I never thought it would come; Me getting my ears pierced let alone scalpelled, but today it has.
At A Glance Author Zac Contact zacbenson@aol.com When It just happened Artist Graham Studio Hollier Than Thou Location Manchester, United Kingdom I've been thinking about getting something in my lobes for such a long time and I have always been apprehensive due to work. When I was 16 I got my lobes pierced with a gun (I know don't say it!) but I never wore jewellery in them much because they just didn't look right. I wasn't sure if the old piercing were going to be a problem, but Graham assured me they shouldn't cause problems.
Well I took two weeks holiday and decided that was the right time get them done as it would give them time to start healing but due to illness on both sides, my appointment was cancelled, rearranged and then rearranged again but I was sure Monday 19th March was going to be the day.
The weather forecast for the previous day (Sunday) was snow and when I got up out of bed Monday morning, the ground was covered. My appointment was for 10:45 so I decided to set off early to ensure I was not late but on the way from Manchester from Sheffield, the road said closed due to excessive amounts of snow.... bollocks to that. I have a 4 wheel drive car and decided to risk going along a closed road. I was amazed that there was more snow on the local road than the A57 (Snake Pass).
I arrived in Manchester early which was not a bad thing and made my way, after parking the car to Hollier Than Thou to see Graham. I've met him a few times before and found him a really nice guy. After chatting with him for a while, he showed me to the piercing room and explained what was what and how the procedure would be done. After than we chatted some more and then we went through to get the procedure done.
He had all the stuff he needed laid out in sterilized packages and then started to clean my lobes. He applied some iodine and then mark my ears up. After we had agreed placement, he had me lie down on the bench which was also covered in sterilized paper and got to clamping my ears. I hate pain and am always apprehensive getting stuff done from a mod perspective but the most painful part of the whole procedure was getting my ears clamped. The left was a little more painful because it was the first one and the size wasn't right with the first few cuts, but after a short period of time I was amazed that the jewellery was in and I was sitting up looking in the mirror at my new ear piercing. Now onto the right lobe; This was the easiest but when the jewellery was put in, it wouldn't stop bleeding. After about five minutes the bleeding had stopped and Graham started to clean me up. The guy is meticulously clean and so is the studio so I knew infection would never be an issue and that I would be happy with the results, but looking into the mirror for the first time I was over the moon. My new 8mm tunnels looked sweet in my ears. I now need to get then settled down and healed a little so the small amount of bleeding and crusties go and I can get better jewellery in.
I left the studio with the after care instructions and went back to my car to find a parking ticket ! lol. So the procedure cost £30 more due to that !. It should cost £60 but if I pay within 14 days I get a discount - WTF.
On the way home I stopped off at the bank to pay some bills and whilst at the counter, I looked down to see blood dripping on the counter. The bank was full and I felt a little bad with blood dripping down my face and only my clothes. The assistant saw what was happening and was cool about it and got me some tissue which I placed around my ear and kept it in place by my slouchy beanie. Now I'm at home, everything looks sweet. I've cleaned my ears with some warm water and there seems to be now problems. The bleeding has stopped and everything looks so sweet. It feels strange having jewellery in my lobes. The jewellery isn't heavy but what with the swelling, throbbing and the weight of the tunnels, things feel a little strange in a good way; I love new sensations !.
I would recommend getting them scalpelled and certainly Graham at Hollier Than Thou in Manchester OR you can catch him sometimes in Sheffield at Thou Art. Either way if you want more info or advise from me, email me at ZacBenson@aol.com