Browsing through various pictures on bmezine, I contemplated what piercing journey to embark on! However, I quickly decided upon doing three of my own cartilage piercings in my left ear, going in a row down my ear.
At A Glance Author Dawn Contact Dawn@bme.anon IAM Dawnie When It just happened Artist Me Studio At Home Location Ohio Before I begin explaining my experience I would like to make a few things crystal clear to all readers of this document! My experience should not be duplicated by another reader, in other words, "don't try this at home"! Although I practiced a great deal of caution and was well educated on the procedure, however, I still do not condone others to follow in my steps. All piercings should be done at your own risk, and it is always advisable to have your piercings performed by a knowledgeable professional piercer.
On with the experience! After deciding upon the piercing I was to perform on myself (3 cartilage piercings, all 14 gauge going down my ear), I began to prepare my piercing area. I first went into my bathroom, and cleared off the counter by the sink. I then wiped it off with Clorox disinfectant wipes. I then went into my room and grabbed three packaged sterilized 14 gauge needles. I also grabbed three sterilized cbr rings. I sat these items down on the counter, and then tied my hair back in a pony-tail. I washed my hands (it would have been advisable to wear gloves, however I did not) and then used a cotton ball to clean off the area on my cartilage to be pierced with rubbing alcohol. I washed my hands one more time, and then opened one of the packages of needles.
I gazed into the mirror for a moment, and marked three dots on my cartilage with a disposable, one time use marker. I then picked up one of the needles and lined it up with the top marking. I took a breath in, pushed the needle through with my right hand, and held my ear steady with my left hand. The needle was through! I then cautiously pushed the needle totally through my ear and inserted the cbr ring into the hole. I then popped the ball into place and one piercing was down, and two more to go! There was a very little amount of blood that trickled down the back of my ear that I quickly wiped up with a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol. This first piercing was not what I would describe as painful, it was actually quite a dull type of pain as the needle went through.
I washed my hands again and then I looked into the mirror and took another sterile needle out of its pouch. I again lined it up to a marking, however this was the middle marking. I took another deep breath and when exhaling I forced the needle through. Immediately I noticed bright red blood trickling down the back of my ear. When I removed the needle through the back of my ear, I also noticed some blood running down the front of my cartilage. I quickly wiped it up with rubbing alcohol and then put the cbr ring into the second hole. This second piercing was not quite as dull of a pain, however it was not very sharp, although a bit more intense than the first. I assume this is because my endorphins were all ready occupied! I looked into the mirror and admired how beautiful it was looking!
Since the third mark had been wiped away when cleaning up the blood, I went into the other room to get another one time use marker. I then marked the third marking again. I washed my hands and then took the third, and final needle out of its pouch. I then lined it up with the third, and last marking. Again, I took a deep breath in, and upon exhaling I pushed the needle through! This time when sliding the needle through the back of my ear I noticed quite a bit of blood compared to the first two piercings. This third piercing also hurt a bit more than the other two, but it is not quite what I would consider as "painful". Nonetheless, I wiped it away with rubbing alcohol and put the cbr ring into place!
Just to make sure everything was cleaned up nicely, I washed the new piercings with antibacterial liquid soap and warm water. I then looked into the mirror yet again and admired my beautiful new cartilage piercings! I then proceeded to clean up my working area in my bathroom and disposed of everything in a proper matter.
This experience just happened earlier today, so the after effects of the piercing are still to come, however, so far, so good! My ear is a bit sore, but I suppose that can be expected after three needles penetrate through your ear!
Happy piercing!