I had been thinking about getting my septum done for several months, after seeing many friends who had it done and admiring it. I read all the stories on BMEZINE, thoroughly scared myself, and still wanted it done. My friends weren't quite as enthusiastic about it as I was, but I figured if it became a real problem, I had the advantage of flipping it up. I waited and waited for months until I decided I had to get it done, and inquired about a piercer.
At A Glance Author SAMM! Contact SAMM!@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Tony Studio Ian's Location New York, New York @ St. Marks Place My friend, who has several facial mods, recommended Ian's on St. Mark's place, which is close to where I live. I took her advice and she came with me on the day I went to get the piercing. I entered the parlor, and spoke to a man at the front who gave me the price range and asked me what kind/size jewelry I was interested in. When I chose my jewelry (16 gauge circular barbell), the man proceeded to give me aftercare instructions, and sold me a bottle of H2Ocean, which is a spray cleaner and seemed to be quite easy and effective. He then called to the piercer, and sent me to the back.
I walked into the back room, shaking by now, and sat down on the piercing table. The piercer, whose name was Tony, made sure that I could see that everything was sterile, and he opened a new clamp, needle, and placed the jewelry in disinfectant. He turned to me and said "You better not cry", which made me feel comfortable, since I knew he was trying to relax me. He cleaned my nose with an alcohol pad, and checked to make sure the inside of my nose was clear and clean. Then, having me hold my head straight and relax my face, he put the clamp on my nose, adjusting it several times to make sure he had it straight and would pierce evenly.
During this time, my friends were right in the doorway, telling me jokes and making me smile, which was of course putting me at risk for a crooked piercing. Still, I'd recommend going with a friend for this piercing, because it can make the experience much easier, especially if it's your first facial mod.
Then came the needle. By this time, I was shaking pretty bad. "You're not gonna cry are you?" the piercer said, beginning to laugh. I shook my head, and tried to relax. "Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth", he said. On the exhale the needle went through my nose and into the cork on the other end. It was done. He kept the needle in my nose for a moment when he went to get my jewelry which my friends said "made me look like a tribesman." It wasn't painful, and I was just relieved that it was almost over, and I had really gone through with it. In the next minute he fitted in my jewelry, screwed on the other ball to my barbell, and checked to make sure the piercing wasn't crooked which, thankfully, it wasn't. He asked me if I felt dizzy or faint, and since I felt a little woozy, he had me lay down. Then he showed me how to flip the barbell up into my nose to hide it, and said that I should do that when I go to bed at night. I checked his work in the mirror, fell in love, and gave him a five dollar tip.
I've had the piercing for about seven hours now. There was some dried up blood in my nose which I cleaned out easily with a q-tip, but other than that, no bleeding. I've already cleaned it with the spray once, which I found to be really easy, although I did spray myself in the eye once or twice. My nose is sort of sore, but it's nothing too bad, and doesn't really hurt unless I pull my lip down. The soreness was a little worse when I flipped it up, but it's not nearly as bad as I expected.
I would recommend this piercing to anyone who is considering it. I myself have a real aversion to needles, but I made it through everything without a problem and was really proud of myself in the end. I would also recommend Ian's if you live in or around New York City. Tony, the piercer, was really straightforward and knew exactly how to make sure I felt comfortable and ready. The place was also really clean and made sure I knew everything was sterile and new. Anyway, I recommend septum piercing 100%, and for my first facial mod, it went really, really well.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me @ zachnlippy@yahoo.com, I'm happy to talk about the experience.