So.... I'm actually still a piercing virgin. I have no mods whatsoever, no steel rings or bars through whatever part of my body, no nothing. Actually, if you saw me on the street, you'd be surprised to see that I'd be writing this at all, I think. For a fact, I'm a guy, and guys with nostril piercings are not common where I live (in the Netherlands). For a second, although my parents/family are not really religious, they don't really approve of mods either. Basically, this is a tale of how a young 17 year old dude came to the crazy idea he wanted a ring through his nose.
At A Glance Author Altmer Contact Altmer@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Rafael Studio Body Cult Location The Hague If you can't follow this, quit. The rest of you, please read on.
I've actually been wanting a piercing for years. I never mentioned any idea of it to anyone (except my last ex), I kept my obsession with piercings totally hidden and secret. I did not know if my parents would approve or let me do it, but I waited until I was old enough (16) before I actually truly began to research the whole thing. I found about a load of different stuff and was surprised that so many different parts of the body could be, and have been, pierced.
However, I chose a nostril for a different reason. It's not really that my job requires that I hide it (as far as I know; I'm just a postman and I've held the job for over a year.) It's not really that nose piercings are trendy or a fad. Yeah, studs on women, but I prefer rings and that's why I went for a CBR. No, the reason was that I've absolutely fallen in love with nose piercings altogether, and since I'm kinda shy about these things, I needed something that was a) socially accepted as in not too ostentatious b) not boring or done to death (like earrings or eyebrows) and c) something I felt totally comfortable looking at. A nostril piercing satisfied all of these conditions for me.
So it's holiday from Uni (I'm a Molecular Science & Technology student) and I have so many days off and free time that I don't really know how to spend it properly or have any concrete plans that I want to put into practice. Except this one. So off I go by public transport to the Hague, alone (I know..) and arrive safely and soundly at the studio. I looked around a lot first. The shop looked pretty clean and the piercers/staff gave off exactly the right vibe. I loved that, but once I got there I was at the point of chickening out. I let some other customers go first and bought a Deep Purple cd and a smoothie, and tried to reconcile with my brain and find out if this really was what I wanted. Finally, I got the guts and walked up to a staff member (who turned out to be the tattooist), told him I wanted my nose done, and finally got it over with.
I then filled in the necessary forms, waited for the piercer, Rafael to arrive (a dark-skinned guy with a couple of piercings, but nothing too drastic), and paid the fee for a piece of circular titanium up my nose, which equalled fifty euros. He then took me up to the studio, which looked really friendly and neat. He explained what he was going to do, first asking if I wanted a stud, but I explained I wanted a ring instead. I also got a bottle of disinfectant. He showed me all the equipment, totally fucking sterile and put on gloves. He cleaned my nose, and marked the spot. I found that that was too far back, so he placed it a little more up front. He even used a ruler to measure the perfect height and length!
He then put on the clamps, which kinda stung but really weren't a pain as some people make it out to be. He didn't use any breathing techniques, he just pushed the needle through and it stung somewhat, but nothing too drastic. (My eyes teared though.) He fiddled a lot with the jewelry, but it came out looking perfect in the end! He explained aftercare to me, and gave me one of the necessary aftercare sheets as well. He also asked if I wasn't feeling too weird. I explained that I was dead nervous and had no idea how I managed to get the guts to do this procedure, and explained about my parents not knowing and all!
I waved, shook the man's hand, said goodbye, and left with a fucking killer adrenaline shot. I still feel totally weird and unconscious that I actually managed to do this. The parentals may become a problem, but this is in the end my body and my life! I'm sure I'll convince them not to be too angry and explain my reasoning. I think it's a very easy piercing, especially if you have okay pain tolerance like I do and aren't too scared of needles. (It was my mind I was scared of, not needles. I don't mind needles, somehow.) I recommend that you just go for it if you like it, and don't let anybody hold you back!
In the words of the (in)famous Freddie Mercury: Don't Stop Me Now!
Enjoy. :)