So, I finally did it. After being a member of the BME\IAM community for a year and a half, I finally got something professionally pierced. As some may know, I've recently moved to the town of Airdrie for the summer, and I was so excited to find out that the legal age to get pierced in Alberta without parental consent is 16. A pleasant change from Manitoba's 18. So, I ran across the street to my bank, grabbed out some cash, and headed back. It was a busy day, so they asked me to come back in about 40 minutes. Not hard to do, because there's a neat little clothing store next door that sells killer stuff for cheap.
At A Glance Author SomeShavedSheep Contact SomeShavedSheep@bme.anon IAM someshavedsheep When It just happened Artist Melissa Studio Finesse Tattoo And Body Piercing Location Airdrie, Alberta When I got back, Melissa greeted me, and they had me fill out a form, you know, the basic "I understand that I can't sue you if something goes wrong" kind of form, and she said she'd be back once she cleaned up a bit. once I'd finished with my form, I handed it to the receptionist, and Melissa asked me to come to the back. One of the first things I noticed was how nice and clean the shop was, and it didn't stink horribly of Mr. Clean or Febreeze.
I was a little nervous as I sat down in the chair. Looking over the table, everything was laid out. about 10 q-tips, a cleaning patch, cleaning solvent, needle, the pliers for bending rings, recieveing tube, everything on a nice little paper, the kind that they strap over your chest at the dentist. She put on some gloves, and asked me to sit back in the chair, relax, calm myself down. they sold snacks at the front desk for a buck each, so I had a couple chocolate bars, and saved one for after. When I was ready, she cleaned off my nose, and explained to me how it was going to work, first, she marked off my nose with a little sharpie, and held the ring up to it, and asked me how I liked it, I looked in the mirror, and she'd found the perfect spot right away. Next, she cleaned the outside with a pad and some kind of cleaner, and then the inside with a q-tip and the same cleaner. Then, she gently placed the recieveing tube inside my nostril. She asked me if I was ready, I said yes, and she pushed it through right away.
I don't know if it was because I'd never been pierced professionally before, or if it was because I chose my nostril, a big piece of cartilage as my first piercing, but don't believe it when someone tells you it doesn't hurt much, because it hurts like a bitch. At first it was a little tough, I had to squeeze onto the chair a bit, but then the needle was through, and it just kind of stung. She cleaned the blood off and held another little pad on the inside and outside of my nostril, and stopped the bleeding. Then, she pushed the needle back through the hole. At this point, I was seeing spots. Maybe the 2 chocolate bars I'd eaten today wern't enough :P. She put one end of the ring on the back of the needle, and pushed it the rest of the way through, then turned it so the space was facing straight out from my nose. "There, it's done! Wow, that looks good on you." She said, and she asked me if I needed anything, something to eat, some water, I asked for a cup of water, so she rushed out and brought one back. I sat back and closed my eyes. "So this is what it's like. Wow, that hurt like a bitch" I thought to myself. Melissa assured me that I could pass out for a bit if I needed to, I told her I'd be fine, I just had to go to the bathroom. She directed it to me, and asked me if I'd be alright to go in myself, I said yes, and a couple minutes later, I was back in the chair, and we were making jokes about store bought sushi. She bent my ring into place over the ball, and we were done!
She asked me to come over to the counter, and we'd go over after care. She handed me a little gram baggie full of sea salt, and I assured her I knew how to take care of my piercings, she nodded, and handed me a little pamphlet with tips, and a good combination for salt and water. She also told me not to try to exhale smoke out of my nose, if it can damage your lungs, imagine what it can do to a fresh piercing. I nodded, shook her hand, paid (It was cheap!), and she handed me her card with her cell number on it, told me to call her if I had any problems with it, at any time of the day, even if my ball fell out in the middle of the night. I assured her that we'd be in touch, and I'd probably be back in next weekend for another piercing :D
Over all, I'd give the shop, AND my piercing a great rating. I've loved nostrils ever since I was 5, and it's something i can look back at now, and say, Hey, I did it. Yippee! I'll be heading back next weekend to see what hurts less :P