It all started three days ago. I was sitting at my computer surfing the net and I was nearly bored to tears so I decided to look at some random piercing pictures. After going through a couple of pages I saw it: the perfect piercing. It was a beautiful industrial. It looked amazing and it was something you don't really see much of around here. I knew I had to have it. I woke up the next morning and all I could do was think about it. After my shower I pulled out the phone book and looked up the address for the studio I had planned to go to for all my piercing. I knew they were reputable, as a friend of mine had gone several months earlier to get her tongue pierced. She told me they were great so I had no doubts.
At A Glance Author Lynn Contact Lynn@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Erin Studio Body Creations Location Phoenix, Arizona Unfortunately they didn't open until 12pm so I had some time to wait. I left the house around 12:30 and arrived at 1pm. As I walked up to the door I saw the words on it that read "Welcome to your next obsession." I couldn't help but chuckle, oh how true those words would become. I walked in and the girl behind the counter said hello and asked how I was. I told her that I wanted my ear pierced. She asked me where and I motioned to my upper ear. She said, "Oh, just the cartilage?" I told her that I was pretty sure it was called and industrial piercing and a huge grin broke out on her face. (I later saw that she also had one in the same ear as well as several other ear and facial piercings.) She asked to see my ID first which I proudly handed to her since I had just turned 18 in October. (An adult had accompanied me for all earlier piercing experiences so this was a big thing.) I filled out paper work and another woman went over the after care with me. Certain things I noted that might be a problem were not sleeping on that side and not holding the phone to that ear. Answering phones at my job is something I have to do so I need to remember to hold it to my right ear all the time. After paying for the piercing, jewelry (14g, all silver), and after care products (sea salt and antimicrobial cream), the same girl that had greeted me led me to a back room where she had set up. I was glad she would be doing my piercing. She showed me the autoclaved supplies, which I was familiar with from my job and put on her first pair of gloves. She cleaned my ear and as she did so she talked to me, asking me about my job and pets. It never fails that when I mention my horse it brings up a lot of questions. This helped me to relax a lot. I was nervous about the needle but also about my parents' reactions, as they had no idea what I was doing.
She then measured my ear and made little marks for where the needle would go through. (I must admit that I was slightly jumpy when she made the marks. The tip of the marker was a shocker when I was prepared for feeling the tip of the needle.) After showing it to me in a mirror and getting my approval she had me lay back on the table. She changed her gloves and then explained to me that I should take a deep breath in through my nose and when I exhaled through my mouth she would push the needle through. She asked if I was ready and I said yes. I took a deep breath in and as I let it out she pushed the needle through the top of my ear and out. I was so relieved and it didn't hurt! She told me I did a great job. The second piercing went smoothly and before I knew it I had a brand new industrial that I couldn't stop staring at. Both her and her co-worker said that it was perfect and I was so happy. After telling me that I didn't need to do my first treatments until the next morning and that if I had any questions I could call her I walked out the door. I was so excited that I grinned like an idiot the whole drive home. My mom greeted me as I came up to the front door. She was certainly surprised and I laughed. She later told me, after getting over the initial shock, that she liked it. My brother gave me the same reaction. My father on the other hand was less than excited about it and asked me how many more holes I was going to put in my head before I was happy. I told him 4 and gave him a big smile. Now that I think about it, 5 would be the correct answer as not only do I plan on piercing my left ear once more and my right ear three more times I also plan on having my lip pierced. This truly has become an obsession.
Over all I had a wonderful time. My ear hasn't bled at all and only hurts a very small amount. It hurt the most when I woke up and found I was accidentally sleeping on it. (Ouch!) It looks great and so far there hasn't been any problem with swelling, oozing, or scaling. And I still can't stop looking at it. I plan on going back in 2-3 months to finish off "putting holes in my head."