Being a freshman in college, I was yearning to do something that my parents never would have condoned in high school - my choice of rebellious action? Piercing, of course. Now, being an operatic soprano, I had to keep in mind that yes, I am a performer, and there can be a huge stigma against people with piercings in this industry. There goes the septum I was lusting after...
At A Glance Author Rainelle Contact Rainelle@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Jason Studio New Breed Tattoo and Body Piercing Location Bloomington, IN Anyway, my best friend was back in town for a few weeks on winter break, and she'd never had her ears pierced. I had decided earlier that I wanted a helix piercing, since they're discreet and cute. So I talked her into getting her ears pierced at a real studio instead of Claire's (having done a lot of research beforehand on bmezine.com, of course).
So the lucky night came along. We trudged downtown in the freezing rain, only to be told that the piercer, Jason, wasn't in... it would be about an hour. So we went to a little pizza joint on the other side of the square, chilling before the experience.
We headed back, fairly excited. I should preface this by saying that when I had my lobes pierced, they were done at a Claire's. I was 9 years old, and it hurt like hell, and I had serious complications with infections afterward. So I had no idea what to expect from a real studio, especially seeing as my pain tolerance is nil. Seriously.
New Breed was very clean and welcoming, with beautiful artwork on the walls, tattoo and otherwise. Feng shui fountains complimented the peaceful, Eastern decor. The predominant colors were red and black, and everyone seemed very friendly, and heavily modded :) After filling out the necessary paperwork and having things approved, Jason called me back.
I stepped into the room, not feeling as nervous as I'd supposed I would. He had a very comfortable, red leather dentist's chair in the middle of a sterile room, with clean, prepackaged and autoclaved instruments. He was meticulous about his gloves, and explained every step of the process.
So it came time for the actual piercing. I pulled my hair back, and he marked it -- perfectly, of course. I was happy with the placement, so he had me lie down, my fragile ear ready to be pierced. He had his apprentice with him, and he explained how to proceed with the least amount of pain to the piercee. Then on the count of three he shoved the needle through my cartilage and got the jewelry out of its sterile package. It was absolutely painless. I'm thinking that because my ear was still slightly numbed from the cold, the pain was severely lessened, but even so, he had a very steady hand and obviously knew what he was doing. He slipped the jewelry in, which didn't hurt either, but when he started screwing the ball on the CBR, he had a bit of trouble. It began to hurt slightly at that point, but nothing I couldn't handle. Eventually, he got it screwed on, went over aftercare procedures, and called my friend in.
I was, needless to say, ecstatic. I thought it was adorable, and complemented the curve of my ear. I was grinning like a fool all night. I followed his aftercare procedures to the T.... for about a month. I gently nudged away the "crusties", the lymph that is exuded during healing, with a damp Q-tip and soaped up with antibacterial soap, running the CBR through the piercing to make sure it got clean, and rinsing diligently. He didn't stress soaking the piercing, and said it would heal in 6-8 weeks at most. The first time I cleaned it I thought I would vomit. I was literally squatting on my bathroom floor, sure I was going to be sick from the pain. It was so unexpected, since I hadn't really felt anything since the piercing. But cleaning got easier as the days went by. I never touched it with unwashed hands, I didn't wear hats that would restrict it, etc.... Then I got impatient, and thought it was "mostly" healed, so surely it would be all right to sleep on it and fool with it a little bit -- WRONG. Now I'm dealing with a slight infection that hurts like hell. I'm keeping it clean and soaking it, so I'm sure it'll heal, but let me tell you, don't fool with a piercing. ESPECIALLY when it's not fully healed yet. God, just paste "idiot" onto my forehead...
Anyway, I had a wonderful experience and would highly recommend the helix piercing, and Jason at New Breed to anyone interested. He was professional and calming, very nice. I may be in pain now, but I know once it heals up again, it'll be a nice addition to my body.