So, this all starts out with yet another escapade to poke more holes in my body. I had the urge in late August to get a piercing that I had seen while viewing the galleries on BME, I had thought about the vertical tragus piercing a lot, and found it very attractive and unique, and with the low risk of rejection it sounded perfect for me. I currently have my ears pierced multiple times and my nose and tongue pierced.
At A Glance Author Natasha Contact sugar_620@hotmail.com When Six months ago Artist Ed? Studio Don't Tell Momma's Location Kingston, Ontario So my friend and I took off to the city to Don't Tell Momma's where I had gotten my tongue pierced for my 18th birthday. We walked in and he asked to get his lobes pierced, which they said would be no problem. Then my piercer asked me what I wanted pierced, I told him I wanted my tragus pierced vertically. After he and the shop owner looked at both my traguses, they said that they couldn't do it because they were too small. So they discussed doing a surface tragus. I know now that I should have researched the surface part of the piercing before I agreed to it, because then I would have known that straight barbells in a surface piercing are the DEVIL, but I didn't.
So after my friend got his lobes pierced, I sat down for my surface tragus. My piercer had never performed this piercing before, so I think he was more nervous then I was, but I had like a million people standing around me, ok not quite that many but at least a dozen. They were all excited to see an unusual piercing I guess. My piercer marked the side of my face where the entrance and exit holes should be after he measured with the barbell, and clamped my face. This was the most uncomfortable part, because he had to yank it around to make sure the placement was correct. Then the infamous " take a deep breath in aaannnnndddd release" and then I had a beautiful ( or so I thought ) surface tragus.
After everyone admiring, and a mad scramble to find a camera, I paid my 70 dollars and listened to the aftercare instructions, spectro derm gel and bactine lots everyday. I went across the street to shoppers drug mart and made my purchases and went home to show off my new piercing to my parents. The piercing seemed fine for the first few days, barely any crusties or pain, and I couldn't really tell if there was any swelling because the skin bulged around the barbell, because it was straight.
Fast forward about 2 months, to a place where I should have a carefree and fully healed piercing, I don't. I started to notice that I was beginning to develop bloody crusties and the piercing seemed to be pushing forward. I went to the studio where I was pierced at and had the guy who pierced me take a look at the piercing, and he said that it was healing nicely. Im not sure if he was really with it that day, or just lying through his teeth, but anyway, he said he would order me a smaller more fitted barbell, and I put a down payment on the barbell, which to this day I still have not received. After a few weeks and unreturned barbells I turned to the internet and researched my piercing on BME, and I found that a surface barbell should have been used for my piercing, and that it was probably rejecting. So I yet again called the shop and asked if I had a surface barbell custom made whether i could just replace the straight barbell with it and they said that it should be ok. So I found a website which made custom barbells. I got the measurements from my piercer and ordered the barbell which came quite quickly. I removed the barbell and was horrified to find two gaping oozing red and bloody holes. I couldn't see the holes properly to clean them, so I had my mom do it. We put in the surface barbell, and found out I had been given the wrong measurements. The barbell was the correct width but it stuck out from my face by about 3/4 of an inch.
I kept a strong cleaning regiment, hoping that the piercing might heal now that there was a surface barbell in, the tension on my skin had gone down, and it wasn't bulging. Unfortunately after a few weeks of the surface barbell being in and the piercing not looking any better. I decided to remove the barbell and let it heal. The entrance and exit holes were the same as they were when I removed the straight barbell, red oozing and bloody holes. After about a week or so they started to heal up, and now I am left with two horrible scars on the side of my face, which my family refers to as "the vampire bites" .
I do recommend that If you are interested in getting any surface piercing that you research it thoroughly and know what kind of jewelry it needs to be pierced with they are called SURFACE BARBELLS for a reason. Make sure your piercer is educated and not a nimrod, and take care of your piercing!....Good Luck !!