When it came to piercings of any sort, I had always been a little behind everyone else. Most of it was my mother's influence, but some of it was my own reservations. I didn't get my first lobe piercings until I was fifteen years old, which were done with a gun. But after that first rush of adrenaline and first little shock of vanity, I was completely hooked.
At A Glance Author audrey reagan When A week ago Studio alex's Location franklin rd, roanoke, virginia I'm sure you've read other experiences where people become "hooked" onto getting piercings, and you may think it won't happen to you. But it probably will. After my first holes healed, I craved second lobe piercings, and then thirds. I gradually stretched my lobes from dinky little 18g studs into 14g CBR beauties. And then I moved on into getting my cartilage pierced.
My first cartilage piercing was a week after I graduated from high school, and again, done with a gun. (Bad idea.) I didn't know any better, I didn't do any research, I was impatient and poor. So 20 bucks and a one shot deal seemed pretty good to me. However, it was EXTREMELY slow to heal and very cumbersome. The 16g piercing swelled and scarred and was sensitive long after summer had ended. I considered taking it out plenty of times, but I couldn't bear to part with my piercing, as silly as it may sound.
When I wanted a second cartilage piercing in the same ear, I decided to go about it the RIGHT way. I researched bmezine.com and read story after story, looked up all the risks and correct care procedures. It took me about two weeks, but I finally collected all of the information I wanted.
I had heard nothing but good things about Alex's tattoo and piercing place in roanoke, and had visited three times previously to watch other friends get pierced. I called ahead and waltzed in with my best friend (always use the buddy system!) at about nine in the evening.
The guy who performed my piercing was amazing. He was cool, collected and very laid-back. He answered all my stupid questions and told really corny jokes. He noticed that my first cartilage hole was swollen and looked like it was going develop a keloid, so he suggested putting a smaller gauge ring in it and cleaning it up, which he did for me in addition to my piercing.
He showed me into a room and we played around with the placement of the ring, and when we both found one we agreed on, he got down to work. He changed gloves about four times, cleaned all of his instruments and told me to lay down on the chair/bench. "This is the fun part!" I remember him saying, "Blood and needles! Hoorah!" He told me to turn my head away from him, asked me to breath in and let a big breath out, and it was over. My ear got a little hot, but nothing hurt, and I couldn't even tell when he put in the jewelry. There was a little bit of blood, but nothing to make me squeamish (and I'm really bad about seeing blood.)
I sat up and my piercing man made sure I wasn't dizzy and told me how to take care of my new hole: sea salt soaks and antibacterial soap. No touching, no playing, no submerging. My friend and I walked out and I paid, giving him a big fat tip. On our way out, my piercing man said "Hey, you know, people with two top rings are really cool." And I looked at him strangely and said "Oh really?" and he pointed to his own ear, which held two nice rings on the top ridge. That really made me smile.
So far, it has healed MUCH better than my gun-pierced cartilage, and even that one seems to be happier with its new ring. I soak it with a sea-salt solution in the evenings and clean it with a little dial soap on a cotton swab in the mornings. The soap has a stung a little bit, but other than that, the piercing has not acted up or shown signs of unhappiness or irritation.
I would recommend Alex's to anyone and everyone. As a "needle" first timer, it was a wonderful experience, even if it was a little more expensive. I plan to go back and have some work done on my other ear as soon as everything heals up. I honestly wish I had gotten my piercer's name, but I believe there is only one guy who does it at Alex's, so chances are you'll get him if you go there.
All in all, hole number eight has proven to be my most important, but certainly not my last! I am recovered from my fear of needles, and I only have Alex's to thank for it.