It had been just over two months since my last. I couldn't wait. I had to get new piercings.
At A Glance Author Lindsay Contact garrison_san@hotmail.com When A month ago Location Manitoba, Canada My last two piercings (bottom navel, which I have also written an experience on) are wonderful, but the experience left something to be desired. I figured I needed a new piercer, one that actually did good work, and one I could like. I had wanted new piercings the second after my navel was done, but I did need to wait. I have a low immune system already, and healing over 2 piercings at once would not be a good idea...
I like ear piercings, and figured my ears were kind of boring. My left ear was more plain (2 lobe piercings, one 8ga and one 10ga) so it was going to be pierced. After looking through countless pictures on BME, I decided on the tragus and the anti-tragus, one the same ear. I thought they might look good together, tragus a CBR and anti-tragus a barbell.
So after a bit of my own piercer research, I settled on one. I made an appointment two days before my birthday, and I was set.
My appointment was for 1:45, and my mother, twin sister and I arrived promptly. My mother needed to come because I am 17, and my sister just wanted to watch.
I sign myself in at the front and sit down. The waiting area is tiny, with a large desk with jewelry displays, but it is bright yellow and very cheery. The receptionist was a very nice woman. I sat, waiting for my appointment, listening to two women who are distraught on what piercing to choose- nostril or navel? In the next few minutes, the piercer calls my name. I am ready.
I walk down a small winding hallway to a small room with a white dentist's chair in the center. My piercer introduces himself, talks about his credentials, and I explain on what I was planning on getting. I point out my ear, saying I'd like the tragus and anti-tragus, but I wasn't exactly sure on whether I had the ear-anatomy for it.
He looks my ear over, folding and poking. "I don't think an anti-tragus would look too good on you..."
"No?" I ask.
"No, you know what would really look good? A vertical transverse lobe! Right after your second hole."
The idea kind of shocked me. A transverse lobe, on me? I had loved the way they looked, but I figured my two lobe piercings took up a little too much room. I wasn't adamant about taking the existing piercings out, either. But would it fit?
"Oh, yeah," he says. "It goes in the bottom... comes out at the top! It'd look great!"
I started to get really intrigued with the idea. A transverse lobe, why not? I think it'd look really good. It started to get me excited.
But then, he looks at the anatomy of the leftover lobe. I have a very pronounced ridge of cartilage (think snug) that goes along and stops dead at the ball of my lobe, leaving a pronounced dip in the lobe. The lobe under the snug ridge is very small.
But he gets an idea. The piercing could come up transverse lobe, show the barbell through the center, then follow the rest of the transverse lobe. It would be like a transverse lobe in which somebody cut out a chunk of your skin in the center, leaving a piece of the bar exposed. I fell in love with the idea!
He proceeds to set up his area (which he had already started while we were talking), and changes his gloves many times. He showed me the jewelry he would be using—two straight barbells, 14ga, with small balls at the end. I don't know the length, but one is obviously much shorter than the other is. The end result would be three small silver balls showing, and a piece of bar in the center.) We made chit-chat about little things, and even talk a bit about BME. He talked about piercing experiences he had had himself. During the whole time, I'm rambling on about anything. My mother even gets talking a bit, and my piercer asks what she would like pierced as well. She brought up nostril, but just laughed it off. She's not a big fan of facial piercings. "I love piercing parents!" my piercer exclaims.
I'm never that nervous for piercings, but my last two were very uncomfortable. Even though I was in a completely different studio with a completely different piercer, my nerves still got the best of me. Although, I always feel I should get two piercings at once. I'm never happy with one at a time. This time had one exception—there would really be three piercings, not two. Two pieces of jewelry, but three piercings all together. I giggled constantly, feeling slightly euphoric, and picturing myself with my new piercings. Then, to prepare for the piercing, I tied back my messy hair so he could actually see my ear.
He pressed the foot pedal for the chair, and I went up. He reclined it, and I lied with my head to the right, to give him a good look at my left ear. He poked and marked with a toothpick, and showed me the markings. They looked fine to me (especially the tragus, when you only want the center, they're painfully easy to mark). I smiled and smiled and agreed the placement was good.
Then he was ready to pierce. I was ready to be pierced. I told him I had only experienced the "three two one pierce!" method. He said he would rather not tell me, so I would not tense up when it was expected. He told me to slowly breathe in, and out. I did so, and in half a second—the first needle was in. I suddenly opened my mouth.
"Wow, that didn't even hurt! That was so fun!"
He simply laughed and got ready for the next. I did my breathing, and the second went through. This one was through cartilage, but all I had felt was a short stab. It did have a strange numbing sensation, which I asked about.
"Oh, that's the numbing we use. Sorry, sometimes I forget to mention."
No problem, I think. I don't mind a little numbing, because obviously it didn't take away any of the pain-rush I enjoy. While the two needles are in, my sister takes pictures. My mother tries not to watch.
Now for the tragus. He lines up a receiving tube, and gets the needle ready. I feel a small prick from the needle touching my skin, and a push. It's a very slight stab.
"I barely felt that one. It didn't even hurt!"
"We're not done yet," he says, and he proceeds to shove the needle all the way through. The second shove was a feeling of pressure rather than pain. Along with the receiving tube, it felt as if my ear was completely plugged with metal.
He then puts the jewelry in, warning that the pain will be a little greater. Although it was, I didn't make a peep, or move a muscle. During the whole thing, I acted very casual. I was surprised how relaxed I had been through the whole procedure. My piercer commended me, and said I may even make it as a piercer myself one day. My head fills up with ideas never before touched at while he tells my mother how much he can make in a week.
After looking in the mirror, my smile widens more than ever. I was ecstatic! These piercings are gorgeous!
I thank my piercer profusely, pay him, and tip him all I could (I told him I'd be back for more, and will tip better next time). I was beaming for the rest of the day.
Aftermath:
It's only been three weeks now, but my piercings are doing nicely. During the first week I had very little trouble, cleaned them with salt soaks twice a day and not sleeping on them. I started to feel the familiar itch of healing skin. They didn't lymph at all to begin with.
The second week is when they started to lymph. Great amounts, like most of my piercings. The only thing I had trouble with was resisting picking off the lymph—I love to do it. We are now in the third week, and they are still lymphing, but otherwise doing great. I don't feel as much pain if I accidentally turn over on them, but I still don't sleep on them.
But to anyone looking to get a transverse lobe or tragus piercing... get it! I am in love with mine, and I get many compliments. They are my new favourite piercings... until I get my septum, that is...