At A Glance
Author	Jemma
Contact	Jemma@bme.anon
IAM	NeutronLIAR
When	It just happened
Artist	Myself
Studio	My house
Location	Manchester, UK

Sometimes I can't really explain why I have some of my piercings done. I, like most of the people here, just like piercings, and sometimes I don't feel I have to justify to people why I get pierced.

But I do however feel that I should explain why I chose to do my next piercing myself. I did it for a few reasons actually, the first because being a student, I don't have a lot of money. And whatever money I do have gets spent on stuff for college and room rental money for band practise. The second was that for some odd reason, I don't like people prodding around my ears, when oddly enough, I have 2 scaffolds done by my piercer and I'm planning on a tragus piercing by him soon. The third [but not the last] reason was actually because of an article by Shannon Larratt which I had read. Most importantly the quote "I'm not even sure that I'd be comfortable with a piercer that hasn't pierced themselves at least once." As I'm sure quite a few BMEers would like to, I'd like to eventually be a professional body piercer, and I figured you have to start somewhere, right?

I kept toying with the idea for a while and it wasn't until I signed up to eBay [I know, of all places, right?] a few weeks ago that I went in search of some supplies so I could give myself a couple more lobe piercings. Monday 23rd October rolled round. I looked around on some eBay stores and found a sale for 6 Introcan 14ga/1.6mm needles which I immediately bought. I also bought a box of 100 Sterets pre-injection swabs [not from eBay] and had my dad get me a box of latex gloves and some new kitchen roll. I also bought a 10mm titanium straight barbell from bodyjewelleryshop.com and waited for everything to be delivered.

Wednesday morning I woke up and went straight downstairs to check the post but I'd missed the postman so I scheduled to have my stuff re-delivered for the next day. So today, Thursday came and luckily I woke up just before the postman came. He came, and I signed for everything and ran upstairs...only to find everything EXCEPT the barbell had been delivered. Didn't surprise me though as I've had trouble with the site before. I figured I'd have to wait another day...

Until at about 9 tonight and I realised that I had a 14ga 10mm BCR, still in a sealy which I bought ages ago and never used. I hunted around for it and then rushed downstairs to the dining room table like a little kid runs downstairs on Christmas day. I scrubbed my hands in the kitchen, gloved up and then set out all the stuff I'd need:
a few sheets of paper towels laid down to lay everything on
box of gloves
3 Sterets wipes
BCR
and the needle, still in it's packet.

I've watched my piercer do a lot of piercings on me, so I was pretty confident in what I was doing. I changed my gloves and opened up one of the Sterets wipes and cleaned off my ear lobe, both front and back. I then opened the packet of the needle and tipped the needle itself onto the sheets of paper towel. I changed gloves again, and then took the needle out of the big plastic cap/cover. I only wanted to pierce one of my ears in the end, so I didn't think it would be necessary to mark a spot out, so I looked in the big mirror on the wall and positioned the needle to my lobe, about 6mm above my 14mm tunnel. I had in my head that I'd go for the "inhale, pierce on the exhale" method that my piercer uses, but that changed as soon as I'd inhaled and started to push the needle. I didn't want to go too fast as I wasn't using a clamp, plus I didn't want to stab myself in the neck as the needle is pretty damn long. So, I gently, but with some force, pushed the needle through. In a way, I was expecting this piercing to hurt like fuck because I was doing it myself, but i just felt like a dull burning sensation which wasn't so bad, much like most other piercings. This helped as it essentially meant I could go as slow as I needed, but within between 5 and 10 seconds I felt [and saw in the mirror] the needle pass all the way through. I pulled the needle out which left me with the cannula poking out of my ear.

I felt pretty pleased with myself in an odd way, but it was time to carry on. I changed gloves again, took out the ring from the sealy and cleaned it with another Sterets wipe. Just to be on the safe side. I pushed part of the ring into the cannula, and then I both pulled the cannula and pushed the ring through the new hole in my ear. This was probably the hardest part of the procedure, as it's a pretty small bead on the ring and I had to first actually fit the outer part of my ear lobe through into the inside of the ring first which meant squishing my ear around a bit. But I did get it through in the end, pulled the cannula off and stuck in the bead. I was expecting some blood because it seems my last 5 or so piercings have bled quite a bit, but I only got a couple of drops. I changed gloves and opened the last Sterets wipe to clean the little patch of blood off of my ear and I was finished!

With the biggest smile on my face, I put the needle back in it's plastic cover and shoved it in an empty Lucozade bottle ready to take to my doctors tomorrow. I'd phoned them and asked them whether they could dispose of any used needles I had and luckily they'd said I could. I cleared everything else up and cleaned up the table.

I must say that I got a bigger rush then I ever have had before from a piercing, but that was probably because it was my first time piercing...well...anything. And I was piercing myself.

Overall, I'm very pleased with how my new piercing turned out and it certainly saved me a bit of cash, though I'd happily pay my piercer double for the good work he does.

I'm gonna finish by saying that there's no point saying "I wouldn't recommend DIY piercing" because for that to happen, I would have to of had a bad result. Plus, like me, people are still going to do it regardless of that people say. One thing I will say though is to use proper needles, jewellery, wear gloves and keep everything as clean as possible. And definitely DON'T bloody use a gun!