Just days after this past new year, I found myself with some extra holiday cash around, and found myself browsing BME daily. Even though I was fantasizing about dermal punches and stretched piercings, I decided to keep things going slowly and get a regular piercing. My first time healing a piercing was quite lengthy, and unfortunately I came to realize that my body is not particular adept at dealing with strange pieces of metal through it. Once again, spur of the moment, I called a friend and asked if he wanted to give me a ride to get an errand done.
At A Glance Author drew Contact drew@bme.anon IAM sleazepleeze When Three months ago Artist Callee Studio Lark Vegas Location Albany, NY I had finally healed my conch piercing (at least most of the way) and needed a lobe piercing to match. Even though there were plenty of cheap options (along with plenty of "great" recommendations) I knew it was better to go to a proper piercing shop than to settle for a gunned piercing. Lark Vegas (on lark st.) had done a fine job on my conch piercing, and I decided to give them my patronage again.
When I walked in, the place was quite busy. There were people there asking for advice on how their piercing was healing, and plenty of people just browsing the jewelry and asking questions. I asked callee (the same woman who did my conch) If I could get a lobe piercing, 14 gauge, and she said the wait would be about 10 minutes. Unfortunately, she insisted on piercing me with a curved barbell, rather than a straight one as I wanted. I still don't know if her advice is sound (other piercers have told me she is outright wrong), but she insisted that a curved barbell (or circular) is the only way to heal the piercing straight (keep it from looking crooked).
This was my first time in their new building, and I was very pleased to see the new piercing room. It was huge, nicely decorated, and had a nice floor-to-cieling mirror to see how everything looked. She marked my ear, remarked it, and remarked it again (at my request). When i was finally satisfied with the placement, she got ready. She opened up newly autoclaved jewelry, and brand new bladed needles in front of me. After a glove change, she was ready to do the deed and told me to relax as she put the clamp on.
This was only the second piercing I had ever had, and my first (the conch) was quite painful and bloody. I was expecting the worst, but after a light clamping and a deep breath, the needle was through. It was a lot less painful than my last stabbing, and the sharp pain quickly subsided in the throbbing heat. The jewelry went through in a flash, and other than a little tugging while screwing on the ball, I was home free. When I got up to check it out in the mirror, I was slightly disappointed. The circular barbell that looked tiny in the display case was pretty large looking in my lobe. Either way, I was proud of myself, and psyched to be looking at a fresh piece of metal through my body once again. After a thorough aftercare routine speech, I paid my $50 and went on my way.
Unfortunately, the circular barbell proved to be amazingly irritating. For the two weeks I dealt with it, little movement would cause the thing to swing, and send a shock of pain through my ear. after any long amount of stillness, the ring would become stuck in is position, and the next movement would tug it free (still more pain). Eventually I noticed that the piercing seemed to be angled downward toward the back of my lobe, and the barbell was causing the hole in the front to be pulled down. Despite my best after-care efforts, the barbell was simply proving too much.
I found an old 10mm long surgical steel barbell of mine and decided I needed to change it. I cleaned the barbell as best I could (boiling water and a hot soapy soak) and got a pair of latex gloves. I soaked the lobe for a while to loosen it up, and struggled one of the balls off. I slowly slid it out and followed the barbell directly behind it. There was some blood, and i felt a little queasy from the procedure, but It was done. Immediately after another Salt soak, the lobe felt loads better. Although I know it is a poor choice to change jewelry so early into the healing process, and certainly suggest anyone who feels they need to have it changed for healing purposes contact their piercer to do it, Im happy I decided to switch it. It has healed quite straight and doesn't appear to have been hurt by healing with a straight barbell rather than curved.
Im happy to say that 3 months down the road, my lobe is basically fully healed. I've since switched painlessly to a blackline barbell and couldn't be happier. Im currently anxiously waiting for the next 3 months to pass, so I can start a slow stretch up to 8 or 6 gauge. I need to get my opposite lobe pierced to match, and can't wait to get those butterflies in my stomach in the piercing shop waiting room again!