I've wanted my anti tragus pierced for such a long time, even before I started stretching my ears, really. My gauged ears were my first mod (6mm), and then I got two helix piercings, and a navel piercing. I have a thirst for body modification and am greatly interested in it, much to the dismay of my parents and friends.
At A Glance Author Haner Contact Haner@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Colin Studio Exeter Body Piercing Location Fore Street When I first saw a picture of an anti tragus, I immediately fell in love with it. This was when I first found BME. I didn't get it done for a while as I was about 15, and my other mods were DIY (not recommended!) or by finding dodgy studios that didn't ask for ID. I didn't want either for an anti tragus, as it seemed like such a complex piercing.
On BME, it says that is the most painful ear piercing, is difficult to heal, and many piercers pierce it wrong. This put me off greatly.
It was difficult to find any good piercers. I found one particularly good one, Jukz in Salisbury, however this was far and I didn't often go there. It was around this time I found Exeter Body Piercing. It looked like a great, but expensive studio, and I got the impression that the age limit was 18, so I never enquired again.
I have to first explain things: first impressions are not always true! (You'll see in a minute). I also like to always have a fairly 'fresh' modification. Once it gets past a long time since my last modification, I get restless, and get something that I don't really want or need. I was getting restless again so I decided that this time should be my anti tragus, something I did want and need. So I called up Jukz and got ready to go to Salisbury to meet some friends, but things went wrong and I couldn't get there.
A few days later was my birthday so I decided to go to Exeter to shop. I emailed Exeter Body Piercing as I remembered this might be my last chance. They corrected me on the age limit, in fact ears are 16, and other mods are 18. They weren't expensive either! My friend decided to pay as a birthday present.
We went in, and it was a nice sunny waiting room with several people in there (who obviously didn't really know each other, but were still chatting and friendly about mods). I didn't see anyone around so I sat down and waited, and looked at all the pictures and certificated. 'APP' was everywhere. APP is a qualification piercing studios can get which shows that they are experienced, and gives the piercee a set of rights. It also states that piercing guns are not used.
Then a man bounded in, full of energy, who I later found out was Colin. There are only Colin and Nik there who pierce, but Nik was out. I had to wait about ten minutes for another girl to get something pierced, so I filled out the paper forms. Before I even did this, Colin checked my ear to see how formed my anti tragus was. I think he thought it was small, but just about ok. When it was my turn, another nervous girl let me go first.
Colin asked me what I wanted it pierced with, and BME noted that rings aren't best for anti tragus so I asked for a curved barbell, which I think Colin was going to use anyway. The piercing room was clean and quite big. Colin dotted my ear, but, like a true artist, kept dodging backwards and forwards correcting the exact position.
He then clamped it, although he was not sure whether to use a clamp or not as the clamp might have got in the way and didn't really fit! The clamp hurt loads as he spent a while trying to get it in properly. The clamp probably hurt MORE than the actual piercing!
The needle went in (with correct breathing) and I just tensed and breathed in sharply. That's as much as it hurt. Definitely not as much as I thought it would.
He put the barbell in, and informed me that it should be easier for me to do up the balls as I have smaller hands than him!
It bled a little, but was fine apart from that. He took a picture for his gallery and I met Nik. She was also very nice!
So it was a good experience, no fainting, or pain really. No pain even after it was done either! I had to get used to the idea that both balls are forwards, rather than one ball behind my ear and one ball at the front... its quite confusing!
I would definitely recommend the piercing. On a scale of pain, I would say less than slamming your hand in the door! Not as painful as my DIY cartilage (using a safety pin... oops) but not that bad. Definitely worth it, it's so pretty and cool.
Just be careful:
*No rings, curved or straight barbells only
*Experienced / good piercers only!
*Expect some pain, but not as much as some people say (although I expect pain thresholds in different people are different.)