At A Glance
Author	ohsofake
When	A month ago
Artist	Mitch
Studio	Blue Banana
Location	Swindon

I've wanted a tragus piercing for as long as I can remember. I've read quite a few experiences on this site that said it hurt quite a lot, and was probably the most painful piercing people had, which put me off a bit. But I have a relatively high pain threshold, and so thought I could deal with it, especially as I really wanted the piercing.

So I decided on a date. Two days after my sixteenth birthday. I went into Swindon with my family, and we spent the morning shopping. I wasn't sure if the piercer was actually in the shop on a Sunday, so asked and it turned out he was.

I was getting quite nervous at this point. I wasn't too bad in the morning as my mind was on shopping, but when I went in to ask about prices etc, I was shaking a little. It turned out it would cost about £12, so I started filling in the form. I had to tick about whether I had any medical conditions and all the normal stuff, then sign it and get the mother to sign it too (as I had no ID at that time, and so even though I was old enough to get it done without parental consent, they needed a signature).

I hadn't actually told my mum I was planning on getting my piercing, just in case I got scared and didn't get it, or because she might make a fuss. Bad move. The first thing she knew about it was when I asked her to sign on the line so I could get it done. I had to point out what my tragus actually was and she got a bit freaked out, so I was all calm and told her it would fine etc so she signed it for me. I handed over the form and my money, and the guy at the checkout put a selection of different coloured rings on the counter. I quickly decided on a little dark blue one and he told me to go sit down in the piercing part of the shop, at the back.

I ended up waiting for about five or ten minutes on some seats, just outside the actual piecing room. At the time, a girl was in there, getting her belly pierced I think. My dad came to join me and just sat there not saying anything. By now I was getting a little more nervous. I made sure my phone was turned off, as the sign said and just sat there patiently. My piercer, Mitch, came out and said he wouldn't be a minute and just to hang on a little longer.

Then he called me in and told me to sit down on the bed thing, which I did. I cant really remember the next bit very well, its a bit of a blur, but I think he then showed me the needle was going to come out of a completely new packet. I told him I wanted it pierced on my right so he cleaned my ear with a little wipe thing, then marked a dot on my tragus with a pen. He showed me a mirror, and I said the placement was fine. He told me I might want to look away if I don't really like needles (and I don't!), so I looked to my left. I remember feeling the needle go through, and it felt really strange. Then it kind of stopped, and he pushed it a little more and it was done. He told me that the worst bit was over, and now he was going to put the ring in. I was worried about him putting in the jewellery because I've heard with a lot of people that it can take a while, and won't go through, but mine went in with no trouble at all. I said it felt really weird, and he asked if it felt better now the plastic was out. I was like "Er....yeh..." because I didn't really know that plastic was used at all.
Then I felt a little bit of warm liquid trickle down my face, which I guessed was blood so Mitch said he was just going to clean it up a little. He used a couple of cotton buds, and soaked one in a bit of water. He showed me my tragus in a mirror, and I couldn't stop smiling - I realy loved it and couldn't believe I'd finally got the piercing I've wanted for a long time, particularly as it all happened so quickly.

He told me to clean it twice a day with a salt water solution, and recommended using tea tree oil as well, to fight infection. So I said my thank-you's and left.

It bled a tiny bit more that day, but was easy to clean once I got home.
I was a bit worried that my mum would be...less than pleased with me, but she eventually came round to my piercing and thinks it looks nice. I am really pleased with it, and glad I got it done, and I've had no problems with my piercing. I would recommend Blue Banana and Mitch to anyone :)