For as long as I can remember, I've been absolutely obsessed with body modification. My aunt has two tattoos, and I remember when I was three years old, I told her that one day I wanted to get tattooed myself. The first time I saw a girl with her nose pierced, I couldn't stop staring. Body modification has always been a huge interest of mine, but unfortunately, my parents have never shared my enthusiasm. However, when I turned 18, they lost their say in the matter, and my fervor for piercings and tattoos grew even more. So to celebrate my being an "adult," I decided to shell out the money and get my nose pierced.
At A Glance Author Matthew Contact Matthew@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Cory Studio The Element Tattoo Location Bozeman, MT When I told my parents I was going to get it done (I felt that they needed to know, since I was still living in their house), they went ballistic. Seeing that I was a guy, their primary argument of course was that "only fags get their noses pierced." Obviously, this isn't true, but being the close minded social conservatives that they are, they weren't content to try and see past their own adversities towards body modification and accept the fact that their son was growing up. Almost out of spite, I set my piercing date forward, choosing to get my nose pierced the day before I went on a trip to Seattle for my college orientation.
Having researched the piercing for the last three years of my life, I felt very prepared mentally and physically for the event. I brought along my best friend, who is pretty heavily modded herself, for moral support, and another close friend of mine to drive me, in case I felt faint after the procedure (I have a terrible phobia of needles...Which is very ironic when you think about it). I discussed with my pierced friend about which shop I should go to, and we mutually decided on The Element in my hometown, because her sister had recently had her lip pierced there with no problems at all. Plus, we both personally knew the owner of the shop, so I felt assured that my experience would be one of quality. We arrived at the Element at roughly 6:30 p.m. on a Wednesday evening, and asked the piercer if he could take a walk-in for a nostril piercing (I know it seems silly that I did a walk in when I'd been planning the procedure for a while, but my friend knew I had a terrible fear of needles, and didn't want me chickening out if I contemplated getting it done for too long). He said yes, and asked for my ID. Seeing that I'd just turned 18 about a week earlier, he nodded his head and escorted me into the shop, where he had me sign all the necessary paperwork and release forms.
Once that was all said and done, and I'd effectively sold the wellbeing of my nose to the shop, he escorted my friend and I back to his room (our driver stayed outside and smoked because she, too, had an overwhelming fear of needles). The piercer, Cory, ran through all the sanitary procedures, showing me the autoclaves and the unopened needles, as well as the jewelry. Feeling assured that I wasn't about to get a blunt spike shoved through my nose, I gave him the okay, told him I wanted the piercing on my right nostril, and he marked it off and asked me to give him the okay. I approved his placement, and with that said and done, he grabbed my nose and the 16 gauge needle, and I promptly shut my eyes like a baby. Knowing I was cowering in fear, he didn't give me a "count to three" or a "breathe in, breathe out" routine. He just pressed the needle through. The sensation of the needle wasn't painful. It just felt like an extreme pressure, and then everything went numb. Cory remarked that I had an extremely thick nostril, and I was dimly aware of him pressing the needle further in, but I didn't feel anything else until it "popped" as the needle came out the other end. My eyes teared up, but I was in no pain. I was elated and euphoric with adrenaline! Finally, I had a body piercing of my own!
Cory followed the needle through with the jewelry, a stainless steel 16 gauge captive ring. He showed me that he disposed of the needle, and then screwed in the ball of the ring. He then explained all the necessary aftercare procedures, directing me to purchase sea salt that night, because it wasn't worth spending the extra money on the saline solution he uses in the shop. He explained soaks, and gave me an aftercare instructions sheet as well to help refresh my memory. With everything said and done, I was escorted to the register to pay for my new adornment. It was only $25, amazingly, but I tipped him $10 because I was expecting the process to be much worse than it was.
So far, it's been almost two weeks with my new piercing, and the healing process has been flawless! Obviously, I've woken up with a few crusties here and there, but a simple sea salt soak or a shower with antibacterial soap has always cleaned them right up. It has yet to become infected, and it hasn't swelled yet, either. I was expecting some sort of soreness or pain, but I've yet to feel any from the piercing whatsoever.
I never would have dreamed in a million years that my piercing experience would be so flawless. To anyone in Montana, head to the Element! They do an amazing job! And for anyone thinking of getting their nose pierced, do it! If you're like me, it won't hurt a bit, and it's worth every penny!