I had wanted an Industrial for about 6 months, ever since I saw the amazing pictures on BME. I usually went through a phase of liking certain piercings and then going off them but this piercing was different!
At A Glance Author Jinxy Contact Jinxy@bme.anon When Three months ago Studio The Tattoo and Piercing Studio Location Bell Green, Sydenham I had been begging my dad to let me get it done for about a month, and every time he told me the same thing. "Not until your 16!!" but I kept on at him.... Deliberately trying to make him sick of me asking, so he would let me! Finally, after pestering him all day, he was in a good mood [which is rare!] and said I could have it done if I took full responsibility for the Consequences. So, of course I said hell yes!
The next day, went to get it done...I was originally going to go to a
well-known studio, in Croydon and they charged £35 for the industrial...Which, I thought was an ok price for the two holes I was going to get. But, being the impatient person I am, on the way to a friend's house, I went past a studio in Bell Green and I just couldn't wait any longer! My legs were shaking a bit but I was willing to go through with it.
The place was very clean and as I walked in I could hear a tattoo being done, which put me more at ease because it felt like, 'well I'm not the only one going through this kind of thing right now..' We asked for the piercer and a man jumped up from his chair with a big smile on his face...It kind of scared me at first because he looked a little TOO eager to punch holes in my skin than I thought he should be! My mum [who was thankfully with me] told me to follow and we went into a little white room, with one of those doctor's beds. I was a little worried because I thought it should have been covered with something and it wasn't, but then seeing all the certificates on the wall made me feel better.
I told the guy what I wanted done, and which ear, as I sat on the bed and my mum took the seat across from me. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get it done; apparently you have to have a certain type of ear...But, luckily, he laughed and said that mine was fine and I wasn't an elf or anything!
He took ages, talking to me and preparing everything...I watched as it was autoclaved and I felt really reassured.
He spent at least 5 minutes, marking where the holes would go and measuring the angle where the bar would be.
He let me check it as much as I wanted. We changed the position of the marking about 5 times. He was really patient and helped make sure I was sure I wanted the bar there. I asked, "Why couldn't the top hole be closer to my scalp"? And he told me that as I have long hair, it's likely to really irritate it when it's healing and rub a lot. It's much better to have the bar a little bit further away from the head.
He then cut a thin piece of plastic tube [PTFE] and told me I can't have a metal bar for around 3 months, as it's not flexible enough for a new Industrial piercing. The PTFE is better to sleep on than having a piece of metal in your ear until it's healed.
I thought you were not meant to put anything but metal in a new piercing. I have learnt there are other safe, hygienic materials that can be used.
During this time my mum was filling out the consent form because I'm only 15, not 16 yet!
We must have been talking for about 10 minutes and I asked all the questions that had been bugging me...I think I gave him a run for his money to be honest. It's good to know\ask everything, after all, the piercing is going to be on your body not theirs!
Here are some things I asked:
- How long will it take to heal? "About 2 months, depending on how much blood supply your body gives the area."
- Where can I get jewellery? "You have to get an industrial bar custom made after the PTFE one. Nearly every ear length is different. Your ear will have to be measured so the bar isn't too tight or too long and heavy".
- Do you pierce with one long spike and carry it through to the second hole, or two separate needles? " 2 separate needles"
- Will I get small bumps on the holes when they have healed up? "No, your likely to get bumps if your cartilage is pierced with a gun or you don't do proper aftercare".
"DO NOT GET PIERCED WITH A GUN - because it damages the surrounding tissue, it's better to pierce with needles for that reason."
- What size jewellery am I going to be able to put in it? "1.6mm"
- What's the difference between an INDUSTRIAL and a SCAFFOLD piercing? "They are the same, you can just call it one name or the other."
So, at this stage I had stopped shaking and I felt so excited to be able to finally get it done. I watched him get the needles out of the packet and place them on a tray. He changed his gloves again and then cleaned down my ear with this stuff that was blue and smelt like antiseptic. I liked the smell; it made me feel like the procedure was going to be hygienic!
He kept asking if I was okay and he said, "I'm going to do the top hole first".
I tried not to smile, which was strange, because I was really pleased about getting it done so I wanted to. Also, I decided to sit on my hands, because I didn't want to flinch, lash out or tear my ear! It helped a lot so I do actually advise it!
He clamped my ear and told me to take a deep breath. I knew what was coming next.
The first needle went through, and it felt like it was really slow...I can only describe it as a very sharp pinch. It made my ear feel quite hot, but not burning. He got the second needle and I thought. ' Oh no this will hurt more because my ears already been pierced once'.
Well, it did hurt more but not much more and it was bearable. Next, he sprayed the PTFE bar again with antiseptic. It was the same size as the jewellery I was eventually going to put in it. [1.6mm]
[NOTE: The bar should be about 2cm longer than your actual ear to make up for swelling].
He started to push it through and this really hurt a lot more than the actual piercing! It was bearable but it wasn't nice because it was rubbing on an open wound as it were. It felt like my ear had been torn and something was pulling it harder. I took a deep breath and clenched my teeth a bit. My ear started to burn and felt very sore but I didn't even care because I had done it! ALMOST!
The guy [who was really nice and made me relaxed through out the whole procedure] kept saying, "Are you okay?" and that I was being really brave.
Which I was!
He gave me a few seconds break before he put the tube through the top hole. Unluckily for me the bar slipped out of the bottom hole so I had to have it put back in again but it was over quickly enough!
I actually said to him "Is it done yet?" and he said that it was already through. I couldn't even feel it go through, I think my ear was a bit numb by then. He screwed the stainless steel balls on the end and it was done!
He told me:
"Now you wanted this piercing, so what you are going to do for me is look after it well. Don't use any lotions or creams on it, nothing but salt water [Saline solution] twice a day until it's healed totally". He also went through all the aftercare instructions with me and told me not to touch my piercing and to be careful when washing my hair.
I thanked him and had a quick look at my new improved ear! I loved it and couldn't wait until I could wear metal jewellery in it.
I paid him £45! Which I thought; OH NO! More than the other place! But, for the service I got I was more than happy to pay more money.
I would recommend that place to anyone in the London area as I am very pleased with my results.
Just wanted to say, if anyone's thinking about getting an INDUSTRIAL, be BRAVE and go for it! In my opinion it's well worth it if you get it done properly and with a needle NOT a gun.
Just remember to look after it, no matter how annoying and time consuming it feels! I will definitely be getting more piercings in the future and I can't wait!
I have now had this piercing for 3 months and it's coming along wonderfully.
Although, I noticed two small red bumps around the holes at about 6 weeks. I thought it was a keloid as I'm sure a lot of people do. In my case it wasn't, it was just a little bit of scarring. If you come across this problem, the way to TOTALLY get rid of the bumps is to:
- Buy some 'Pure Tea Tree Oil' (Don't worry about diluting it, it won't harm you). And put it on the bumps twice daily, and rub it in with cotton buds after your salt soaks. It took about a month to get rid of them. Just be patient and keep at it because it does work!
If anyone would like to contact me to ask me anything about my experience, feel free to E-mail and I will try to reply and help you out as much as I can.
Good luck and happy piercing! xxx