3 weeks ago today I got my inner conch pierced. It was something i'd wanted done for ages and ages but had never had the courage, money and time all at once! Before I get any piercing, I like to know exactly what I'm to expect. So I spent the weekend trawling over BME and reading through countless experiences and healing times, hints and tips, placements etc until I was finally convinced that this was the one for me. I also have my lobes pierced, labret and tongue-web.
At A Glance Author Lindsay Contact paper.raindrops@gmail.com When A month ago Artist Juke Studio Jukz Location Salisbury, UK
So, the next Saturday, I went into town to Jukz. Jukz is a quiet little piercing shop and the staff are all friendly and the studio is clean. I don't tend to get nervous before piercings...I guess it's because of all the research I do prior to it! I told Juke that I was in for my inner conch and he asked if I was having it pierced with a CBR or a barbell. He ran through all the Pro's and Con's and we decided on the CBR because I find it's easier to keep clean and looks nicer. Also, because I wear my hair down, it would eliminate the problem of hair getting wound around it! There was no form to fill in this time because I'd been to him before to get my labret pierced so all my details were with him already, and I paid him the £24 for the piercing.
He gave me a hair bobble and asked me to tie my hair back while he got everything ready. Asked me how my labret was going and whether this piercing was a planned one or a spur of the moment one! Next he sat me on the table, handed me a mirror and a CBR and asked me where about I wanted him to pierce. I played about with positions for a few moments and between us decided on the best. He marked it and took the mirror off me.
Next thing I know he was round the side of me and wiping my ear with an alcohol wipe to clean the area and then told me to take a big breath in and he'd pierce. It didn't hurt anywhere near as much as I thought it was going to! But it wasn't over there! He tried to put the ring through but realised it was too small and he couldn't get it in. So took the needle out of my ear and autoclaved another, bigger, CBR for me. All the while, I was just sat there and I could feel the blood trickling down my neck and onto my top. He came over and cleaned it up a little bit and then told me to take a big breath and re-pierced it. This time it hurt way more! He had to bend my ear at a really weird angle to get the ring in from the back of my ear which didn't hurt at first, but led to a lot of bruising later on.
He went through aftercare with me as he cleaned up the blood from my neck and ear. Basically salt soaks 3 times a day and try not to touch it in between. Simple! So off I went back home. It was a sore walk home – it being a November day with the cold wind rushing through it. And when I got home it was very red and tender. I got a cotton-ball and dipped it in some saline solution and very gently washed away the rest of the blood.
That night was an uncomfortable one...I don't actually think I slept at all! I was too cautious of bumping it or damaging it in any way. The next morning everything was fine. I did my first salt soak which was a bit awkward! I couldn't get the cotton-wool onto the actual piercing wound, could only get it to touch the CBR! After about half an hour of trying, I gave up and dipped a cotton-bud in the salt water solution and cleaned it that way! This is how I clean it all the time now – it's so much easier and you can get it much cleaner this way. Another trick I found was to get the lid from the cotton-bud box, fill it with the salt solution and submerge your ear in that for 15 minutes or so. Works miracles for the times when it gets itchy!
I've kept up with the salt soaks and clean it every evening in the shower and it seems to be working! It stopped being sore about 3 days after being pierced, and stopped bleeding after 5 days. The bruising from him piercing took almost 2 weeks to get better, and while the back of my ear is still slightly swollen and red, it feels so much better! It's now been 3 weeks since I got it pierced and it feels and looks healed. Of course, I know that isn't the case – but it just goes to show that not all Conch piercings are hard to heal.