My nostril piercing was done just about two years ago. I knew I wanted to do something interesting for my 18th birthday, but I never expected to be a piercing.
At A Glance Author It doesn't matter. Contact It doesn't matter.@bme.anon When Two years ago Artist ... Damnit, I can't remember his name. Studio Captive Elements Location Blaine, MN All week long, my dad had been telling me that he had a surprise for my birthday, so he didn't want me to take off. I got pissed, of course; I HATE surprises.
Thankfully, he caved and told me the night before. He planned to take me skydiving in Wisconsin. I would have been ecstatic, had I not been feeling ill the whole week prior. I was starting to feel better, so I really didn't want to risk getting worse and puking in freefall. So, as much as it sucked to do so, I had him cancel the skydive lesson. He asked what I wanted to do instead, and I said I'd think of something.
An hour later, I told him I wanted to get my nose pierced. It was really sort of an impulse decision; I'd wanted my cartilage pierced for a while, not my nose. But, like many impulse ideas I have, I ended up seeing this one through. Dad started laughing, not realizing that I was serious, despite my fear of needles. He didn't like the idea at first, but backed down when I brought up that I was old enough to do it without his permission anyway, so he might as well just pay for it for my birthday present and not have to be surprised by it.
I spent the rest of the night looking for piercers around the Twin Cities that came recommended. I read some stories here that recommended Captive Elements. So, I called them, and to my surprise, they were open the next day, which happened to be a Sunday.
We went down there in the early afternoon. They were really strict about age verification-- my ID was currently in the mail on the way, so I tried to use my school ID. They only took it when I ended up finding my birth certificate in my wallet, having left it there with my SS card from using it to get my ID. Pretty damn ironic.
I signed the papers-- Dad was happy when he ended up paying like $5 or $10 less because it was my birthday-- and waited for the piercer, who was finishing with someone. I was surprisingly calm having known exactly what was about to take place.
The piercer... Scot, I think? I'll call him Scot, though I'm not positive on that. Scot came out and called for me to come back. The room was like a fricking doctor's office, but cleaner and with better decor.
Scot sat me on the bench thing, explained the whole process, had me pick the jewelry (18g ring for me!) and proceeded to mark my nose. I wanted it a little higher up, so he wiped it off, re-sanitized my nose, and marked it in the perfect spot. Had me lay down, handed me tissues because he insisted I was going to tear up involuntarily.
I closed my eyes when it got right down to the piercing- left nostril, BTW- and he told me that on my next exhale he'd pierce it. I was too freaked to acknowledge it, so I took a deep breath and let it out. Nothing happened. He laughed at my confusion and said he wasn't sure if I was ready or not, so he didn't want to chance it. So I said I was ready, and he pierced it cleanly and quickly on my exhaled breath.
It was unlike anything I'd expected. It didn't hurt at all. Stung for about 2 seconds, but not a sharp pain like I was expecting. After that, waiting for him to put in the jewelry was EASY. I didn't tear up or bleed at all. We went over the aftercare stuff, Dad paid, and we headed home to surprise everyone else. I was quite frickin' happy with it, and spent the next 24 hours grinning like crazy and admiring it in the mirror.
It didn't really get sore until a couple days after, but it was still pretty minor. The real pain came about a week after the piercing, when I had an unexpected allergy attack. I was blowing my nose so much that I ended up buying a nose screw and changing it myself so I could actually get that nostril closed all the way when I was blowing my nose. Took a long time to change; I almost gave up when I finally got the screw through.
Changing jewelry yourself before the hole is anywhere near being healed.... NOT something I'd advise. It sucked, it hurt during and after it, and I damn near let it close and wasted my dad's money and my own birthday present.
It was REALLY sore after that, but tolerable. If I didn't have allergies during the summer so badly, I'd keep the ring in 24/7. But, the screw with a little diamond is nice too. Good for when you have to dress formally but still keep the piercing, looks pretty nice.
>From my experience, it's easier to clean when you have a ring, because the screw can get caught on a washcloth and come out... but it's also harder to deal with a ring if you sleep with your face buried in the pillow or have an allergy attack or a cold.
Though, in the two years that I've had my nostril piercing, the most painful thing that EVER happened was when I got a zit on the edge of the hole. Happened right after the hole was completely healed. Hurt like hell for about a week. But, that's probably pretty rare.
I totally recommend Captive Elements for any piercings. They're really anal about sanitizing EVERYTHING, and Scot definitely knew what he was doing. Thinking about having my tongue pierced there next week for my 20th birthday. Another impulse idea.... so I'm sure by next Thursday my tongue will have a rod through it.
Cheers!