You always hear people bragging about how their piercing "didn't hurt at all" and you think to yourself, "yeah right." I mean, how can stabbing a needle through a chunk of your body possibly not hurt??? Well, I am starting to think that the pain depends more on your piercer (how fast and cleanly they get the job done) than on personal pain threshold.
At A Glance Author delial Contact delial@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Bink Williams Studio Body Piercing by Bink (inside Advanced Tattoo) Location Tallahassee, FL Today I got my right nostril pierced at Body Piercing by Bink, and if I ever get another piercing then I will definitely use him again! This was not my first piercing. I've had 3 holes in my left earlobe, 2 in my right earlobe, one cartilage piercing in my right ear, an industrial in my right ear, a lip piercing, 2 barbells in my tongue, and my navel pierced. I actually did my navel and the first tongue piercing myself when I was in high school (yes, I was idiotic back then). The only piercing I have left (besides the one I got today) is the cartilage piercing in my left ear. By far the most painful piercing I have ever had was the industrial, followed by the other ear cartilage and the navel piercing. Everything else (including lip) was not really that bad. I've wanted to get my nose done for years, but experienced so much pain with my other cartilage piercing that I kept putting it off.
After nearly passing out from watching a bunch of nose piercing videos on YouTube, today I decided to bite the bullet and just go through with it. Everyone told me either "it doesn't hurt" or that he pain would just be really sharp for a second, and also that it would make me cry involuntarily. It basically felt like a fast prick- about on par with popping a painful zit... but all day i had been squeezing my nostril with my fingers in anticipation, trying to simulate what the pain might feel like, and the piercing itself didn't hurt nearly as much as my pinching it beforehand! Bink was so fast with this so I can only attribute the lack of pain to the speed and efficacy with which he pierced me because, as I said before, I have always found cartilage piercing to be horribly painful.
First he marked the spot. He recommended I start with a stud, so I picked out a subtle little surgical steel dome. He asked if I ever planned on putting a ring in it, and I do so I said yes. I explained though that I disliked the big honkin rings and prefer the small rings that hug the nostril. So he used a caliper to measure where he marked the dot to make sure it was located appropriately so a 3/8" ring would perfectly hug my nostril some day. It only needed to be adjusted "half a dot lower."
Now time for the piercing. I couldn't believe I was going through with this and was super nervous. My palms were sweaty and my heart was racing! He took a sterilized plexiglass tube which was cut at roughly a 45º angle at the opening, and placed it inside my nostril. The notched/slanted side was pressed against the inside of the nostril (away from the septum). He explained that the purpose of this tube was to angle the nostril appropriately, and that the needle would go through the skin into the tube (where the needle tip would be safely kept from puncturing my septum or anything else). He held the needle up to the spot and told me to take a deep breath in. Before I had fully inhaled, he already had the needle through, and before I had fully exhaled he already had the stud in my nose! The whole ordeal literally lasted a second or less! I think that in the YouTube videos I had watched, the less experienced piercers had drawn out the whole thing quite a bit more and the piercees seemed to be in quite a bit of pain and lots of tears welling up in their eyes. I got one small tear in my right eye, but not till a couple seconds after the piercing was done. Afterwards he explained that from time to time I may need to push the inside "screw arm" part of the stud back up inside my nostril (as it may slip and be slightly apparent to someone shorter than you)... and then after it heals a bit more I can use my fingers to bend it a bit so it fits more snugly. I was given Satin antibacterial soap and sea salt for soaking, as well as literature about aftercare instructions (which were also given verbally).
A bit about Bink... when I first saw him, I wasn't sure if he was a piercer because I didn't see any piercings or tattoos on him! He was an older man (mid 50s?) with a grey beard, dressed semi-conservatively. After I asked, he explained that he did in fact have many piercings but in more discreet places because he also works as a registered nurse and must maintain a professional appearance. He was very patient and informative. He is a member of the Association of Professional Piercers and I don't think any other piercer in town is an RN... plus, just due to the fact that he is a bit older than some piercers in town, he just has more experience. I think the most important thing in choosing a piercer is finding someone who will be as safe as possible, is a perfectionist, but also works very quickly to minimize the pain. With Bink you will find all these qualities! Highly recommended!