At A Glance Author orchid.seed Contact dumverbina@dslextreme.com IAM orchid.seed When Five years ago Artist Bonnie Studio Scissors Location Antioch, CA
Ever since I was a small girl I'd been deeply fascinated with photos of women and men in magazines such as National Geographic. There was something beautiful and mysterious, about the way they decorated the body as a great work of art and I wanted to be a part of it. Although I was interested in forms of tattoos, branding, scarification and the innocent nostril piercing, the rings and horns I saw through the septum were what really got my attention. I don't think I ever really shared these feeling with any of my peers. Most children I knew who saw the same pictures usually pointed and gawked at such things.I didn't understand how it was done, how it stayed in, or what it was even called, but it was definitely impressive. I wondered how you could fit something so big into an area so small. Remembering back, there were times where I tried to use my mother's earrings or household items to picture what I would look like if I could wear something through the middle of my nose. When fake belly button rings came out onto the market I was thrilled.
It wasn't until I became a teenager that I thought much about having a septum piercing, again. At the time, I already had a stud in my right nostril, so it wasn't something completely new to me. My mom didn't approve though and made it clear to me that I would not be putting anything through my septum unless I was living under my own roof. Getting her to approve of and take me to get a piercing at all was a challenge. She didn't want to see me do what she considered, punching holes in my face or taking away from my own natural beauty. I never saw it that way. It always seemed like accentuating what I liked about myself, not something negative.
Not long after my eighteenth birthday and a few months before I was to move across the country, I decided to go against my mother's wishes and take my chances. I'd given it a lot of thought, this was what I'd wanted for quite some time. With a piercer already in mind, I set up my appointment with Bonnie who I'd been to before. My closest friend decided to come along for support and in case I needed a hand to hold.
A few other friends had recently gotten the same piercing just a month or so before me. They had advice to give and told me that it would hurt as much as I could probably imagine. I was prepared for what one said would feel like, "A red hot poker jammed through the nose."
A few days later I arrived for my appointment with a smile from ear to ear. Bonnie escorted us back into her studio and sat me down. I filled out the necessary forms and talked about how I bled heavily with the last piercing she had given me. I'd taken some ibuprofen less than twelve hours before, but she said that some people are just bleeders and others experience none at all. It comforted me that Bonnie took her time setting up everything, made sure I was ready and had all the answers to any questions I had.We looked at jewelry and she asked me what I was interested in, but also suggested that a retainer was an excellent choice. It would allow me to heal, but also hide my new piercing if need be, for work.
Bonnie had me to lay down on the chair which was put into a position where my feet would actually be higher than my head. The inside of my nose was cleaned, septum located and we were ready to get things done. I think I'd worked myself up pretty well at this point, although I was more excited than nervous. The piercing was done in less than a second and the pain was very minimal. The needle was pushed in through one side and caught in a receiving tube at the other end. For me, it hurt less than I remember with my ear lobes, so I was very surprised with the lack of pain. It is a pretty thin piece of skin, so it makes sense. When the jewelry was put in, that's where I actually felt some discomfort and pain. There was absolutely no bleeding and I think my friend was scared more than me when the needle went through. I actually got up and jumped around for joy, but Bonnie said I should sit down and take it easy just in case.
It's been over four years and I've still kept my septum pierced. It's my favorite piercing and I'm glad I got nerve to do this for myself, even when I had many people trying to discourage me. When I look in the mirror it's difficult to picture myself without it. Something would seem missing. It's not for everyone, but worth it if you know that it's what you want.