industrials on both of my ears. After only a few days of thinking about getting them I decided it was a good idea. I probably should have planned it out better, but when I get excited about a piercing I just don't want to wait.
At A Glance Author Jessica Clair Contact Jessica Clair@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Penny Studio The Hole Experience Location Baton Rouge, LA So I decided that I was going to check out a studio with which I had no prior experience. I'd heard a lot about it and how great the girl that owns it is. I walked in and tried to get some information about the industrials. I asked her if she had done many industrials. I also asked her about that healing time, concerns with this particular piercing, and if she had any pictures of work she had done. It seemed like I was annoying her by asking questions. She answered them all quickly and with only a few words. I had to drag any information of use out of her. I was also getting a general bad vibe from her. Then when I asked her how much it would cost and what I could get it pierced with she basically snapped at me. It seemed like she thought she had better and more important things to do. So I decided it was time to leave that piercing studio.
I went back to the studio where I usually get pierced. When I got previous things pierced there all of my questions were answered and I could always call in and talk to them more. I told my peircer what I wanted to get done, and she was very excited. I asked all of the questions I asked at the previous studio, but answered my questions more completely. Then we talked about the placement of them, and the healing time.
So I decided to go ahead with the piercing. I also decided to go ahead and get both of by ears done at the same time. Then I filled out all the paper work and paid. We were ready to go. She proceeded to put the marks on my ears. Then she held up bars next to the markings so I could see if I thought they were even. It took a while to get it all lined up considering my ears are slightly different, and we were doing one on each ear so they both had to match. When they looked good to us, we still wanted to make sure, so we asked everyone in the store (employees and customers). It was a general consensus that they were even, so I gave the go ahead.
We started with my left ear. She was using a 12-gauge needle to pierce with but the jewelry was a 14-gauge. She said that it was better to pierce cartilage with a bigger gauge so that the piercing can heal around it. So she slipped the bar inside the needle. Then she liked up the needle and told me to exhale. It was slightly difficult at first to get it through one side. It made a popping noise a few times. Then she pulled out the needle and the blood started to flow. After about 10 minutes of pressure, it subsided. Then she screwed on the ball and we were done with one. The second ear was much easier. There was no pop, and it didn't bleed as much. It was the less painful of the two.
Then she cleaned me up and I was ready to go home. I felt like I had a minor headache for the rest of the day but it wasn't that bad. Cleaning them was very difficult. I would get hair caught around the bars and I would have to try to untangle it without pulling the bar or my hair. Also, the piercing itself is in a difficult place to clean. I clean them in the shower, but for a mid day cleaning I would get everything wet. Sometimes it is hard to make sure that I get all of the soap off, especially since I can't see them well.
Sleeping for the first few weeks was also hard. I usually sleep on my side, so I tried that and it didn't work very well. So then I made a makeshift pillow with my blanket. I would roll it into a "U" shape then sleep in it that way. I would also cup my hand around my ear and sleep on my hand. Both worked pretty well. For a few months whenever I would wake up in the morning they would still be crusty. It has been a few months and sometimes they still hurt, but for the most part they are fine. They almost never crust. It doesn't hurt when people hit to touch them. Even getting a haircut isn't a worry anymore. (Except to the haircutter, they get very worried that they will hurt me) Occasionally, I still sleep with my hand cupped around my ear. It makes waking up in the morning much happier.