I never planned on getting any piercings. I had watched a few friends get their navels and tongues pierced in high school and had decided that it probably wasn't for me. I had seen the effects of a piercing that had not been taken care of and that quickly turned me off of the idea of punching holes in my body. I had never even had my ears pierced.
At A Glance Author anonymous When A year ago Artist Jon Studio New Tribe Location Toronto Last year a good friend of mine got his septum pierced. For some reason my interest was piqued. I loved the look of it and the option that it could be flipped up at work or around more conservative family members. I also liked the fact that the "holes" of the piercing were hidden so if they were raw or irritated looking no one would be able to see. After weeks of thinking about it and holding up a tiny ring in front of my nose to see how it would look, I decided to just go for it. After all, if I didn't like it I could always take it out!
I stopped by New Tribe in Toronto on a Monday morning. It was my last day of college so I thought of the piercing as a right of passage, or at least a small reward for myself. The shop was almost empty considering the time of day I chose to go. The staff working were extremely friendly and made me feel very comfortable. They chose a gauge for me (14) and let me know that I would be going home with a retainer in my piercing. I was totally okay with that as my main concern was hiding it.
I was taken right in to a room and Jon quickly went over the procedure and the aftercare with me. I sat up while he checked the inside of my nose to see if the piercing would be suitable for me. He then went ahead and cleaned the spot and in a few moments I was pierced and the retainer was put into place and flipped up. There was hardly any pain at all. It felt like just a little pin prick. I had had a blood test the week before and I can honestly say that was way more unpleasant.
I was told to sit in the room for a few moments after probably just to make sure that I didn't faint. But I was feeling just fine and I was quickly on my way out. I said thank you to everyone and was on the way to the grocery store to pick up some aftercare products. I was told to pick up some sea salt and antibacterial hand wash (to clean my hands before handling the piercing). I also bought a package of q-tips but I can't remember if that was on the aftercare sheet or something I decided I wanted (they did come in handy).
My nose was feeling a bit sore but it wasn't bad at all. It was the sort of pain that I really don't mind because it faded when I didn't move my face. It looked a bit red when I got home and there was a tiny pin dot of blood. It felt so much better after I cleaned it for the first time. I was very vigilant with cleaning during the healing process. I did it twice a day, every day, and only forgot maybe once or twice within a few months. I had a bad habit of touching the ring and flipping it up and down (I still do this all day!). I tried to make sure my hands were as clean as possible though. To this day I have never had an infection or any other problems with the piercing. After about two months it felt healed enough to stop cleaning it twice a day and just start cleaning it in the shower.
When it felt like it was healed I went back to New Tribe to pick up a circular barbell. I had them put it in for me there as I was still not confidant with changing my piercing. I had only removed it once and that was by accident- and I was in a terrible panic to get it back in! My first reaction to seeing the circular barbell was that it was too big for my face. I was too shy to say that I was unhappy with it so I just flipped it up and went home. It was so much larger in comparison to the tiny retainer ends and I felt like I had an unusually giant piercing in the middle of my face. I got used to it after a few days and I'm now glad that I didn't ask for a smaller ring as I love the size of it now. I'm even thinking of stretching up to a larger ring with a larger gauge! I'm very happy with my piercing, it was a great experience and I will be going back for more very soon!