I fell in love with the prospect of an industrial from reading sites at BME. I saw someone with the actual piercing done and it looked pretty good on her, so I went about researching the pros and cons of the little holes in my head. From what I had read, it was a fairly painful procedure done by a needle and it required salt soaks, antibacterial soaps, and lots and lots of aspirin. It also looked very awesome and extremely edgy. I have had my cartilage done and four piercings on each bottom lobe, as well as my navel, so I conjectured that this piercing would be a welcome addition to my newly developing piercing fetish. (I wanted to have my tongue pierced and a labret, but my parents are against oral piercings for fear of infection.)
At A Glance Author anonymous When It just happened Artist I don't know Studio Magic Needles Location Alabama
I finally talked my mom and dad into signing for the pretty piercing and we went to Magic Needles, a piercing and tattoo parlor, to get it done. I had gotten my navel done there and discovered it to be a sanitary and comfortable place, and I was pleased to find out that the same piercer who had done my navel was going to pierce my industrial. I brought my friend back with me for emotional support (she was a doll) and the procedure began.
The piercer had spent the last ten minutes sanitizing his needles and the barbell, so we were ready to start. (He wasn't much of a talker, I learned, but the guy knew his stuff and that is much more important than communication. Besides, he probably thought I was just a goofy little girl out trying to boost her popularity of something.) He cleaned my ear with alcohol and placed the little red marks to guide the needle to its respective locations. He then placed some rather painful clamps on my ears (I hadn't really minded them when I got my navel done, but they hurt really bad this time).
He told me to take a deep breath and shoved the needle in my cartilage. The pain was minimal compared to the damned clamps. The next hole was more painful and I cursed those clamps a little bit more. The piercer guided the needle through the upper cartilage and inserted the barbell. (Note: If anyone misleads you into telling you industrials are cute and painless, they are obviously intoxicated or martyrs. I credit myself with having a high tolerance to piercing pain and this piercing definitely wasn't a little "pinch" or a little "pressure". There actually was some pain involved.)
I did my part and kept still and quiet; I didn't cry or suck in or anything. I squeezed my friend's hand exactly once and it was because of the clamps. The piercing cost about $60, but I felt the price was reasonable and much better than risking an infection. I thanked my piercer and skipped out of the room.
I left Magic Needles feeling pretty ecstatic; the piercing was red and swollen and pulsating but it was done and there. (I kind of worried because it was hot and sore for so long, but I knew from BME stories that it was a pretty natural phenomenon.) It was sore pretty much all day, and I took aspirin accordingly. I've been cleaning it was Bactine and standard ear piercing cleaner, and the second day the pain was all but gone. I am careful to sleep on the other side so I don't roll over and get woken up by a stinging, searing pain that makes me yelp like a run-over dog. I'm also kinda cautious about taking off my shirts and brushing my hair.
The swelling went down considerably, too, and now it looks cute and like an ear (as opposed to a mass of red searing agony). All in all, it seems to heal better and faster than my navel piercing. I love the way it looks; it certainly is an unusual piercing for where I live. My friends all had good things to say about it and now want to get one done as well. I'm the only one in my school that has one, and that's pretty exciting. It's always been a difficult thin to stay on top of things b/c people have this unfortunate way of copying any halfway decent new idea that comes along here in Bama. (It is such a sad place to live.)
But most of all, and most importantly, it's a beautiful little piercing that symbolizes my senior year of high school and the punk in me, and I definitely recommend having it done. It is a truly rewarding and moving experience and it is worth the teeny bit of pain that it inflicted. (Note: I don't recommend this piercing for people who dislike pain or are especially affected by it. But for anyone else, hell yeah. Go for it. Bring some juice in case you feel woozy. It happens. And on the first day, don't skimp on the aspirin.)