Approaching my 18th birthday, all I could think about was getting my rook pierced. I already had my left anti-tragus pierced and I was feeling out of balance. With the longing for this pretty piercing nagging at me, I went to Body Language to get it done. I had been pierced there before and felt very comfortable with the piercers.
At A Glance Author Nichole Contact Nichole@bme.anon When Three months ago Artist Mike Studio Body Language Location Columbus, Ohio When I got to the shop, Mike checked out my ear and said that it was a little bit small but he could make it work. He went back to the room to set things up then washed his hands while I signed the necessary paperwork, and then brought me into the piercing room. I sat down on the large doctor/dentist type chair (covered with new paper) and after he put on new gloves, he began to take out the tools he would be using. Since I had been pierced by them before, he decided to give a brief explanation of the procedure (versus the whole "All tools and jewelry are sterilized in the autoclave. Needles are thrown out immediately afterwards, all jewelry is only used on one person and one person only," (they also throw in information about their certifications and licenses). However, it was hard to pay attention to that when I was seeing the tray slowly filling up with more and more metal. I must have been making a funny face, because he laughed and told me something along the lines of "I know, it's a lot of tools. But I need them because the jewelry we're putting in there is so small."
He marked the spot on my ear, and it was perfect. I gave him the okay, and he put the clamps on. By this time I was pretty nervous..I was really comfortable with Mike and we had been talking the whole time, but the cartilage there felt much thicker than my anti-tragus (which didn't hurt at all). I asked how it would feel and he said it shouldn't be any worse than the anti-tragus. This put me at ease a bit, but apparently I was shaking a little bit. I don't even know why - probably just excitement - but I had to make a very conscious effort to control it.
Mike gave me the old "Take a big, deep breath - exhale" and on the exhale, he poked the hole in. And oh, did it hurt. I didn't scream, but I definitely let out a little "oooohhh...yeah, that hurts." It seemed like the process was taking forever, but the CBR was slipped in and the ball was closed, and he gave me a mirror to look at it. Let me tell you, it was love at first sight. I'm not usually fond of piercings with rings, but this was an exception. I thanked Mike a few more times and walked out feeling so happy and I couldn't wait to show it off.
I was afraid this piercing might be hard to heal. I'd never had a CBR before and didn't know if it would get hit easier or if just living with it would be harder, but I couldn't ask for a better piercing. With my other piercing, there was some soreness with the piercing or the surrounding area, but this had none of that. The location actually was not as vulnerable as I had thought it would be, and within the first two months I could sleep on it (though I still take precaution not to, because it is still healing). I followed the instructions to a "t" (clean it with the H2Ocean 5 times a day, and get in there once a day with a qtip or swab to clean out any crusties), and I haven't had any problems with soreness except when the piercing secretes a little more than usual (there usually aren't a lot, if any, crusties anyways). To get rid of the soreness though, I just clean it out with a swab and it's perfectly fine within seconds.
Another thing I would highly recommend is sea salt soaks. I didn't do this at first, but when I started having some trouble with my anti-tragus I started using it and decided to give both holes the treatment. I mix mine up in a bottle of water (unopened prior to making the mixture) and when I use it, I heat it up a little bit, put some on a cotton ball, and gently put it on the piercing. I usually do two 5 to 7 minute soaks, though I sometimes spring for 10 minutes. It has helped the health and appearance greatly. I can't really complain about this piercing at all. It's a beautiful addition to my body, and if you're thinking about getting one, I would definitely recommend going for it. I doubt you will regret it.