Well I've had a few ear piercings before, and in honesty, they were beginning to bother me.
At A Glance Author Amanda Contact hpelesrmantic24@Aol.com When A week ago Artist Didn't catch his name Studio Apostles Tattoo and Piercing Location Taylor, Michigan I still had school left though, and they didn't allow any body piercings at my school, so the eyebrow, tongue, nose, and lip were obviously out of the choosing. I had wanted to do my bellybutton, but I pierced it myself last year, and it hurt really bad. Plus I had to let it close anyway.
So I was searching for piercing sites, and came across BMEzine, and immediately fell in love with the tragus piercing. It really seperated itself from the other ear piercings I had seen. And it was different from the lobe or cartilage piercings I had already had, so after that I decided I wanted to get my tragus done.
After that all I needed to do was tell my mom, which wasn't going to be difficult, because unlike alot of other parents I know. She is completely for piercings. She even wants to get her eyebrow done one day.
So I tell her of my plans, and she agrees, but is concerned because she had never heard of this piercing before, so I look up alot of pictures and stories on this site to show to her, and one day after school, we head to Apostles to see how much it would cost etc. Then I find out I'm not old enough, and I have to wait 5 months till my 14th birthday to have anything done.
So months go by and the 31t of May arrives and we have school and then I get to have 2 friends come along with me for support and stuff. So we get back from this field trip we have and me and two of my friends leave early to go get me pierced.
By the time we got to the piercing parlor, I was having serious doubts about whether or not to go through with it, because the night before I was scaring myself by reading some unsuccessful stories of the piercing. But I kept telling myself how awesome it would look, and how much I wanted it done. But my nerves were really getting to me. So by the time we get inside, sign all the liabilty forms, and indentification stuff, the guy calls me back, and another woman comes with him. She had also had her tragus done, but she had hers done vertically, and she said it didn't hurt too bad, so it made me feel a little more at ease.
They then set me in a chair that leaned back, and when the needle came out my friends gave me their hands. At first he clamped the tragus which was a little unsettling at first, but I kept telling myself that I couldn't back down no matter what, because I had wanted to get this pierced for months. So then the piercer told me that the needle was going to be going in, so I had to turn my head to the other side and I gripped my friends hands expecting the worst pain ever. He put the needle through, and I barely felt it! I didn't believe that you couldn't feel the pain when a needle was pushed through that thick part of your ear, but I didn't! So I thought we were done, and the piercer laughed and said "yea, I don't think you want to leave with a needle in your ear" so I sat back down and gave my friends their hands back. He said this part is the part that hurts a little more than the rest. So I brace myself and grab my friends' hands again, and even then after he pulls the needle out and puts the earring in, it doesn't hurt as much as what was expected, and I was really really happy that not only did I get it done, but that it barely hurt during it.
So after that, I started cleaning it twice a day with antibacterial soap and Bactine. I know have an official routine with the cleaning process. First I rinse my hands with soap and clean the ring thoroughly, then I rinse both my hands and my ear with warm water, and dry my hands. Then I spray bactine on my ear and move the earring back and forth, so come bactine gets inside my ear to help it heal a little faster (this also works with infections in your cartilage). Then I take a q-tip with bactine on it, and wash the inside of my tragus piercing, getting any dried blood, puss, whatever is around my earring at the time (considering there is anything around my earring). And then I continue with my day, trying hard not to touch it.
I just got back from a camp I was staying at, and my ear really began to hurt there, because I was vulnerable to the elements I was exposed to, such as sand, dirt, and lake water hitting my ear. Plus the fact that I honestly had no free time to clean it every day. It began to get red and quite swollen, and painful to smile, chew, yawn etc. But when I got home last night, it seemed to be doing quite better. Now there is no resistance when I move it back and forth through my tragus. And it's healing very nicely. I can now touch it without any pain, and it was only pierced a week ago. I highly recommend this piercing to anyone who is looking for anything different than just a lobe or cartilage piercing.
Much Love,
Amanda