There are few things I love more in life than those anxious moments, all sweaty palms and cement tongue, leading up to a needle passing through my flesh. Be that a tattoo or piercing needle, all of the sensations and emotions that follow that first intense bursting of flesh really make my life that much sweeter. Having said this, of the several tattoos and piercings I have thus far in my 23 short years acquired, none has given me so much trouble, so much grief and anguish, as the tiny, adorable stud nestled comfortably (for the moment, Dear Goddess) in the crease of my left nostril...
At A Glance Author Jamie Contact Jamie@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Mark Studio Celestial Ring Location Dublin, Ireland For many years, the nostril has been a piercing that I have greatly admired, from afar. I am rapturously in love with the women of the Hindu faith, and the faith in general. Having broken free from the yoke of my very Catholic family, I moved to Dublin, Ireland, with my fiancée. One evening, whilst waiting for the bus, which is something we do quite often...wait for the bus...the clear blue sky opened up and heaved a very large idea right down the left side of my skull. "A nostril piercing, that's it! THAT'S what I'll get my strict Irish-Catholic and disapproving family two weeks before we go back for Christmas! Yes, I am a genius." Actually, that was only part of it. My birthday was two days away, and I wanted to treat myself to something special. Ever since I gave myself a nice big tattoo for my 18th birthday, I like to celebrate the tradition each year by tattooing or piercing something new. It's quite fun.
The next day, I did just that. We (the fiancée and I) hopped on a bus heading for the city centre, and made our way to Celestial Ring studio, at St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre. As an aside, I found this to be one of the most pleasant and wonderful environments of any tattoo studio I have ever been in. The staff there is phenomenal...and they like to joke around and have fun, which I believe is important...it's not all dead-seriousness, skull heads, and Hell's Angels. It's happy people doing what they love. Back to my story...not long after entering, I had the stud picked out (nostril screw), and was introduced to my piercer, Mark. Very kind and knowledgeable guy. He talked to me, smiled and laughed a lot, and really calmed any anxiety I had (I always get the butterflies prior to work). He informed me that flying back to Los Estados Unidos with a fresh nostril piercing would risk a lot of bleeding, due to the mucous membrane inside the nose. I asked his advice, and he decided that due to the other work I have had done, I should be quite intelligent and capable should something go wrong (for the record, no problems whatsoever, flying there or back). I decided on my left nostril, because this is a traditional piercing in Hindu societies for women- it corresponds to the Ayurvedic pressure point for the female reproductive organs, hence it is a highly feminine location...and it supposedly eases childbirthing pain and other common female complaints.
For some reason, no one else here on BME seems to have experienced the pain I did- namely, considerable. I love pain as much as the next guy; I'd venture to say quite a bit more, in fact. I enjoy and appreciate this necessary experience that accompanies body mods, and have considered the idea of piercing without jewellery, just for the feel of it. But this was a horse of an entirely different spectrum. The needle pierced that tough, thick cartilage, and found its way searing through the mucous membrane and into the receiving tube. I figured it was your classic case of "A slight pinch, and all set..." Not so! The pain was sustained, and probably lasted a solid 45 seconds or so, certainly until the jewellery was finally threaded and in place. My eyes welled up with big, juicy tears, which gushed down my hot, flushed cheeks once the eyes opened. This seemed to upset Mark, who exclaimed, "Oh no! I'm so sorry to make you cry!" whilst wiping away the tears. However, aside from this initial pain, once I had a look and liked what I saw, I paid, tipped generously (as always), and was on my way.
Now the fun starts. Back in the States, probably a solid two weeks following the piercing, I'm showering. Like you do. And I have the audacity to pass a washcloth precariously close to the piercing, and- viola! - it swiftly, and without my knowledge, exits my face and makes a dive towards the drain. I don't realize until moments later, when passing my hand across my nose, I don't feel the now familiar little metal bump any longer. Desperately searching with my foot, I locate the sneaky bugger trying to escape, and hastily attempt re-insertion, dripping wet and naked before the mirror, with shaky wet hands to boot. Having done research prior to the piercing, I realized this was a dire situation, considering a) nostril piercings heal up very fast, especially new ones and b) nostril screws are notoriously difficult to re-insert with the hands of an amateur. So I resign myself to a silly earring post, finish my shower, and ring the fiancée. Poor fiancée. Fast forward to him attempting to pop the screw back in, in my kitchen. No such luck. About 2 ½ hours have passed once I make it to a friendly tattoo studio in my hometown (Eternal Tattoos in Roseville, Michigan), having called ahead to notify them of my imminent arrival. A lovely lady whose name I caught but now forget had to re-stretch, and then re-insert the jewellery. Not too bad. It hurt, but no more or less than the initial piercing. My eyes didn't water, that's for sure.
Today. It is the 4th day of January, and by the 11th, the piercing will be 1 month old. I love this piercing. It is beautiful, delicate, and enticing. A nostril piercing has a remarkable way of feminizing the face. It is a sexy and glorious thing. And I think it hates me, and no longer wants to reside in my face. Cleaning my face this morning with a cotton ball, I once again snagged the thing and pulled it right out. Funny, I barely feel it at all when it comes out. But jamming it back in is another story! My fiancée was able to pop it in after it jumped out a few days ago after a shower. My skin must have been very wet and hot, thusly making it more receptive, considering he got it in there, no resistance whatsoever. Equipped with this knowledge, I didn't panic immediately. I was under the impression that, although barely a month old, this little hole was almost healed; I barely registered any pain from it any longer, and I could twirl and twist it with the utmost of ease and just feel a slight tickling. No keloids, scars, funny bumps, or infections here; it was resilient, like me, and could withstand anything. How very foolish I was. Fiancée entered the bathroom and attempted Re-Insertion, Part 3. This time, we tried and tried, and I got increasingly frantic and started panicking. After over 25 minutes of attempts, with Vaseline, lavender oil, soap and water, and plain force, and with less than 20 minutes remaining until I had to be at work, we gave up. I did not want to pop a new hole next to the old one, so we stopped short of pushing too hard. I cried very hard for some time, as I have grown quite attached to my new little piercing. I popped another straight stud in and ashamedly went to work, looking ridiculous. But 6 hours later, I returned to Celestial Ring, and there was Mark, all smiles and laughter. He carefully re-stretched my hole back to 16g, and reinserted my jewellery. Again, more pain, but nothing excruciating- just karma for carelessness. He wanted to do it for free, too, but I wouldn't let him. For those of you residing in Dublin and planning on having any piercings done, I very highly recommend Mark at Celestial Ring...he is one of a kind.
In summation, this piercing is probably my favorite. It becomes more so each time I come close to losing it. We have a love/hate relationship: I love it, but clearly, it does not feel the same about me.
For those of you considering this piercing, please take my humble advice:
1) Don't get washcloths, cotton balls, tissues, or other various objects too close; you may think you know what you're doing, but it can be all over before you know it.
2) Exercise great caution when washing your face, for obvious reasons.
3) Just don't get as cavalier as I did! I liked to think myself and the piercing were invincible, and I was wrong.
4) If you do lose a nostril screw, pop an earring stud in to hold its place until you get to your piercer- they'll thank you for it! These piercings heal faster than you would believe- after being out for no more than 20 seconds, the inside of the hole had to be punctured to get the earring stud in.
This is a gorgeous and exotic piercing, and I hope mine chooses to hang around for a little while longer.