Around 16 years ago I had my lobes pierced with a gun (2 in the left lobe, one in the right). During my time at University I managed to lose all my earrings one by one, without replacing them, and eventually the holes healed up. I have tried a few times to get a stud through them, but they are completely healed.
At A Glance Author Paul Contact pwitherspoon@nexusenergy.com When It just happened Artist Me Studio My Bedroom Location Boston
Anyway, recently I was considering a body mod, and was strongly considering a Tattoo or a piercing, and as I wasn't 100% sure of what I wanted for a tattoo, I though piercing would be the safest option. To cut a long story short I had my nipples done, then shortly after, my navel. I was bitten by the bug, and wanted a more publicly visible mod. I work in an office environment, so couldn't do anything too extreme, so I decided to have my lobes done again.
I was very reluctant to pay $60 for this, and after reading the experiences on your site, I decided to take the plunge and do it myself. So I found a piercing kit on line (came with forceps, 14G needles, cork, alcohol swabs, latex gloves and CBR's) – I decided to get the right equipment up front after reading about some experiences through this site. I also thought I could reuse the forceps if the piercings went well and I decided to do something else, and the whole kit only cost $10.
So I got the kit and was pretty excited to get underway. I waited until Friday night (I wanted to have the weekend so I could devote time to my aftercare with salt soaks and washing), took the equipment into my bedroom and decided to start with my left ear. I had decided previously that I was going to re-pierce the scars from my previous piercings (which would eliminate the need for marking, and at least take one factor from the equation).
I ripped open an alcohol swab and cleaned the forceps, the CBR, the cork and the tips of the gloves I was going to be using. I them laid out some swabs to place the equipment on (I really should have disinfected the entire work surface – which was my bureau – but I got lazy and too excited to do the piercing).
I placed the forceps on my ear to see how tightly I needed to grip and to get the position correct. I actually squeezed them too much and locked them tight on my ear. After a couple of minutes trying to unlock them I managed to get them off, but my ear had turned red and the scar tissue was tough to see, so I marked it off with a sharpie.
So it was go time. I put on the gloves, placed the forceps on my ear, ripped open the needles packaging, and placed the point directly where I wanted to pierce.
I had read somewhere on this site that someone didn't want to pierce through scar tissue, so I was a little apprehensive about doing this. So before I could talk myself out of it I gave a tentative push and the needle started into my ear with no pain. I paused, even though I had hardly pushed through any skin yet.
I saw the needle standing up in my skin, and then just decided to finish the job. I gave it a quick push and it went straight through, very easily, with only a slight sting. I quickly realized that this was why people suggest getting the correct equipment and not using a sewing needle.
It was so weird to see the needle sticking through my ear. I was a little shocked and forgot to take a photo (my biggest regret).
There was a little blood (nothing too bad though), so I grabbed the jewelry and started to push the needle through. The needle had stuck because I didn't use any lube, and it was a little painful to push through. Just before I got the needle through I got the jewelry and tried to push the needle out with it, so that the ring would go straight in. This didn't work out though, and I couldn't seem to push the needle through this way, plus it was starting to hurt (and bleed a lot). So I removed the needle and tried to push the ring through – didn't work. I couldn't find the back of the hole (or it had sealed up a little) so I was pushing like crazy for about 5 mins, before I conceded defeat. I grabbed the needle and pushed it through the hole again (hurt a lot more this time), and this time I wiggled it round a bit to make sure the hole was open long enough for me to push the ring through. Worked like a charm this time, but my ear was a little battered, bloody and bruised.
I then tried to close the CBR – this was by far the toughest thing to do throughout the whole piercing (using a mirror is almost impossible because of the reverse sense of direction), and the added aggravation of tugging on the ring really irritated my ear. I finally got it closed though (after 20 mins of trying). I then pierced the other side, which went a lot easier for some reason (I managed to get the jewelry through first time) and there was a lot less blood. However, closing the CBR was very frustrating again.
I love the piercings though, and they are super straight and clean (probably because I used a proper piecing needle – I really can't recommend that enough). I should have been a little more sanitary with my workspace, but I didn't infect anything (and I have had the piercing in for 3 days now), and I am so glad I did it myself. Every time I see my ears I really get a sense of achievement.
In short – I'd say if you are wanting to do this piecing (lobe) and you trust your judgment to mark yourself up, then just buy a suitable piecing needle and go for it. I'm so glad I did.