After months of constant consideration, I finally decided that it was time to take out my vertical lobe piercing, and get my ears pierced with a 4ga to begin stretching them. I got my left lobe pierced vertically in Oct. of 2005, and was very pleased with it at first. It seemed to be healing correctly, although it was extremely sore for a couple of months. I won't name the piercer that did it to prevent damage to his reputation, but due partly to his lack of his experience with this particular piercing, my ear developed a cyst behind the lobe during March.
At A Glance Author Caleb Contact Caleb@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Adam Aman Studio Electric Ladyland Tattoo Location New Orleans, La I had never experienced this problem with a piercing before. I had successfully healed my nipples with a 16ga, and stretched them to a 14ga, and eventually to a 12ga, with no problems whatsoever. I also had my right nostril pierced several times, as well as my nape of my neck once. All with no problems.
I did as much research to determine the cause, and possible cures for this type of problem, but unfortunately, what I could find out about it was limited. Eventually, I saw a doctor about this who in turn referred me to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist. The specialist told me that the doctor's diagnosis was correct, and fortunately, the cyst was benign. He could not, however tell me how to get rid of it. He gave me a prescription for some antibiotics to try, but after a week of taking them, the cyst didn't appear to be going away.
After the prescription was finished, the cyst still remained. Shortly afterward, I moved from Georgia to Louisiana to live with my girlfriend, and I took the 14ga 1in straight barbell out of my ear, and let my vertical lobe close up. Although I hated the lack of jewelry in my ears and face, the cyst did begin to shrink, and the hole from the piercing quickly closed. I knew now that I wanted to get my ears pierced with a large gauge needle in order to have a good head start on stretching them.
I did some research to find a respectable, and reputable shop in the New Orleans area, and I came across Electric Ladyland's website. I made a call to the shop, and talked to the piercer, Adam, and I learned quickly that he had no problem with piercing my lobes with a 4ga, and was actually quite eager to do so, because very few people get a lobe piercing this large. The next day that I would have off from work would be the following Saturday, and he said he was going to be working that day. I told him that I would be there on Saturday.
After anxiously waiting, Saturday finally arrived. My girlfriend and I left our townhome in Hammond and drove to New Orleans around 12pm. We arrived at the shop at around 12:45pm. We walked inside, and I talked to Adam for a couple of minutes, and he said he remembered me from the phone call earlier in the week, and he just needed to Autoclave the Jewelry and we could begin. After a half hour, the process was finished. He made a copy of my ID, I paid for the piercing and the jewelry, and we walked back to his room in the shop. He had everything set up already, and I immediately noticed the immaculate cleanliness of the room, let alone the entire shop.
I sat down on the bed(it resembles the bed-table thing in a doctor's office, but it was actually quite comfortable.) and he got the needles out of the package after putting on a pair of gloves. After making sure everything was sterile, and changing gloves, he marked my ears, and checked the size with the stainless steel eyelets that were to be used as the jewelry. He changed gloves once more, and began the piercing starting with the right ear. He told me to take a deep breath, and that he would pierce when I exhaled. I took a deep breath, and then exhaled, and the needle was in my ear. Surprisingly, the pain was very minimal.
After the jewelry was in, and the process was repeated on my left ear, I thanked him, and tipped him. The shop had a fun atmosphere, and was immaculately clean. Adam was very friendly, and we talked throughout the entire experience. He is also very knowledgeable about the art of piercing has several years of experience. I am very pleased with my new piercings, and can't wait to begin stretching my lobes. All of the tattoo artists at the shop are also very friendly, and I would certainly reccommend it to anyone that wants a quality tattoo or piercing. I definitely plan on going back for all of my piercings and tattoos in the future.