What I've read in other peoples' experiences certainly fits with my own experience. After I had my navel pierced in March 2005, I've been itching to get another piercing. My husband thinks it's weird that I want to put holes in my body, but I feel that by getting a piercing or two, I'm expressing my freedom as an adult through my body and I think that certain kinds of piercings are very pretty. I was considering getting the web under my tongue pierced. I thought about the various things that could be done with my ears. But after doing some research, I decided that a nostril piercing would be the best way to go for my second piercing. Nostril piercings are dainty and pretty and thought that maybe it would make my large nose seem more feminine.
At A Glance Author TootiTurtle Contact tootiturtle@gmail.com When It just happened Artist Linda Studio Chrome Gardens Location Gettysburg, PA My friend called me the week before, telling me that she wanted to get her navel pierced, which left me with the perfect opportunity to get my nostril pierced.
After a nice drive around town trying to find a place to park, I finally got to walk through the door of tattoo/piercing shop. I was very anxious. As I filled out the proper forms, my hands were shaking. I suppose it could've been a mixture of anxiety from driving around an unfamiliar city, or it was not knowing what to expect when I had my nose pierced. I had to pretend that I wasn't nervous so that my friend could be more relaxed about her very first piercing.
I had been in the shop before, so I already knew what it looked at inside. I was still a little intimidated by the colors and some of the pictures that were posted around, but the people who work there are incredibly nice and they made it much easier to feel at ease.
My friend went first. I think she was in the piercing room for at least 15 minutes, so I had plenty of time to sit in the lobby and think about what it might be like when I finally get to go back. Someone else came in with her mother to get her nostril pierced as well, which was a nice distraction.
When my friend finally emerged with a beaming smile on her face, I was relieved. Then she noticed the she was bleeding a lot and had to go back to the piercing room for at least another 5 minutes.
More time for me to worry. That was not what I needed.
I heard the piercer tell my friend that she could send me on back and my heart skipped a beat. When I went back into the room, it looked just as I remember it did over a year ago. My piercer looked the same, too. For me, familiarity is quite comforting.
She sat me down on the examination table and after I told her that she had already pierced my navel, she talked to me like I was some kind of pro. Part of that made me feel good, but at the same time, I wanted her to be as thorough with me as she had been the first time I came in.
As she was cleaning out the inside and outside of my nose, she told that some of the grossest things she's seen in her piercing career have come from the navels of some of her clients. All I could think about was the fact that she was cleaning out the mucus capital of my body and she was probably removing lots and lots of boogers. (Is there is a lady-like word to use for 'boogers'?) I'm sure she was just saying that so I wouldn't feel uncomfortable while someone other than myself stuck something up my nose.
Next she put a dot on the right side of my nose and then let me look in a mirror to see if the placement of the jewelry will be in a good spot. After I gave her my approval, she placed a metal tube in my nose and explained that it would keep the needle from piercing my septum. She also told me that the piercing itself would feel similar to the pain I would feel if I plucked my eyebrows and missed.
I told her that I sneeze when I pierce my eyebrows. She gave me the weirdest look...
She told me that the nostril screw fits into the needle so the actual piercing and jewelry placement would be finished in one fell swoop. She also told me that I should close my eyes, since her hands would be in my face and that's not a very comforting experience.
She had the needle in place and my mind must have been off in another world because before I knew it, she'd already told me to breathe in, which I didn't do because I wasn't paying attention, and the piercing was over. It felt like she popped a pimple on my nose.
She cleaned the inside and outside of my nose again. She said that nostril piercings are the least painful of all piercings, but they bleed the most. Surprisingly, my nose bled very little (my friend must've bled for the both of us). My eyes didn't water. Thankfully, I didn't sneeze, either. She told me how to keep the area clean and she told me that when I'm ready to change the jewelry, I should come see her because it's not easy to do the first time.
When I left the shop, I felt a dull ache, but it was nothing unbearable. The ache disappeared completely after a couple hours. Sleeping the first night was no problem and I didn't have any problems with pulling it until I took a shower.
Now a day later, there is very little swelling and no bleeding. In fact, I forget it's there most of the time. Trying to soak it in sea salt water is a little challenging.
All in all, I'm very pleased with my new piercing. My husband admits that it's not a bad piercing to have. It's not too noticeable.
I highly recommend this piercing to anyone who wants a piercing, but is afraid of the pain of piercing. It's dainty and cute and so far, it's very easy to take care of. ;)