I got the conch of my right ear done roughly two months ago.
At A Glance Author Arlie Contact Arlie@bme.anon When A month ago Artist - Studio Cold Steel Location Camden High Street, London. I'd wanted a piercing for ages but I'm one of those people who rarely gets things like that done, and I couldn't decide on which piercing to get. So one day in the half term holidays, me and a friend were out and had been messed about by our late friends so I was in a bit of a bad mood and I thought, hey, I'm in Camden, why not get a piercing. I was slightly worried about where to go because when I think of piercings and Camden I tend to think of un-sterilised needles and scary men in tattoos. I was very wrong. Luckily my friend had had some piercings done in Camden (tragus, tongue) so she showed me what she thought (and I think the same) to be the best place to get pierced.
It was some really hidden place close by the Lock and I was pretty nervous about what I'd find once I was inside the place, however it was clean, well designed, and my mind was put slightly more at rest. I spoke to one of the guys who worked there; glad to see he had plenty of piercings. Personally, I would never get a piercing done by someone who had none themselves. I asked about getting my conch done because I liked the fact that it was quite rare and not too in-your-face. I also had to ask him about the risk of infection (I'm like that), and he assured me it had been years since he'd seen someone get an infection with this particular piercing. I was also quite pleased with the fact that they checked my age with proper id seeing as I'm only 16. (I had my oyster card on me thank goodness). I could tell they were legit. So I booked appointment for half an hour later after a quick few questions (i.e. had I eaten within however many amount of hours, had I drank alcohol or taken any drugs in the past 24 hours etc).
We came back half an hour later and I was told to wait in the seating area and fill out a consent form whilst the guy who was piercing my ear set up the room. About 5-10 minutes later the guy came out and told me to follow him, and probably the worst bit of the whole thing, my friend had to stay downstairs while I got my piercing- why, I still don't really understand? Too much of a distraction? I don't know. I think I actually preferred it that way, looking back on it.
Anyway, we went up to a small, clean room with one of those dentist-type chairs in the middle and he cleaned my ear and marked out where he was going to do the piercing so I could check in the mirror if I liked the placing of it- he had placed it so that I could still put earphones in once the piercing was healed, which I thought was quite nice of him. I have to admit, I didn't even really look at the mirror, just pretended I thought it was the right place for it to be- I didn't have a clue what would be best. Plus, my nerves were getting the better of me slightly; my face was already feeling quite hot and turning red- horrible. So, he adjusted the chair so that I was lying flat and told me what he was going to do, and checked how I was feeling. He told me he wanted me to take deep breaths, but me being too proud to show any fear carried on breathing normally, and he just said, 'seriously, take some deep breaths', so I did, and I am quite grateful for it. I've read other peoples' accounts of getting their conch pierced and generally, mine seems to be quite different to theirs. I wasn't asked what type of bar I wanted them to use, nor told the size, which didn't really matter because I wouldn't have remembered anyway. I also heard no crunching sound as the needle broke through the cartilage, but that may have just been because the feeling was so strange. It probably took about 2-4 seconds maximum for the needle to go fully through, and I could feel it moving as if it was hitting layers of cartilage? I'm not an expert on the anatomy of the ear so I don't know, but that's what it felt like. It all seemed to flow from one thing to another though- like, I couldn't tell when the bar went through my ear following the needle. It was all done in a minute, probably even less, and I have to admit, it did hurt. The deep breathing was a slight distraction, so I recommend it. Not to sound too full of myself, but I think I handled it pretty well- I didn't cringe, cry, scream, and the guy who pierced me said I handled it pretty well, but he may have just said it out of politeness. He told me to sit up slowly in case I felt dizzy and that was the end of the piercing process. The piercer also told me that the conch is the most painful piercing you can get (whether he meant for ears or piercings in general, I don't know) but he tends not to tell anyone before they get it done as surprisingly it can put people off. But it really wasn't that bad, and it was definitely worth it. I asked the guy a few questions about after care etc and the main thing he told me was that as long as I cleaned the piercing regularly there should be no problems. I went and bought some aftercare solution they have specially made for their shop and I couldn't stop smiling as I left the building and I just wanted to tell everyone about what I'd had done. I did feel a faint throb in my ear for an hour or a two, and my ear felt quite hot, but other than that, nothing was bothering me. For about a week or just under it did hurt if I happened to knock it and I could I clean it twice a day with the solution I bought and I suggest using a cotton bud, as it's the easiest method of cleaning. It's really tempting to twist the bar but I know I shouldn't, so I'll carry on with the aftercare process that was given to me on a sheet before I left for a few months. Just in case.
I love having my conch pierced, and peoples' faces when they notice where I had my piercing done are priceless. And the top two questions I guarantee you will hear (if you're 16 anyway) are 1) 'Did it hurt?' And 2) 'What did your mum say?'. She actually didn't react too badly, she said she didn't understand it, but now she likes it, as does everyone else I've encountered, friends, family, and strangers alike. I love showing it off and now wear my hair up a lot more often than I used to. Now I just need to decide on what piercing to get next seeing as all else I'd had done was the typical ear lobes. Maybe even the conch on my left ear....