An ear piercing sounds pretty simple, right? Well, not for me. I had them pierced in eighth grade, but didn't really care for them well, so I took them out. Fast forward to freshman year of college; inexplicably, I really wanted earrings, and decided that now was as good a time as any. Off I went to the mall, to a Piercing Pagoda, that I imagined must be safe and fine as many six year olds were taken there by parents every Sunday afternoon. I picked out studs, the woman took out the gun, and there I was, pierced, painless, and happy. This was, however, short lived, as over the course of a year, though I cared for my ears as directed, the holes got lower and lower in my lobes, and developed keloids. Eventually, both earrings literally dropped out the bottom of my ears, leaving a long raised scar that people assumed meant I had had them ripped out by a mugger or some horrible accident.
At A Glance Author anonymous When Six months ago Artist kevin Studio infinite Location philadelphia I was disappointed, so I did some online research, which I had neglected to to beforehand (it was just a lobe piercing after all) and found out what went wrong. This was all confirmed when I got them repierced.
1. I wore silver earrings, which can irritate piercings.
2. I got pierced with a gun, which puts undue stress on the piercing.
3. I was pierced with a stud, rather than a rind.
4. I was told to use bacitracin or rubbing alcohol on the piercings and rotate them.
Please, please learn from these mistakes, do not undertake even a "simple" piercing lightly. Also, go to a studio, not a jewelery store, no matter how silly you may feel getting lobe piercings among the possibly heavily body modified clientele of a piercing studio.
Determined to correct these mistakes, I went to a real piercer not far from my college. Initially, he looked at my ears and said "Sorry," and that it would harm my ears to pierce them so soon and so close to a keloid. The piercer advised me to put vitamin e on the scars.
A year later, they were almost gone, and I determinedly went back to the studio. He looked, and agreed that I was ready. They made a phot copy of my drivers license, and made me fill out a little health questionaire. The people at the counter were helpful, and selected a titanium captive ball ring, which they assured me would be best for me. While they sterilized the rings, and did a couple of other piercings, they told me to eat something, so I went down the street for a cheese steak. I wasn't really nervous, since it was only my ears, but I did wonder how the feel of a needle would compare to a gun, and I was really apprehensive about the end result; would piercing properly solve my problem? Would I just scar all over again? What if my body is one of the rare unpiercable few? It was nearly time to go back, so I took a final swig of Pepsi and figured there was only one way to find answers. I don't think of these as bad feelings; they just tested my commitment to being pierced, which I feel, for me, was very valuable.
When I got into the room, the piercer donned gloves, marked my ears, and gave me the pen; the place was COMPLETELY hygenic! The piercings were placed just above where the old ones were. I looked in the mirror and decided that a little high was better than the alternative (slightly to the left or right so as to avoid the traces of the old scar.) I gave him the okay, he clamped my first ear, and in went the needle. All I felt was heat, and a little irritation as the jewelery slid through. The second one I felt a twinge, which the piercer said was normal since your adrenaline is busy working on the first one. There was a twinge as the ring was closed, and that was it. I bought sea salts, tipped him, and left. It hurt slightly more than it did with the gun, which was still nearly not at all.
Six months later, I still wear only titanium jewelery, and I use the sea salts if the piercings seem a little red. They are, however, mostly healed (I am a very slow healer) and have NO scarring. I am immensely happy with the whole experience, and I feel I have "earned" my piercings and am prepared to undertake another if I so choose. To close this long story, never underestimate a piercing, but don't be afraid of one either, because you really learn a lot about your body. If anyone is in Philly, go to Infinite. They only do piercings, no tattoos, and are super clean and professional. Their honesty is why I have such happy ears today. Happy piercing everyone!