Like just about every other girl alive, I'm equipped with the standard lobe piercings applied via gun at the local shopping mall. At one stage in my foolish adolescence, I decided to have a few more lobe piercings added, but one of them happened to be in cartilage territory and, unbeknownst to me at the time, piercing that area with a gun is a foolish idea. The new holes lasted about two months before I tired of not being able to wear headphones/sleep on that side/brush my hair etc and I removed them. They promptly healed over.
At A Glance Author Ashram Contact Ashram@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Melissa Studio Exotic Location Australia So, four years later, I finally rallied up the courage to get a new piercing. In the interim, I'd done some research and realised that not only should I go to a proper, respectable, sanitary place to have it done, but that also there was a much wider variety of piercings to be had than just the lobes. Even after reading the many and varied stories here on BME about how potentially painful the anti-tragus can be, I decided that that was what I wanted and that I'd go for it despite having a non-existent pain threshold. Others with this particular piercing will probably agree with me that they look totally badass and their rarity is only more of an attraction.
Though I was a little afraid to go into a professional piercing place alone and somewhat worried that I might feel or look a bit out of place there, I went in anyway and found the staff to be super friendly and welcoming. I decided on a ring rather than a bar, as I happen to think they look a bit nicer, although some have told me that they can be more uncomfortable. My piercer happened to be a very lovely young lady who was not only extremely professional but also a lot of fun to chatter with. Into the chair, I approved of the position she marked out for me, and then I was asked to close my eyes and the countdown began.
The needle went in. Ouch! I knew this was meant to be a painful location but I wasn't expecting it to hurt quite so much. Even my gun piercings hadn't hurt so much as this one. I didn't hear any crackling or popping like others have reported, but then I was perhaps a bit too busy concentrating on not moving around or shrieking at that point. The jewellery followed and that hurt just as much, but I knew it was almost over by then and managed to relax long enough for the ball to be screwed on.
I must have sat there in that chair for about 8-10 minutes while my piercer cheerfully mopped the freely flowing blood away with a handful of cotton tips. Finally the bleeding subsided and I hopped up to have a look - it was love at first sight. (Even half a week later, I look adoringly at it in the mirror and wonder which piercings would look good alongside it)
Out I wandered into the world, and it was at about this point that I realised that I hadn't eaten in around eight hours. Walking through a bookstore I began to feel rather lead-legged and slowed and I wondered whether this was due to the piercing, the lack of food or a combination thereof. Let this be a warning; don't go in and have holes made in your skin without eating a good breakfast beforehand!
The piercing proved to be relatively painless after the initial shock, and though it still hurts on and off four days later, most of the time I can't feel it at all. This has turned out to have its downsides - I keep forgetting that it's there and stick my fingers in my ear to scratch or shift my hair out of my face. It's also not entirely painless - sometimes it'll throb dully for hours, other times it'll sting or itch; I woke on the second night due to the pain and in the morning discovered blood in my ear and on my pillow case.
I'm hoping the healing process continues to be as smooth as it has been so far - I don't mind the pain, I'm just hoping no infection occurs. I've been cleaning twice daily with saline, so hopefully it'll all go well. Now, to decide on what to have pierced next...
Why did I want a piercing? To tell the truth, I'm still not sure, even though I've been planning this one for over four years. Body modification is still an alien and entirely new world to me, and though I'm enjoying the experience, I still wonder if I'm doing it for myself or just because I never had a rebellious youth and am trying to make up for it. For now, I think I'll be happy in the simple knowledge that I don't regret the decision.