I had been meaning to get my nostril pierced again ever since I lost the first piercing. I had lost my first nostril piercing after only a month or so of having it. The actual losing of the piercing was down to an over-zealous boyfriend, a sofa and some inebriation on both our parts. As it was nothing like infection or rejection, there was nothing to stop me from getting it re-pierced after few weeks when the wound had healed sufficiently.
At A Glance Author stellar Contact stellar@bme.anon When Three months ago Artist Julie Studio Punktured Location Brighton Well in theory there wasn't, but I was really scared about it. I have really thick nostrils anyway (even my piercer commented on this), and it really did hurt first time round. The thought of getting pierced through scar tissue made me wince, but a mixture of being stubborn and really wanting this piercing made me determined to get my nose re-pierced, and in the same place, regardless of added pain! Anyway, I always seem to get like this before a piercing, even though I tend to have a relatively high pain threshold, and my masochistic side enjoys the fear anyway!
Well I left it for about a month or so after losing the original piercing, and decided to go to Punktured, which is a really nice little studio in town, where myself and friends have previously had good experiences in.
I nervously lumbered to the shop, taking a friend in tow, and arrived feeling very anxious.
With a huge adrenaline surge I told the guy at reception what piercing I wanted, and after the usual signing of the consent form, I bought myself some time to calm down by delegating over what jewellery I wanted. I decided on getting pierced with a small stud with a purple gem in it- a ring just wouldn't suit me and my big nose!
The stud cost a little extra than the ring, but not much, and it only came to about twenty-one pounds or so altogether.
Anyway, Julie came into the reception area, and said she was ready. I went upstairs to her little piercing room and sat on the dentist-esque chair.
She showed me the equipment she would be using- all new and in sterile packaging, and made sure that the jewellery she had was exactly what I had picked out. It was, so we began.
I voiced my fears of painful scar tissue, and she told me that it probably would hurt a bit more than usual, and asked if I wanted to change the placement a bit to avoid the scar tissue. I still decided to get it done in the same spot, aware of the extra pain it brought, and so I braced myself.
Julie cleaned the inside and outside of my nose with an anti-bacterial wipe, and dotted with a pen where she was going to pierce me, I checked it and it was fine.
She clamped my nose and took out the needle. She told me to breathe in, and exhale slowly. As I exhaled she pushed the needle through my nostril from outside in, cut the end off the receiving tube and then inserted the jewellery. I stood up and checked it in the mirror. It was fine. Then I felt a little weak and faint and had to sit down for a few minutes. This was not exclusive to my nostril piercing; I tend to feel like this after every piercing.
Julie then gave me a few pouches of saline solution and an after care sheet which were all included in the price.
Now after being so worried, it wasn't that bad after all. Nostril piercings are generally fairly painful anyway, and it did hurt a little extra with the scar tissue, but didn't make much difference. The only real difference between first and second piercing was the second bled and the first didn't. I guess that was from the extra layers of tissue. Also the type of nostril screw used was slightly different second time round, and was a bit fiddlier. Therefore it stung quite a bit more when the jewellery was inserted. But this had nothing to do with it being my second piercing, and if it were my first, I wouldn't have had anything to compare it to and so wouldn't have noticed.
Looking after it has been pretty easy. I've been following the aftercare sheet, and cleaned both the entry holes with saline solution on a cotton bud in the mornings and evenings for two months. Now about three months on, it seems to have healed well and I've had no trouble with it. I clean it whenever I feel I need to, instead of doing it religiously twice a day, and looking back, I'm so glad I have it again.
I just have to make sure that I don't lose it a second time!