At A Glance
Author	ThePsycho
Contact	john@scurvydog.ws
IAM	ThePsycho
When	A month ago
Artist	Myself
Studio	At Home
Location	Afton, Wyoming, USA

I first decided I wanted to get my tongue pierced when I was a 13 years old... I was not able to fulfill my desire until I was almost 17. This, I'm afraid, was mostly due to to parental issues, and people filling my head with lies about how "bad" tongue piercings are.

Since I was 13 I have been researching everything about tongue, and other piercings. Things such as placement, procedure, risks, sterilization, aftercare, etc. It was not until 3, almost 4 years later that I was convinced that I was going to get my tongue pierced. I talked to my parents about my desire, and also told them how much I have been researching the subject, and that I had decided to get it done. I asked them if they would please let me get it done professionally so I Would not have to do it myself. They refused, however, to give me any support in the area.

That is why I was forced to perform the procedure myself. So I went online and found the highest quality sterile tools and jewelry to do it with, and spent the next week while I was waiting for the accessories to arrive rearranging my life to better suite the healing of the piercing. The accessories I ordered were:
Slotted Pennington Forceps
14 gauge piercing needle w/ needle holding forceps
5/8" Titanium Barbell with 7mm balls
9/16" Titanium Internally threaded barbell with 4mm balls
Sea Salt
Hibiclens (to clean hands before procedure)
and gloves.

When the accessories arrived I was extremely excited. I couldn't wait to get it done, but nevertheless I took my time and seriously considered what placement I wanted / needed. I already knew that I wanted it closer to the tip than the average for oral sex on women. With that in mind I spent a lot of time considering what I had learned about placement and made my marks.

Now, I would like to say this about DIY tongue piercings; even if you have the knowledge, it is still hard to get the right placement when your full of adrenaline, and your trying to do it in a mirror! With that in mind, the first time I tried to get the right placement I failed miserably. I pierced going from the bottom-up, and it turned out crooked. I pulled the needle out, there was very little bleeding and the hole sealed up almost instantly. I took a deep breath, reconsidered what I was doing, and placed my marks again.

When I tried the second time a few minutes later, I was actually more relaxed, less shaky, and confident. I decided to pierce it from the top to bottom, figuring that that would be easier to do in a mirror. It was, the placement turned out great, and I put the jewelry in. The swelling was not bad the first night, and the barbell fully compensated for it.

Over the next 4 weeks I followed a STRICT aftercare routine which I did not ever skip for any reason. The piercing never got infected, swelling was minimal (probably due to not "Locking" the clamps,) and I never had much discharge. I changed the jewelry after 2 weeks, and have been very happy with it ever since.

One of the biggest reasons I considered not getting my tongue piercing was tooth damage. I only had a problem with this when it was healing and I had the longer barbell with bigger balls in, which made it difficult to chew and not bite the barbell. But once I switched it to a shorter bar and smaller balls, I hardly even notice it is there unless I want to.

I'm very happy I did what I did, even if it was not the smartest or most comforting experience. I do recommend you try and re-create what I have done, nor am I saying it was a smart thing to do. However, I do encourage you to really do your research if you are wanting to get a piercing. Never let anyone else make a decision about your own body. It's your body, make your own decisions. That is what I believe, and that is what made me able to follow through with what I wanted. The feeling of getting something that I had wanted for so long, and doing it all on my own, was incredible. Not spiritual, because I am not that way, but very amazing.

I hope that my experience will not give motivation to those thinking about doing their own piercing, but motivation to simply get the piercing; safely. Do your research, then make your decision, whatever it may be. As as last note I would just like to say, whether you believe you can or you can't, either way you are right.