I have previously gotten two piercings, nostril and rook, and I've been itching to get another even though I have told everyone that I was done with them.
At A Glance Author Cam When It just happened Artist Lois Studio Stigmata Location Guelph, ON One of my friends was also wanting her helix pierced so we decided to go together and I would finally get my snug. We got to Stigmata and it was pretty busy so while waiting it was decided I would get to go first which was fine by me since I've never actually seen anyone else get pierced and didn't want to see right before I was to get mine. Lois was really nice and friendly and immediately noticed my nostril piercing was red and there was a bit of a bump. Before even starting on my snug piercing she asked me tons of questions to determine the cause since I've had this piercing for a year and it should be healed now. She decided that it was a reaction to the metal of the nostril screw and picked me out a new titanium one which she would replace the old one with for free. This seemed like a good idea to me, new nostril screw and fixing the redness and bump of my piercing.
She put the new nostril screw in its disinfectant and then began getting to work on my snug. I never actually remember much from piercings, everytime someone asks me if it hurt, i really can't say. However, this piercing was much different. I have no idea if she put clamps on or if there was a receiving tube involved seeing how I was in my no pain piercing zone. She told me to breathe in and to exhale which I did. With every other piercing after I finished exhaling the needle was through and the jewelry was being put on, maybe that's why I never noticed the pain, I was always concentrating on my breathing. This time was different though... After I finished exhaling she was still pushing the needle through and it hurt like nothing I have felt before, it was so painful. I even told her that I've never had a piercing hurt so much before and she said that was because the snug is the hardest piece of cartilage in your entire body, but if I could get that pierced I would have no trouble with anything else. Apparently we both spoke too soon.
Now it was time to remove my old nostril screw and replace it with the pretty new titanium one.. This ended up being a problem. My nose was already super sensitive due to the redness and bump, but to make matters worse it got stuck coming out of my nose and even though Lois tried to be gentle, it basically had to be yanked really quickly out. That became the most painful piercing experience, I almost told her not to put the new screw in it hurt so bad, but I didn't. So she put in the new nostril screw which hurt almost as much as taking the old one out and I got to look in the mirror. My nose was ridiculously red but I hoped for the best and that the redness would fade and my nose would go back to normal with no more constant redness or bump. I then looked at my snug and it was so pretty. Lois even told me she was impressed with how it looked since sometimes they end up looking funny or awkward.
Its only been a day and my snug is doing alright.. it was a little bloody when I woke up and is still a bit swollen but nothing unusual considering the wound I just inflicted on myself. My nose is still red but less sore.. although I'm expecting it be red for awhile longer seeing as how alot of trauma was inflicted upon it. But even with all the pain this was a worthwhile experience. I love my snug and Lois at Stigmata was so helpful and friendly. It was super impressive that she took it upon herself to inquire about my nose and then even went the extra distance of providing me with a free screw to test her metal allergy hypothesis. I will be back to visit her in a few days because she said she wanted to check on my nose, hopefully by then it will be getting better. I would definitely recommend Stigmata to anyone looking into getting a piercing, its a super clean shop with a lot of friendly piercers. Although my nostril was pierced by someone else at the shop, she still went the extra mile and let me know she was not happy with the placement of my first nostril piercing and offered to redo it before I had even gotten up to look in the mirror. Excellent place to get a piercing done.