Approximately 2 years ago, I decided that large gauge cartilage piercings were by far one of the most aesthetically pleasing modifications that one can possibly do to one's body. Obviously, this made me somewhat partial to the piercings.
At A Glance Author Danny Contact Danny@bme.anon IAM danny.frost When It just happened Artist Alan Studio Ground Zero Location Muncie, IN Fast forward about a year and a half, and I was suddenly debating on when to get the punches done. I decided that both of my piercers, Alan and Marea, would do one of my punches apiece. After the first one had been performed, it left me feeling somewhat empty, due to the fact that I've craved symmetry on my ears since I first began stretching my lobes.
Another 6 months down the road, the first punch had finally healed after I downsized the piercing, and I felt I was ready to get the second flat punched since I now had a pain free ear to sleep on at night during the healing process.
I told Alan of my plans, since Marea had performed the first punch in May. Plans were made, as well as broken on one particular weekend, and another date was set for when my girlfriend and myself would show up at the shop to get some work done.
On the day of November 25, we decided to set out at around 1 pm. We arrived in Muncie, IN at about 2:30, and quickly made our way to Ground Zero. Alan greeted us, and we discussed various topics for about a half hour before deciding to get started with our day.
First up was the jewelry choice. I went with a standard blue sparkle Glasswear Studios colorfront plug, because I'd forgotten my Industrial Strength glass plug back in my dorm room before leaving for Thanksgiving break. He grabbed both myself and Dom's jewelry choices and took them back to the piercing room to put them in the autoclave.
Around this point, it was decided that Dom would be going first, since I'm horrible at dealing with pain (great hobby to choose, huh?). After her punch was done, it was my turn, and the nervousness kicked in fully.
After examining my other ear, Alan placed a large purple dot on the exact same spot on my right ear. I checked it out, and OK'd the placement. I was instructed to lay down on table/bed, and a blue bib was placed around my right ear. The normal cleaning routine took place, and many a glove was thrown away.
After the cleaning was over with, I began to calm myself into a meditative state. The punch was placed against the mark on my ear, and I was told to begin breathing deeply. Doing so, I demanded he not do it many times. After what was probably an hour later, I was extremely nervous, anxious, and thinking to myself how bad the punch was going to hurt, and how it would bleed for a long time afterwards, as I did with my first flat punch.
The anticipation eventually got to me completely, and I decided it was time. It was determined that he would punch on the first deep inhalation, as opposed to the original three breaths I wanted. My anxiety rose even more as I began to breathe very shallowly, trying to delay the inevitable. Unfortunately, I'd willingly put myself in the position, so I felt I absolutely HAD to do this. I resumed my meditation, shifting positions on the table a few times to find a comfortable position that would not make my arm fall asleep.
Finally, it was time, and I took an extremely deep breath in. I was instructed to exhale slowly, and as I began, I felt an immense amount of pressure on the upper cartilage of my ear. After about a second of extreme pain, there was a large rush of relief as the punch made its way completely through my ear.
Obviously, I bled..but not nearly as bad as last time. This punch had gone directly through a vein, which is why it was surprising to me that I didn't bleed that much.
Jewelry was inserted without me even knowing about it. I looked up, and was informed that the jewelry was in and that all that was left to do was put the o-ring on the plug.
He put it on extremely tightly to help stop the bleeding, and it worked, surprisingly.
After another minute or two of laying down, I decided it was time to finally get up and look at my newest addition; it was absolutely perfect, to say the least.
We went out to the lobby to hang out for a little while, and after having some dermal anchors put in, we were set to go. The drive home was quite interesting, as I kept having to be extremely careful while trying to look around the seat to look at traffic behind my car..I know I knocked it at least 4 times doing this, and my ear was absolutely pissed by the time I got back home. I took a shower almost immediately after arriving, and my ear felt much better, though it was still trickling a minute amount of blood at this point.
I'm currently 4 days into the healing process, and so far it's going fairly well. My usual aftercare is the LITHA method, with an occasional washing with some Satin, and this time was no different. It is still quite tender, and very difficult to sleep on if I happen to roll over.
Honestly, I recommend punches for just about anything involving cartilage; the lack of pressure feels absolutely amazing, as opposed to the uncomfortable feeling that some cartilage piercings tend to give due to the fact that cartilage isn't very stretchy.
I personally love these piercings, but they're definitely not for everyone..I suggest avoiding them if you have a low pain threshold, as it can be quite an intense procedure, both during the actual punching and the healing process itself.