As much as I love piercings, and have a list of around 35 or so that I want to get, what with me only being 17 and all I haven't actually got many. I have got the standard lobes, I have had the cartilage pierced with the gun before but took it out, I had my navel done years ago but then lost it, also years ago, and I recently got an industrial.
At A Glance Author Neejchee Contact neejchee@hotmail.com IAM Neejchee When A week ago Artist Justin Studio Justin's Piercing Studio Location Canberra, Australia Having looked in the mirror to admire my industrial many times, (I know, I'm vain, so shoot me!) I kept thinking there was something missing from the gap at the top. My industrial is relatively vertical compared to most of the ones I have seen, because it needed to stay off my glasses, which leaves a huge gap above it.
I decided that as the scar from my old cartilage piercing was dead centre in this space, I wanted to get that re-pierced, only this time by and actual piercer with a needle, rather than a chemist with a gun.
Although I decided to get this about a week and a half after the industrial, I didn't immediately have the guts to get it. My Mum went absolutely ape-shit over the industrial, and I was having a bit of a hard time with that one at the time because of an annoying older brother who thought flicking it was a hell of a joke (which I deserved, I used to nipple cripple him when he first got his nipple pierced) so I didn't really want the pain.
When it had been a little over a month since my industrial, I went back to my piercer to get the bar down-sized. He had been out of the country for a week due to a death in the family, and had to re-order heaps of stock, but he had one smaller bar in that he said wasn't ideal size but we would try it anyway. Sure enough, the bar was too small for my massive ear, and we ended up changing ti 3 times before putting my old one back in.
Unfortunately I had a seminar to present that afternoon, and since I HATE public speaking, I was not looking forward to it. I have found piercing to calm my nerves (maybe because it makes me nervous about something else, and then with the adrenalin rush, kinda makes everything else seem insignificant) so sitting in the piercing studio was making me desperate to get stabbed. Without even realising I had said anything, I asked Justin about getting a cartilage piercing with the needle but putting a stud straight in, as I wasn't sure if you had to have a ring first to heal it properly. Justin showed me the studs and how much room I would have, and somehow I ended up sitting on the piercing bed/bench thing-a-ma-jig with Justin autoclaving the jewellery and everything.
We chatted while he was doing it, because my favourite subject at school is psychology which he is also into, so it makes for good comfortable small talk. He then brought everything over and drew the dots on my ears. He said he would put it right on top of the old scar, since that was pretty much right in the centre. I agreed, he drew the dots, and I checked them in the mirror. Since they were right where I wanted them, I sat back down for the piercing. Justin asked me if I wanted to lie down or stay sitting. I stayed sitting up, and he lined up the needle. He then did that piercer thing, where they say "after three....." and started counting, but they actually pierce on two. Bloody annoying, but Justin does it every time, so I am used to it. All the other piercers I have ever met do the same, even the chemist ones.
It kinda pinched, but my ear was already throbbing a little from having been played with and changed so much with the smaller bar, so I didn't really notice. Justin and I chatted a bit more about Psychology at the local universities, and then I payed him and left. I got Maccas on the way out (I'm pathetic, but I never go into Civic for anything but to see Justin, so its always a great excuse to go for junk food.) and then headed out to school.
The seminar went great, the piercing was small but it was enough to make me not care at all about the talking, and I got an A-. Yay me!
I've used sea salt soaks and it has healed right up with no worries what-so-ever. I have since got my navel re-pierced, and with the aftercare of that I kind of forgot about my industrial and the newer stud, so I've dropped to soaking it every second day without meaning to, and even though its only two weeks old it hasn't caused me any problems. In fact, it has healed even better than my industrial, as that still crusts a little every now and then, but I think that is because the industrial is still the long bar so it catches a little.
All in all, I love the new stud, and my left ear is almost perfect! ALMOST! Still needs one more hole, but hey, that can wait a while!