At the beginning of my time in high school, I became very infatuated with body modifications. I spent countless hours researching the background of what I saw around me. Everyone was getting tattoos or piercings and I was curious as to where it originated.
At A Glance Author heather Contact heather@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Chop Sticks Studio Purgatory Location KC MO One day I saw a picture of someone with their septum pierced. I thought it was beautiful. That little ring in the persons nose, made them beautiful. I wanted one for myself. I was only 16 at the time, and my parents would never let me do anything like that. So I would have to wait for two more years. Those two years seemed like a thousand, but it was worth my wait.
In the mean time I would begin researching as much as I could to find out all risks I would face, and all precautions I should take. I knew the procedure backwards and forwards. A lot of that knowledge I received from the BME web site. (thanks guys)
The day I turned 18 I left for Cancun so I couldn't go straight and get my septum pierced so I waited until the day I came back. I didn't have cash on me so I had to find an ATM. Everyone I drove to was down. I drove 30 minutes out of my to my bank so I could get some cash. I was beginning to wonder if this was meant to happen. Finally I was on my way.
When I stepped into the shop I was more excited then nervous. All the employees of the shop explained to me how bad it hurt, making sure it was something I really wanted. I have a high pain tolerance, and I had waited for so long, there was nothing anyone could say to change my mind. The jewelry that would be used had to be sterilized so I had to wait for about 20 minutes for that. Everything seemed to be making me wait longer and longer.
At last the piercer called my name to go back and get my septum pierced. The only ring they had left was a 12g so he asked if I was alright with that. I was fine with it so then he started explaining what he was about to do. While he explained everything he was cleaning my nose and getting his tools ready. He told me that he would like to use a 10g needle. Since it was a size larger then the jewelry itself, it would be easier to put in, and would heal quicker. I was all for the easier part so I gave him the go ahead. Although a 10g needle through my nose seemed like a bit too much, I figured I could always go down if I wanted to. He put the clamps in place, and they pinched and made my eyes water. When that happened for a second I thought "Great, just the clamps hurt like hell. What exactly am I about to do to myself?" . The next thing he said was "take a deep breath in when I say 1, and breathe out through your mouth when I count to 3." So I did as he said...1, 2, 3! My eyes watered a bit more but all I had felt was the pinch from the clamps. I waited for a second kind of confused, I knew there had to be more to it then that. So I asked if he had done it yet. He explained that he was almost completely done. I was so happy. Not much pain and only watery eyes.
Since we did use such a large needle I bled a lot! So he talked to me about how to care for it while he stuck q-tips up my nose to clean up the bleeding and help it stop. I was so excited I finally had my septum pierced. The piercer also made it a wonderful experience which helped a lot. So I gave him the money, and a pretty nice tip, and headed out. Before I even got to my car I was already thinking of new piercings I wanted. Body modifications are very addicting.
Although it didn't hurt as bad as I expected to get my septum pierced, the day after was hell. I didn't have any bruising or swelling, which I was very excited about. My nose has been very sore. Some days worse then others. It's been almost two weeks and it's doing quite well. Not nearly as sensitive. Keep in mind for the first week, absolutely no kissing. Bumping noses is a sharp pain and not worth it.
My only advice, know the risks of what you're doing, and ask a lot of questions after it's done. You can never know too much about a body modification!