After writing my first nostirl experience, the idea of getting it re-done was stuck in my head. I considered going to a professional this time. The cheapest APP shop was $40, and it would be even more than the base price because I didn't want a ring. I do believe in the saying "you get what you pay for" but $40+ for something I have the knowledge, skills, and tools for? I don't think so. I've done this more than once, so there was no research to do, just gather the supplies and go. I'm working on an RN degree, so I know everything about keeping things clean, and anatomy of the body. Also, as a pre-teen I spent hours learning about everything there is to know about piercings and procedures. I've proven that I know more about piercing than some professionals do, and it scares me.
At A Glance Author Core Contact Core@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Me Studio Bathroom Location Seattle, WA I didn't have my old nostril jewelry, so what was I to do? Body Art Forms was having a 20% sale; perfect! I purchased a 1mm titanium micro-screw for once healing was complete, and a glass retainer for the healing process. I was stuck waiting the 3 weeks to get my custom barbell made to have the rest of the order shipped. I started looking around for needles at this time. My friend does piercings but he didn't have any 16ga needles.
Buying one needle for $2 was just not right, and I didn't need more than one. I decided to cut a deal with Mitch. I bought a box of 100 sterile needles off of eBay, took one out, and he paid me back for the rest. Good deal!
After what seemed like forever my nostril screws finally came in. I bleached down the counters and set all of my stuff up. Lucky for me, Mitch owns an autoclave, so all of my equipment was sterile. I cleaned my nostril with Provon and pulled out a marker. I probably marked and re marked about 5 times. Sometimes it was too far back, too close to the tip, and a few times it was dead on but I wanted to see what choices I had before stabbing myself.
After staring at my placement for a few minutes I decided I was happy with it. I pulled all of my equipment out of their bags with my clean, gloved hands and got to work. The clamp method has been pretty good to me in the past, so I decided to use it again.
The needle was lined up and ready to go. Deep breath in....and out while pushing... dammit. The needle decided to stick even though there was a ton of lube on it. I felt inside my nose; the needle wasn't quite through, but getting there; I must have more scar tissue than I originally thought. Okay, this sucks, right? But fixable; I took a q-tip with lube on it and greased the inside and outside of my nose. I gave it another hard shove, and the needle popped through, but it got stuck again with the sharp point stuck in my nose and almost getting my septum. Screw the clamps! I lubed it up, yet again, used my left hand to tilt my nostril so the needle (in theory) would come out my nose and I could put the jewelry in. The needle finally made it half way through so I capped the end to prevent stabbing my lip and took a small break because my nose was starting to run.
After some persistent pushing and about 5 minutes, the needle was all the way through and I was ready to guide the screw in. This worried me a bit because it was very stiff and I didn't want to loose the hole. I found that once the jewelry was sliding through the hole it went all the way in without a fight. Mission complete!
I cleaned off my nose and looked at it. It was adorable. A piece that died inside of me so long ago has now returned. It was a perfectly straight and everything. It was invisible expect when you looked at the hole dead on; it was black and the glass really magnified the fact there was a hole there. Other than that I was extremely happy with my work. There was no blood and absolutely no pain throughout the process (pain in the ass doesn't count :)).
I put the little plastic protector more firmly on the needle and set it aside for next time I go to work (sharps containers should always be used to dispose of needles!) I cleaned up the rest of my mess and headed up to my room to go on with my day. The down side is the nostril screw is kind of long, and I have a really small nose, so it felt a little awkward at times, but not enough to really bother me.
Healing was easy and mostly consisted of LITHA. The only time I washed it was when it was getting crusty or I accidentally touched; which usually happened at night when I had an itch and went to scratch without thinking about my new adornment.
After a few weeks, as I expect, I got "the bump". I'm very prone to hypertrophic scarring, and I was armed with chamomile tea. I did hot tea compresses everyday for 15 minutes, and within about a week it was gone. I switched out the retainer for my little nose screw and was very happy with the results. It's almost not noticeable, and for work I can easily put a dab of foundation over it prevent it from shinning.
Please note: This is not a how-to guide. Care and intelligence should always be kept in mind if you insist on piercing yourself.