After pestering my parents for my entire high school career, my parents finally decided that, at seventeen, I would be old enough for a second ear piercing. My father's logic was that I was going to get one at eighteen anyway, and if I got it while I was still at home, we could check out the reputation of the place together, and (though I didn't realize this motivation until later) my parents could be all over my case to clean the piercing twenty times a day.
At A Glance Author Mad Contact Mad@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Ann Studio Halo Piercing Location Phoenix, AZ, USA There was a piercing salon that had opened my freshman year next to an indie record store near my high school - I'd gone in a few times to look at jewelry, and the people were always very friendly and seemed knowledgeable. When I told my mother about the place, she thought it seemed like a good place to start. She then said I could get my ear pierced wherever I wanted, but only after I did a substantial amount of research.
I probably read about fifty different articles about piercing before deciding the basic, non-negotiables of my piercing. It would be done in a professional piercing place NOT a mall, it would be done with a needle, it would NOT be done if the piercer didn't answer all my questions, and it would be done in the upper helix of my right ear. My mother had been expecting double studs above the piercings I already had in my lobes, but after I explained to her all the research I'd done, she agreed.
First of all, Halo Piercing is extremely staunch about birth certificates - for my mother and I (who share a last name, and both have Arizona driver's licenses) this came as a shock. Apparently, many aunts and uncles share last names with their nieces and nephews and bring them in for piercings, leading to angry threats from parents. So the first time I went in, my mother and I had to leave, disappointed, but slightly heartened that the people were so thorough.
The second time, birth certificate in hand, my mother and I filled out several forms. The woman who was going to pierce me, Ann, asked me a number of questions about why I wanted my piercing and (as my friend who accompanied me later pointed out) essentially interviewed me about my responsibility. She pointed out that I seemed unaffected by peer pressure and smiled every time I assured my mother that I'd done copious amounts of research, but still explained things to her.
Ann took me into the back of the building with a number of utensils in individual plastic bags. We watched her sterilize absolutely everything a number of times, and she explained the nuances of the piercing - the possibilities of infections and ear collapse, the dangers of blunt stud piercing, the advantages of the needle, and a number of interesting personal anecdotes about her tattoos and piercings. She gave me all the information before piercing me, and I had about another twenty minutes to consider the facts, just in case I wanted to back out. She was wearing gloves the entire time
She wiped my ear with alcohol and dotted my ear with three marks to determine which I liked best. She gave me the pen to keep, pointing out that she pierced dozens of people a day and not everyone wanted something as clean as an ear... After this, she changed her gloves and put them in a trash receptacle with a top on it. She washed her hands in between gloves as well.
My mother cowered in the corner, looking away, but still asking questions. My friend Alex, however, sat across from me watching with interest. Ann massaged my ear and said I had a "good ear," meaning the needle should go through easily and healing time and complications would likely be minimal. She told me to take a deep breath, and as I did, I feel a prick on my ear.
The only thing I did was widen my eyes for a few seconds, and let my lower jaw drop. Alex giggled - I didn't cry or scream. The piercing was practically painless.
My mother and I signed some more forms, and by that night at my actual birthday dinner, my ear looked as though I'd had the piercing for months - it wasn't red or swollen at all.
Over the next few weeks, I have been religiously spraying H2Ocean on my piercing several times a day and cleansing with microbial soap when I shower. The people at Halo really prepared me for my piercing and, clearly, know their stuff.
If anyone is considering getting a helix, I highly recommend that you find a parlor with experienced piercers that uses titanium rings. Ask obscure questions - your piercer should know the answers. Ann knew the same amount of knowledge about piercing that you'd expect an ichthyologist to know about fish.
Make sure your piercer uses a needle, that the environment is sterile and the salon belongs to the APP. This will ensure the most pleasant, safest piercing experience possible - like mine.