Ever since I was 10, I wanted my ears pierced. I eventually did get them pierced (the standard ear-piercing gun at Claire's), and again, and again. The normal earlobes. By this time I was 13 and I wanted something unusual pierced. I begged my mum, for a nose piercing, than a tongue piercing but she wouldn't even hear of it, so I eventually gave up, thinking "What the hell, not that long to wait until I'm 16". Easier said than done. I was practically itching for another tin piece of metal in my body. So I waited until my mum was in a good mood and asked her if I could get my ears pierced again and she said yes. Little did she know that I had something different in mind. I did a little research on the internet (well, ok, a lot of research!), looked at some photos and saw the tragus piercing. I thought it looked so cool, I wanted it done, NOW! When I showed my mum what I wanted done, she began being pushy and saying I couldn't get it done, but after a minor row she agreed. I we nt to my local piercing parlour, which I recommend to anyone, and found out you had to be 16 to get anything pierced, but with a little nagging, my mum agreed to lie.
At A Glance Author Alena Contact blondvampx@hotmail.com When A month ago Artist Mike Studio Andy Jay Tattoo and Piercing Location Rochester, Kent, UK On the day of the piercing (27th of December), my stepdad gave us a lift to the piercing studio. The first time I came in, I was a bit freaked out because there was no separate room for a piercing to be done. There was the piercer's desk, a bed that looked like a hospital bed and some metal dishes with the jewellery in them. However, it all looked very clean and the piercer was nice. I thought he was going to be really strict and ask me and my mum for ID (naturally, I felt scared because I wasn't 16) but he didn't even ask how old I was. He was really friendly and asked me what I wanted pierced. I told him I wanted my tragus done and he smiled and said that I was brave. This scared me even more because I was already on the verge of saying "I've changed my mind". I wanted it done so badly but it seemed so scary! I've asked a girl who had a tragus piercing and she said it hurt loads, because the piercer didn't numb it. The piercer asked me if I wanted a bar or a ring put in an d I said a ring but then he said that it would heal faster with a bar, so I agreed to that. He took 3 bars out, a silver one, a purple one and a blue one and asked which one I liked best. I said silver, (although I regret it now! I want the purple one!) and he cleaned it again (he was wearing rubber gloves). He sat me down on the 'hospital bed' and began cleaning my ear. I was freaking out and it must have showed because he laughed and told me to relax. He was telling me everything that he was doing, and I asked him if it hurt and he said no. He didn't have lots of piercings himself, which seemed strange to me, but he seemed to know what he was doing. He clamped my ear (no, it didn't hurt) and told me that he was going to freeze my tragus so that I wouldn't feel anything when he froze (freezed?) it. He then sprayed some cold stuff on it and it kind of hurt but not badly. Then he picked the needle up and I felt terrified! My mum was on the other side of the room, giving me " I can't believe you're doing this" looks and I just said "mum I'm scar ed enough without you giving me those looks", and she and the piercer laughed. Then he asked me if I was ready and I said yes. I was feeling an adrenaline rush and it didn't hurt when the needle went through at all, although I felt it go through. He then pulled the needle out, I think. I can't really remember now. Then he started fiddling about with the bar for ages and I was freaking out, thinking "Hurry up, the hole is going to close down!" (ridiculous, I know, but I have a phobia). Finally he put the bar in, and that felt a bit unpleasant because I felt it tug on my skin. Then he screwed the ball on and said I was done! When I saw it in the mirror, I fell in love with it almost immediately, I touched it and thought "oh my god, that's so cute!!". The piercer asked me if I was happy with it and laughed when I nodded enthusiastically and said yes. He then told me how to look after it (salt soaks and diluted hydrogen peroxide) and gave me an aftercare sheet. My mum wrote out a cheque and then I ran to meet a friend and to show her off my new piercing!
About a month later, my tragus is healing fine but one time I was twisting the bar round and the ball came off! I was really freaked out and ran to the piercer immediately (luckily I still had the bar and the ball). He put it back in, cleaned it and said it was doing nicely but told me off for twisting it round (sorry!). I'm very, very happy with my piercing and if you want it done, go for it! It looks cool and doesn't hurt. If you have any questions about it, don't hesitate to contact me!