My search for the "perfect" piercing started several years ago. I would hang out in seemingly hip coffee shops looking for alternative people that caught my 14 year-old eye. It is at one of these coffee shops that I discovered the rare and beautiful septum piercing. It was so obvious yet subtle at the same time. Never before had I seen a piercing that complemented the face so well. I loved the symmetry achieved by the septum and I knew I had to have one. Unfortunately, my parents wouldn't allow me to get a piercing until I was legally of age, so I had to wait for 4 long years before I would finally be able to have my septum pierced. The day of my 18th birthday finally arrived and I knew what I had to do.
At A Glance Author anonymous When A week ago Artist Stan Studio Cheap Trx Location St. Louis Missouri My appointment at Cheap Trx was at 4:00 Friday the 28th (my birthday). The day just seemed to float by as I eagerly anticipated my piercing adventure. My friend picked me up from school, and we headed downtown; my adrenaline racing the whole way there. When we arrived, I was so nervous that I could hardly speak, but very quickly my nerves were calmed by the professional, laid back atmosphere that Cheap Trx provided. Stan came out and introduced himself to me. He checked my ID and then we discussed jewelry. We opted for a 14 gauge retainer, because he said that the straight bar and flip up option helped aid in the healing process. Then Stan, my friend, and I went to the clean, sterile room to begin the piercing.
The first thing I asked Stan is if I could be laying down for the procedure. I have a tendency to pass out or get light headed with needles, but the chance of that happening is greatly reduced if I am lying down. He told me sure, but that he had never done a septum lying down before, and the angle might be kind of weird. Eventually he decided to perform the piercing standing over me instead of sitting down next to me. At this point I closed my eyes. He turned my head slightly to the left and swabbed my nose. I could feel his fingers up my nose searching for the perfect place for the needle to go through. When he was ready, he told me to take a big breath, and let it out. When I breathed out I felt the needle go through, and I didn't feel any resistance at all. He used a receiving tube on the other side, and it was done like THAT. Perhaps I just have a high pain tolerance, or maybe my adrenaline was pumping, but in all honesty, it really wasn't that painful. Sure, there is a needle sticking in your nose, but the pain was comparable to a bee sting, and it only lasted 5 seconds. The bee sting would have been worse. Now the part that I thought was uncomfortable was the jewelry being put into place. I thought that hurt more than the piercing itself. All in all, it was simple, and finished in less than a minute. I didn't even get dizzy, my eyes hardly watered, and there wasn't a drop of blood. Stan gave me a sheet of tips for taking care of my piercing, I tipped him for his awesome work, he gave me a bumper sticker that says "I (heart) my Piercer", and we left.
My new septum is beautiful. I have had the piercing for a week now and it has been wonderful. The retainer is nice and convenient for sleeping and other activities where I don't benefit from having a piece of metal sticking from my nose. Another great characteristic of a septum piercing is that it can be cleaned with hydrogen peroxide because the point of entry is hidden by nostrils. This makes the piercing heal faster and have less chance of infection. I clean it twice a day with Q-tips and so far it has remained healthy. My septum complements my face, and I love how people react to it. It is so entertaining to see people trying not to stare. It makes me feel beautiful and confident, and even when I am wearing it flipped up, I feel great knowing I have a hidden secret. And amazingly my mom even likes it. Finally, I am one of those "cool people" that I idolized so much in the past. Hopefully, someday in a coffee shop, I will inspire some silly little girl to go get a hole in her face.
Just as a side note: I would recommend anyone who wants to get his/her septum pierced should NOT do it in the winter. I feel that was my only big mistake. The jewelry tends to get very cold, and if you do happen to catch a cold (like I am starting to), it can be very unforgiving on your healing process. Other than that, good luck and happy piercing!