A few years ago, the thought of a facial piercing never even crossed my mind. I have been into ear/cartilage piercing ever since I had my ears pierced (which has been a long time). However, my ears eventually ran out of space for holes. I also thought that, "hey, I should live a little."
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When It just happened Artist John Studio Black Hole Body Piercing Location Portland, OR, USA What got me into getting my nostril pierced was a friend of mine. We were just about to have finals and Heather was like, "let's do something crazy after finals, I'm going to get my nose pierced, you wanna come with me?" At that point, having my nostril pierced did not even come to mind. I was going to go with her and I was going to get another piercing in the cartilage. Finals week came, and I decided not for the most STUPID reason. My boyfriend (at the time) didn't like it, so I talked myself out of it. Needless to say, he is no longer my boyfriend.
Three months after (now), I realized that I still wanted my nostril pierced. So it wasn't a sporadic decision after all! The more I thought about it, the more I wanted it. Of course my worry that it might not look very good was there. My dad suggested that I'd look like a cow. I also asked many people if a nostril piercing would fit me, and mostly people said no. However, that still didn't stop me (not this time). Besides, if it looked that bad, I would just take it out. This time, it's for real, and I was more excited than ever.
My buddy Dan told me that he would go with me when I get my nostril pierced. Despite the fact that he had a terrible cold, he was there. Having a friend there makes the experience much better. I would highly recommend having a friend there for the awesome support (like I got). We went to one of the best piercing shops in town, which I haven't heard a bad thing about. When we walked in I filled out the necessary paperwork. One of the questions asked if I've had a full meal in the past 4 hours (which I haven't). Josh, the guy at the shop, sent us to get food. The guys at the shop would not pierce me unless I had a full meal. I thought that was quite wise and cool of them to say that. Poor Dan (who's sick) and I went to grab some breakfast next door. At that point I was extremely glad that he was there or else I would've had breakfast by myself. After breakfast, we went back to the shop. It took me a good 10 minutes to pick out the exact stud that I wanted. I fina lly settled for a tiny baby blue jewel set in 14k white gold. John, the piercing artist, took me upstairs in a very comfortable and private area in a room that looked just like my doctor's office. It was extremely clean and definitely hospital-level cleanliness (I used to work in the operation room, so I'm very picky about that). I sat down on the bed, and John was extremely thorough about what he doing and explained what all the tools were. At that point I got a bit nervous (minor pre-pierce jitters). Then he told me to breathe in and out a few times. When he inserted the needle, he told me to hold my breath. John was awesome and it took him about 15 seconds (or less) to pierce me and put the jewelry in. That was the quickest piercing I've ever had. There was a pinching sensation, and my left eye watered for about 20 seconds (since I pierced my left nostril). Dan was trying his best not to laugh, but I was bustin' up laughing by then because I was overjoyed. On the "pain-scale," let's just say that I would much rather get my nostr il pierced than my cartilage pierced.
After I got my nostril pierced, I could not stop checking myself out. Every time I saw a reflection of myself, I admire my nose (which WAS my least favorite facial feature). Maybe it's something new, but I definitely feel cuter than before. The tiny jewel is subtle enough for me to appreciate, and not shock others. Maybe I'll get a bigger jewel when it's healed. Meanwhile, I love the new look.
It's been less than 12 hours since I got my nostril pierced, and it looks great. I still have a long ways to go as far as healing, but (knock on wood) I've never had major problems with my cartilage.
If anyone's considering getting the nostril done, I don't think you'll regret it. Make sure the piercing artist and/or shop is one that's reputable and take the word-of-mouth suggestions. Personally, I've had experiences where the piercing artist was really slow which makes the piercing experience less appealing. If a good piercing artist costs more, it's probably worth the extra money because they'll take care of you very well.
Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions and/or comments. Good luck and have fun.