Well I guess I should start off by telling you about me. I am twenty years old. I've been into body modification since I was about 12 or 13. I currently have four tattoos and twelve piercings. I have worked in a local shop apprenticing as a piercer but I found that to be a little lacking for me. I then started apprenticing as a tattooist since that seemed to be a much better way of expressing myself and helping others do the same. Alright! On to the experience.
At A Glance Author Damien Contact tribal_terrorism@hotmail.com IAM Disfigured When Two years ago Artist Damien Baker Studio Home I don't know where the 'urge' came from. I remember sitting here in my chair looking through BME thinking to myself "God...I could never do that". But it seems the more you're exposed to something, the more open your mind becomes to that idea(s). So my septum journey began about 2 years ago when I was sitting in my room looking through images of septums on BME. I took out a captive ring and popped the ball out so I could fit it up inside of my nose. I showed my girlfriend and asked her what she thought. She was very supportive of the idea. I also checked it out in the mirror and fell in love with it at ONCE! But at that point I still had no idea how great this piercing really was. A couple of weeks went by as I read up on septum experiences and procedures before I actually got up the nerve to try it. I talked to a friend of mine who was apprenticing as a piercer at the time and told me about how you can pierce it in between the 'floating' and fixed cartilage(which would al low for easier stretching) or straight through the fixed cartilage. I was told that the fixed cartilage would be a lot more painful to pierce and since I was doing it myself it would be better to go in between.
Now before you go off on a spiel about people who pierce themselves let me tell you WHY I think the idea of doing it yourself appeals to me. For one, if it comes out crooked...or messed up in any way, I have NO ONE to blame but myself. I don't feel any pressure from anyone while the piercing is being done because I am the only one there. And the piercing holds so much more 'magic' for me when I was the one who put it there and healed it myself. It gives me a feeling of total ownership over the whole thing. And don't get me wrong. I think you really need to support your local shop and get it done by someone who has experience. But that's not me. And I buy the jewelry from them so they aren't missing out totally.
Alright. So I set up a mini-studio in my room and got all the tools need for the job. I bought a 14gauge horseshoe ring for the piercing. I have never really liked the look of a captive bead in someone's septum. I opened up a package of suri-lube and sqeezed it out on the covered tray. I then took about 15 minutes to make the entry and exit marks for the needle using my fingers to feel where the two pierces of cartilage were separated. I used a 12 gauge needle for the piercing just to make sure I would have no problems with insertion. Once I opened the needle I put it in the blob of surg-lube and proceeded to open up my forceps. I took probably another 10 minutes making sure I had the clamps on just right so I could use the slot in the end as a needle guide to keep the piercing straight. At this point I was really excited and anxious. I didn't use a cork for backing because I really wanted to make sure this piercing went in straight. So I used my left index finder to feel inside. Now when I do a piercing I also take my time. So I got the lubed up needle lined it up with the entry mark and started to push. The pain was very minimal. I pushed the needle through slowly so that when it did exit the other side I would be able to feel the very tip of the needle without stabbing myself. After I felt it I just took my finger away and pushed it the rest of the way through and took the forceps off. I used the remaining blob of surgi-lube to lube up my horseshoe ring. I stuck it through the blunt end of the needle and pushed it into my septum. That must have been one of the happiest moments of my life.
I was so taken by this piercing that you could have found me in the bathroom looking at it almost all that day. I used sea salf soaks for the aftercare. And I REALLY suggest you do the same for any of your piercings. It works so well. During the healing it got to smelling REALLY funky. That sort of freaked me out until I read an experience where someone has the same thing going for them. It was probably healed for a good six months when I had noticed that all the pulling I had done on it widened the hole. This is the best way to stretch a septum. Anyways, so I went out and bought an 8gauge horseshoe ring and it went right in. The next day it was pretty sore though. And the 'funk' had returned. This was probably the most painful part throughout my whole septum experience. The 8ga ring was slowly reshaping my cartilage to comfortable fit the ring. And let me tell you.....DON'T let anyone so much as come near it. Even just the slightest touch would send bolts of pain up into my nose. More sea salt soaks took care of that phase of healing. And that's where I am now. I still pull on my septum a lot. I could probably fit a 4ga in it right now...which I hope to do soon. But I've been thinking about another septum piercing. But this time done in the fixed cartilage. I think those look so much more attractive. But it would never replace this one.
I love my septum piercing as much today as I did when I first got it. This is one of those piercings that I will DEFINATELY have for the rest of my life. And I hope this experience helps anyone thinking of getting a septum piercing. It is totally worth it.
Thank you for taking the time to read this...and all questions you may have for me are welcomed. Just e-mail me or visit my IAM page and hit me up. Thanks again.