Getting my septum pierced has not always been a dream of mine. When I was new to body mods I was actually really turned off by them. But I started developing a fascination with them and the placement and everything that goes along with one.
At A Glance Author katy p. Contact drop_a_heart37@hotmail.com When It just happened Artist Me Studio Vet's office Location steinbach Since my parents have never allowed me to get piercings I have been sneaky, finding places that are shady and will do it without parental consent. I live in Manitoba and the piercing age is 18 without consent, and I can't wait that long! So i ordered three 14 g needles over the Internet and went out and purchased a 16 g septum retainer. I am very petite and I wanted something that would add to my face, not take away because it was to big. I wanted to do it as 'professional' as a sixteen year old girl can. So I stocked up on supplies. Smallest latex gloves they carry and most importantly.. an autoclave... where could i find that? Oh! I know! One of my friend's dad owns a vet clinic and I made him let me into it after hours. We prayed there wasn't an animal emergency. I then had bright lights, sterile marking pens, clamps, a clean surface, and most importantly- an autoclave. I put the already once autoclaved needles into the autoclave (can't be to careful), along with the clamps and waited for my friend to stop fidgeting with it and turned it on. I cleaned two needles in case I screwed up and dropped it or something. Bad luck comes when you don't need it haha.
I then put on my first pair of gloves got the pen and started pulling and prodding at my nose wondering how I was going to do this. I quickly cleaned it with some iodine. Don't worry the piercing it self will not be getting cleaned with iodine. My past experience on myself and other have included a VCH, hand-web, lip, nipples, nostril, eyebrow, and my tongue frenulum. But my septum was so, so, awkward. I have a very small nose and getting my fingers in there and prodding for the sweet spot left was making me frustrated. So I found it and marked it. I only marked one side. I then got on another pair of gloves, and got into my piercing stance (bent over in front of a mirror- similar to a battle stance). And began to do some cleansing deep breathing. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Find the pen mark and poke it with the dull side of the needle. Exhale. Poke really hard just to get the feeling of it. Inhale. Turn the needle around so the prick is in my nose. I pressed gently and decided that that one spot hurt way to much and moved the tip of the needle around- very slightly so i was still on the dot I made. That made a huge difference. I found a spot that hurt way less and began to push, slowly. I felt a pop and the needle slide in. Another pop and the needle went further. "Is this normal??" I was thinking to myself, did I miss the sweet spot and am slowly putting it through my cartilage? I started sweating and shaking. I gave myself a mental pep talk and that actually helped. I'm such a looser. I got half way through and then my eyes started pouring, which I was really surprised about since it didn't hurt that bad, it was a really sharp and intense pain- but bearable. I looked in the mirror and saw the silver tip of the needle. This is when I got worried. My hands were slipping and I needed to reposition them, so I did quickly, I was scared the needle would just fall out or the course it was running would change and I'd be "that girl with the wonky septum". It didn't, thank god and I kept pushing. This is where piercings hurt the most for me and since I think piercings hurt more when you do them DIY I close my eyes and pushed, hard. To get it over with, I was right- this was the most painful part.
But the needle was fully through now and I looked so hard core with the needle in through my nose. So I let it chill there for a second as I regained my composure and showed my friends and couldn't stop smiling. I really wished I took a picture with the needle in. I then got a hold of my super tiny 16 g retainer and stuck it into the dull side of the needle. Slowly I slid the rest of the needle through my septum just about on to the retainer. Then bad luck struck. The retainer fell on the table and the needle was half out of the hold. I freaked out, fearing for the life of my new born septum and shoved the dull end through my nose. THAT HURT. I picked up the retainer. Sprayed it with iodine, wiped it dry with a piece of gaze. This time I really stuck the retainer into the needle and slowly eased it in. No pain. I straightened the septum, admired it. Loved it. It looked amazing- I looked amazing. I grinned and flipped it up, my face already felt like it was missing something. I drove home where my parents still have no clue about my little addition to my piercing collection. It's really sore and to clean it I blow bubbles with my nose in a cup of salt water then Q-tip the crusties away. Its a really dull kind of sore, it feels really stiff, and to be honest you want to pick it like a booger haha. But B couldn't be happier. It's so straight which happened by pure luck because I see professionally done ones that are quit wonky. I recommend this to any one that likes to have a secret piercing they can flip up for school, work, or parents. I don't recommend DIY, just because mine worked doesn't mean yours will. I understood the risks and have done countless amounts of research.
Remember, "if you can pierce it, you can pinch it!"