I was finally eighteen years old, and it was time to do a piercing the right way. As a six year old, I had my ears pierced with a gun at the mall. They gave me problems for years, until I finally started wearing surgical steel or titanium jewelry as a teenager. As a fourteen year old, I had self pierced my ears a couple of times. Of course, they never healed, and I took them out a few months later.
At A Glance Author anonymous When A month ago Artist Bink Studio Body Piercing by Bink Location Tallahassee, FL But now, I was finally an adult. I could get anything pierced that I wanted, and I could do it the right way. I decided to simply get a second lobe piercing, both to test how well I heal and because I participate in various sports that could aggravate or rip out most piercings.
After class one day, I ran into my best friend, and we decided to head to "Body Piercing by Binks." I ate a snack on my way. The studio was very clean, and everything was shiny and smelled like hospital disinfectant. After entering, one walks into the lobby, and the piercing and tattoo areas are in their own separate rooms.
Upon arrival, I told the receptionist that I wanted a second piercing in each earlobe. I filled out paperwork, and she checked my ID and asked the logical questions: Are you allergic to latex? Have you eaten in the last 4 hours? Do you have any questions about the procedure? I picked out jewelry, one 16 gauge implant grade surgical steel CBR for each ear, and sat down on the lobby couch with my friends. We waited for a few minutes, just long enough for me to get nervous.
Bink got the room ready and laid out everything on a sterile tray; piercing needles, sterilized jewelry still in autoclave bags, lube, clamps, marking pen, etcetera. While wearing gloves, he cleaned my ears with something (I didn't see what, and at the moment, I was a little too giddy to ask), and then used a pen to mark where to pierce. It must have taken about a dozen tries before my friends and I were satisfied with the marks, but they finally looked even enough, and it was time for the actual piercing. He changed gloves again, and it was time to begin.
The only unfortunate thing about ear piercings is that I could not see the actual procedure, but I will try to describe the best I can.
Bink clamped my ear lobe and then used a q-tip with rubbing alcohol to remove the marking. He put lube on the piercing needle, and then slid the needle through my ear. It was only about two seconds before he had slid the CBR in and popped on the bead. I was holding my friend's hand the entire time, but it retrospect, it was totally unnecessary. It did hurt, but only for a few seconds, and not enough to take the smile off my face.
After looking at my new ear piercing in a mirror, Bink pierced the other lobe. He followed the same procedure, but used a new needle. Once again, it was over almost immediately.
I didn't bleed at all, and despite the fact that I often get lightheaded from shots at the doctor's office, I felt perfectly fine. I was advised to do saltwater soaks and wash with Satin soap twice a day, and told that it would take 6-8 weeks for initial healing. I thanked Bink and paid for my piercings at the front desk. It cost over $60 for both piercings and jewelry and the Satin soap, but it was worth it. I'd rather spend three times as much and avoid having my ears shot at with a piercing gun by some untrained girl at the mall. I've learned that lesson, thank you very much.
For the first couple of days my lobes were a little sore, especially if I slept on them. I was consistent with aftercare for the first couple of weeks, but I've slowly started to slack. I've pretty much quit doing the saltwater soaks and I just wash them once a day now. However, I have healed quite well. Now, a little over a month later, my right lobe seems pretty much fully healed, and my left one just has a few crusties now and then.
I'm hard on my piercings due to both unavoidable causes (sleeping on them, headphones in the school language lab) and my own stupid mistakes (hitting myself in the ear with a baseball, slamming my arm into my ear while tumbling), but I've had far less problems with my professionally done ear piercings than I had with my other piercings in the past.
From now on, all my piercings will be done professionally and I certainly recommend "Body Piercing by Bink" at "Advance Tattoo." Everyone was approachable and friendly, and I am quite pleased with my piercings and how they have healed.