I have wanted an "interesting" ear piercing since I was 14. I had to satisfy my hunger for one with the normal cartilage piercing when I was in middle school and a tame navel. I begged and pleaded to my parents for another one, but to no avail.
At A Glance Author Brooke Contact exploration.b@gmail.com When A week ago Artist Tasha Studio Obscurities Location Dallas, Texas When I was sixteen, I attempted to pierce my own tragus, which actually worked. I do not recommend this by any means, since only a professional studio can provide you a clean and safe environment for a piercing. My little tragus healed up quite nicely but was taken out when I was in San Francisco after I had gotten it caught on a zipper. Ouch!
After the tragus incident, I thought about why I really wanted a piercing: to show my unique personality. Because I am not like the cookie-cutter trust fund kids that drive Beamers to school that live around here. I love my body and I think that certain piercings enhance the quality of beauty. My boyfriend was really supportive of my desire to get a piercing, unlike my parents. While my mom was the one who encouraged me to get my navel pierced at the age of 13 and again when I was 15, she did not approve of my desire to pierce myself in "strange" places. She told me that if I wanted to pierce myself anymore in a place that was not "conventional" that I would have to wait until I was 18 and old enough to have the piercing done by a professional.
I had been awaiting the day that I turned 18 for years so I could get another ear piercing, but on the actual day, I wussed out. I settled for getting my ears pierced again at the mall (Why? It's gross. I have no idea why I would subject my ears to the horror that is Claire's. But, I digress). I couldn't believe that I didn't have the balls to pull myself together and get another piercing! At the time, I was considering a rook but slowly changed my mind to a daith for a number of reasons. It sits inside of your ear, which is good for looking "professional" at my work (anything too showy or "weird" is contraband). I have also never seen anyone with a daith before, so it would be original and unique to me.
I did my research on BME to find the best piercing studio in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. Probably the most recommended studio around was Obscurities. I have a friend that got her nipples pierced there, and she said that is was the pinnacle of clean, professional studios.
On one hot summer's eve, I looked up directions to Obscurities and my boyfriend and I headed off to Dallas. On arriving at Obscurities, I was impressed. The staff is friendly, and it is very clean. After filling out all of the necessary paperwork and going over aftercare, it was time for me to hop on the table and get it over with.
Tasha marked where she was going to pierce while my boyfriend played with my feet to keep me calm and watched in semi-amazement. She told me to take a deep breath in and.. . she pierced me! It was a mixture of pressure and heat. It didn't hurt necessarily, but it felt very strange. I think I said something like, "Wow, that's a weird kind of hurt. .." in my delirious state and Tasha responded with, "That's the best kind!". Indeed. I tipped her and left elated by the beauty of my new piercing and the simple fact that I was brave enough to get it done.
One week later, the piercing has given me few problems. I soak it once a day with a mixture of sea salt and hot water, and then gently wash it with Provone soap. The hardest part is seeing what I am doing! I have to have someone examine it for me to make sure that I have rinsed all of the soap off carefully. It has only bled a tiny bit since I got it pierced, and that was when I accidentally knocked it during cleaning. I got the daith piercing in my right ear, and I also sleep on that side, which is a bit of a problem. I tried to sleep on it once, which was a mistake. I awoke to a red and sore daith that apparently cannot tolerate being slept on. I would suggest to anyone that you try not to sleep on it the first week or so. Other than that, it is a beautiful and unique piercing that I would recommend to anyone. If you are thinking about getting a tragus, which is becoming more generic, you might want to consider a daith instead.