I've loved body mods for a long time. From ages 15-18, I've managed to collect a cherished assortment of one set of standard lobes, 2 helix piercings in my left ear (one retired.. it was gunned. *shudder*), a rook in my right ear, my left nipple (realllllly sadly, retired), and now.. my beloved septum.
At A Glance Author elisabeth When It just happened Artist Greg Studio Chameleon Body Arts Location Cambridge, MA Like loads of experiences here, I was one of those who at first hated the look of septums. Yeah. Bull rings. Awesome. But they really grew on me, and after I fell in love with them, with my 18th birthday coming up, my itch for a facial piercing that my parents wouldn't necessarily have to know about led me to it: my septum. So my 18th birthday came... and passed. I didn't find time to do it that day, nor in the two weeks following. Finally, yesterday, I went in to meet my boyfriend in Harvard Square early enough so that I could get it done before dinner. Chameleon, located in the Garage in Harvard Square, is the only place in the area I'll trust to pierce me. It's a tad on the expensive side, and yes, it's a little bit impersonal, as it's a usually crowded place, but all the piercers are nice, insanely hygienic, incredibly talented, and professional.
I walked into the Jewelry Gallery (Chameleon's sister store where you pay for your piercings, and where they also sell an extensive amount of high-quality jewelry), and stated that I wanted a septum. I was so excited, and so nervous. I picked out a pretty retainer, and handed over my ID. I felt so illicitly badass getting ID'ed knowing that I was 18. I was like "Ooh, I'm gonna get caught.. Except for the fact that I'm legitimately of age..." It was nervewracking, as I'd heard that septums can be really painful.
My boyfriend and I walked over to Chameleon's waiting room, where we sat for about five minutes before Greg, the (really good looking) piercer, called me. There were no other people waiting to be pierced, just a few people looking at tattoo artists' portfolios. Once I walked into the piercing room, I started to nervously ask questions. I checked to make sure that we were going through the sweet spot, not cartilage, to which he responded that septum piercings through cartilage are piercings that have been done incorrectly. He confirmed that I wanted a retainer, and told me that he was using a 16g, which is fantastic, since I have a smallish and rather dainty nose.
He swabbed out my nose with iodine, then marked it using a disposable purple marker. He then whipped out the clamps, which I groaned at the sight of. The clamps were the worst part when I had my nipple done, and I wasn't too keen on them being stuck around my nose. Greg told me, however, that they were there really to just keep things generally motionless, and that they were going to "wake me up" a bit, but if they actually hurt, to tell him so he could loosen them. They were a teeny bit uncomfortable, but nowhere near anything I would call painful. Next came the needle. I grabbed one of my boyfriend's hand as Greg instructed me to keep taking deep breaths in and out, and began to count me in. 1... 2... On three, he pushed the needle in. I felt it go through each layer of skin, and then exit my sweet spot. It didn't hurt. At all. I can't stress this enough. I let go of my boyfriend's hand and started to giggle a little because it had felt.. kind of nice, actually. It was a bit like an insanely mild pinch, only it didn't hurt, there was just some pressure and a little bit of stinging for a second or two. I would say that getting a hangnail, biting your tongue, stubbing your toe, or getting your helix pierced are all things that are a thousand times more painful that my septum piercing was. My eyes didn't even water up. At all. The insertion of jewelry followed the needle smoothly and immediately. I felt the cold of the retainer inside my nose (which was a truly odd sensation), but no pain.
I hopped off the table, and stuck my face in the mirror. It was stunning. The small size of the jewelry suited my face perfectly. Greg told me that I had the perfect septum to pierce, which made me very happy, for some reason. I loved it immediately. I tipped Greg, we went over aftercare, he confirmed that I could flip the jewelry up and down as I liked, and my boyfriend I left. I was on an absolute piercing high for hours afterwards.
Now it's a day later, and I haven't experienced any pain, or any tenderness. I flip it up around my/my boyfriend's parents and to sleep, and flip it down the rest of the time. To flip it up, I kind of flare my nostrils and push the ends of the retainer up and back. You can't see it at all when it's up. Flipped up or down, it's comfortable. A little weird, but comfortable. Upon closer inspection, I've noticed that the piercing is ever so *slightly* crooked, but it's alright with me. I adore it. As for aftercare, I've had great success using a routine of cleaning piercings with Cetaphil once or twice a day, salt soaks, H2Ocean, and using Bactine spray once or twice a day, and I intend to use it for healing my septum.
All in all, a great, painless experience for an awesome, sexy, badass as hell, unusual piercing that can either be clearly hanging out in the middle of your face, or tucked up and away for privacy. I recommend septum piercings, and Chameleon, to everyone!