At A Glance
Author	Joel
Contact	fightmypast@hotmail.com
When	Three months ago
Artist	Donald Burke
Studio	To The Point
Location	Abbotsford, BC

For a long time I had wanted to get my nostrils pierced- I thought it was a pretty badass look. Unfortunately, I'm a broke-ass student. One day I was able to talk my friend into paying for it on the premis that I'm a "pussy and wouldn't go through with it". Well I sure showed him.

I went into To The Point that afternoon and waited for my buddy to show up so I could show him up. Donald Burke, the resident piercer, was sitting at the counter. A friend of mine from outside the studio, we joked around for a while until my friend got there, at which point he led me back into the piercing room.

A table was set up in the middle of the room with a metal tray beside it. Donald washed his hands, put on the gloves, and got out his tools. We decided to do both nostrils at 14ga, so he got out a couple of needles and CBRs for the procedure.

He started out by offering me some aromatherapy to calm me down, which I refused. I am strong man, I need no aroma-smell-nice crap. I sat down on the table, looking straight at him, while he made the marks on my nose where the piercings would be. I checked them out in the mirror- they looked even, so away we went.

Various people I had spoken to had all given me different opinions on the pain level for nostril piercings; some said it's the worst they've gotten, others said it didn't hurt at all! I have a pretty high pain-tolerance, so I figured it wouldn't be that bad.

Donald uses the best piercing method I have ever encountered. He set up the back of the needle the place where he had marked to create a little pressure mark. He then told me his method:

Breath in on 1.
Out on 2.
In on 3.
Pierce on 4.


That way, you get a good deep breath to calm yourself down before the piercing takes place. Once again, he lined up the needle, this time point down. "In on 1... Out on 2... In on 3... and PIERCE on 4". And with that, he shoved that needle through my right nostril. It hurt a lot more than I had expected, which caused me to flinch a little. Donald's a great guy, still making me feel comfortable, making jokes and the like while he opened up the CBR. He put some lube on the ring, slid it through the fresh gap in my face, clamped the bead in, and asked if that was ok. Damn rights I was!

He asked if I wanted to take a little break before we did the other side. I decided to go right for it- not give my brain the chance to psyche itself up over the pain. So away we went, exact same thing on the other side. Before he started, he changed his gloves, washed his hands again, and got out fresh tools. Cleanliness is an important thing for these guys, and I'm glad they go through so much. I'd rather not have an infected piercing and have to wait an extra 5 minutes than rush through it and get something done wrong.

So here we go again: In on 1, out on 2, in on 3, and pierce on 4. I didn't flinch for this one- I knew what was coming. It made my eyes water though. Donald fetched me a paper towel to dry my eyes while he opened up the CBR. All went smoothly as he lubed up the other ring and slid it through.

I looked over into the mirror, very happy with my piercings. Donald did an excellent job. I was glad he made me double check the marks, they are perfectly allinged on my face.

He pierced them with large rings to give room for swelling, and told me that I was allowed a free downsizing of the jewelery if I so desired once they had calmed down a bit.

Donald gave me a couple bottles of saline and an aftercare booklet and told me to come in if I had any problems. I looked in the mirror at the rings in my face, rather proud of the accomplishment.

I went in and got them downsized two weeks later with no problems. Now I have snug little rings on my nose that look awesome! I have absolutely no regrets about it. When absceses started to grow, I went back in and asked Donald what to do. He told me to put Heat Compresses on them for about an hour, wash with peroxide for 2 days, then go back to the saline wash. I followed his instructions, and sure enough, the absceses went away in no time at all.

Donald made me feel totally comfortable while I was in the room. His method is flawless, and his aftercare suggestions worked perfectly. My nose has since fully healed, with no keloids or other ugly scarring on it.

I reccomend that anyone thinking about going for a nostril piercing to go right for it! Just make sure you go to a good shop and get it done properly like I did. You won't regret it!