I have been a fan of piercing and tattoos for quite a while. I have 34 piercings, currently, and my septum is my favorite both for how cool it looks and the experience itself. I went in with my best friend looking for something new to do. I hadn't really thought of getting my septum done beforehand, but the pictures made me realize that it is a cool look, at least here in Indiana not everyone has it done, and also that I could hide it- I work in the medical field and that is a big factor every time I get work done. So far I had limited my piercings to my ears and my body, but I am really running out of things to put holes through.
At A Glance Author Melisand Contact Melisand@bme.anon When Six months ago Artist Mark Studio Culture Shock Location Indiana I picked out the jewelry, a 12 gauge silver retainer, and while it was being autoclaved I flipped through the flash. I really wasn't nervous at all; I enjoy the way that getting pierced feels. I actually wish that it took longer for the whole process.
When everything was ready I went in and sat in the chair- they have chairs that look like dentist chairs at Culture Shock. I always pay attention to the supplies as they are being opened and that gloves are changed frequently. I have never gotten a gun piercing and consider my health pretty important. At this point I was excited and wanted the piercer done so I could look in the mirror and see my newest piercing.
My best friend can't stand the sight of blood, and he's never even had his ears pierced, so he didn't come into the room with me.
The clamp went on, and I was surprised because it made my eyes start watering to the point where I felt like I was crying, even though I wasn't. In my experience, clamps are usually the most painful part of the piercing and this one was no exception. The clamps kind of drag down on your septum, I think because it let's the piercer have more room to work and also see what he is doing. At this point my main thought was that I was really, really glad that the inside of my nose is not hairy. If you are a girl considering this, take a look up your nose before just to make sure that the piercer isn't going to get an eyeful of your nose full of boogers and hair. Pretty gross, and if this is a person that you expect to return to, probably embarrassing.
Mark, my piercer, has pierced me many times before, so I made a joke and just told him to get it done. He smiled, told me to breathe in, and slid the needle through. I was completely relaxed, and since the clamps were so tight I wasn't sure that the needle was even through my nose.
I really don't think that it hurt at all, my eyes watered some more and I felt like I needed to sneeze, but it wasn't painful. The jewelry went in easily too, and since it was a retainer there were no beads to put on. I got the after care instructions, tipped, and left.
As soon as I got home, I flipped the retainer down so that I could see it, and I was extremely pleased. It was even and completely straight.
I don't ever use alcohol on piercings; instead I use a combination of sea salt and Bactine. I didn't have any soreness until I woke up the next morning and when I looked in the mirror I was a little concerned because there was dried blood down my face. My septum didn't bleed at all when I got it done and for some reason I didn't expect it to bleed later, either. I gently cleaned it and twisted it around a little, and went to work.
By the time I got home my nose was killing me. When I moved the retainer around a little, I got blood and lymph just to run down my face. Not attractive. I used more sea salt, and Bactine.
When I woke up the next morning, the situation was much better; my nose hardly hurt at all and it wasn't bleeding. If the bleeding had kept up I would have gone back to the shop to have Mark look at it, however, the situation resolved on it's own.
I let my septum heal for four weeks before I bought a CBR to put through it when I am not at work. I really recommend this piercing to anyone who wants something on their face done and isn't allowed to have visible piercings. It isn't a hassle or anything to flip the retainer up my nose, and it wasn't painful to get.
I am now six months in, have absolutely no problems, and love the way that my septum looks. I would say though that I wish it wasn't pierced so high up, because it limits some of the jewelry that I have wanted to try.
If you are thinking about this, I say go for it, and you will be very pleased.