The story of the little septum piercing that almost wasn't. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll think I have too much time on my hands. Any way, let's get to the good stuff...
At A Glance Author Miss Holly Golightly Contact Miss Holly Golightly@bme.anon When A year ago Artist Chris Studio Cherokee Creek Tattoo Location Garden City, MI A little over a year ago, I had decided on getting my septum pierced. I thought it was a cool piercing for a girl to have, and when healed, could be easily concealed for work, professional/formal affairs, and not-so-tolerant family members, simply by flipping it inside of my nose. It was perfect for a working girl like me who came from a conservative family (I guess someone's gotta be the black sheep, right?). I considered it carefully, even though I knew it could be taken out later, and decided that it was definitely something I wanted done. But the important thing was getting it done right.
I went to Cherokee Creek Tattoo, which is where a friend of mine had gotten her piercing a week earlier. I was incredibly nervous, but once I met the piercer, Chris, I felt better about what was going to be taking place in a mere matter of minutes. He was very thorough about the procedure, aftercare, and a stickler for cleanliness, which made me feel really good about getting my piercing done at this tattoo shop. It was the cleanest tattoo parlor I've ever been in. There was paper to cover the chair, tape to cover anything that anyone might touch - the phone, the mirror, the arm grip, the edges of the tray,you name it, everything was covered and it was all changed the minute I got there and the minute I got up from the chair at the end of the night. Chris had a friendly disposition and made small talk and asked questions while he was prepping his area and getting his supplies.
He sat me down in the chair and got me cleaned up, sanitized his area, and gloved his hands. Before I knew it, he had his little gloved fingers up my nostrils snooping around. It was a little awkward and hard not to laugh, but after a moment, I got through it. Chris seemed a little skeptical, as he kept re-fingering my nose and adjusting the clamp several times. After about 40 minutes of him doing this, he finally told me that he did not think we would be able to proceed with the piercing. I have a very thin layer of membrane (the soft squishy part)in my nose, and my nose is pretty much all cartilage. He checked again, and shook his head. He gave me a pair of gloves and I felt for myself. My membrane was remarkably thin. He said he didn't want to pierce it because the ring would rub against my cartilage and in time could cause sores or bumps. He tried to talk me into getting my nostril pierced, but I really had my heart set on the septum.
Finally, the last option offered was to pierce through the cartilage of my septum - although he warned me it would be "barbaric pain", and my ring would be slightly lower than most people's. I was okay with that and agreed. Chris checked several times with me to make sure I was certain that this was what I wanted and warned me many times of the 'barbaric' pain to come. I took a couple of minutes to consider it for the final time and decided I wanted to go ahead. He told me that if I needed/wanted him to stop, to tap my leg with my hand. He said that if I talked, I could bump his hand and end up with a nasty needle stick somewhere in my nose/face. After that, we had all systems go.
At last, I was getting my piercing! He re-cleaned the area, re-gloved, and away he went. There was NO barbaric pain to speak of. Just a lot of pressure and a crunch, and sort of a pop. It bled, and my eyes watered, but that was the worst of it. I was had worked myself up for an unbelievable amount of pain, and it felt like nothing more than someone with sharp nails pinching the inside of your nose. It was a cake walk!
All in all, it took me about an hour and a half to get my piercing done. I've never heard of another piercing ever taking so long, but in the end, I am glad that it did. My piercer was genuinely concerned about the lasting effects of the piercing, and wanted to make sure that he did the best that he could to avoid any sort of damage or irritation. I am thankful that he was the one who pierced it for me and made sure I was comfortable and okay with what was going on rather than some hack with a needle who will stab anyone for a few bucks. I felt like I really got the service that I paid for, and was treated wonderfully by someone who really took pride and caution in what they did.
It's been just about a year and a half now, and I am still happy with my piercing. Chris gave me great after-care instructions, and I have never had a problem with my septum piercing at all.