At A Glance Author JayZero Contact JayZero@bme.anon IAM JayZero When Five years ago Location Port Clinton, Ohio After having my left eyebrow pierced for 4 years, I recently decided to take it out. I thought it would be interesting to write about my experience. Thinking back, I honestly can't remember why I wanted it done so badly. Of course I liked the way it looked, but I also knew I just HAD to have one. I was 15 at the time, and at a little school in a rural town that had only about 500 students. I'm pretty sure I was the only kid with a facial piercing, and I think that was part of the draw. My parents are pretty cool, and I was also pretty mature for my age, I knew the consequences and precautions and had done plenty of research. My parents agreed that if I paid for everything and was sure I wanted to do it, they didn't have a problem with it.
The closest place to me was a small tattoo shop about 10 miles away. To be honest I had not checked it out or talked to them or anything like that, which I do regret doing, just for safety measures. I just wanted it done so badly I assumed they would be fine. The place wasn't awful, but I guess it was just your small town tattoo parlor. I wouldn't say it was dirty, but it didn't have a nice shiny look about it. I went in and spoke with the guy at the counter. My mom asked him some questions and got everything out of the way. I filled out the paperwork, paid, and then chose my jewelry. I didn't have much of a choice, just a few different gauges and I think I could choose gold or silver. I went with a typical 14g ring, with the silver ball. We walked back into this room with your typical medical bench and a table with a toolbox on it full of supplies. On the walls were photos of various people that had been pierced. Being the curious 15-year-old I remember being more inte rested in the more 'adult' piercings, if you know what I mean. The guy marked where he was going to pierce, and handed me a mirror to see if I was alright with it. It looked fine to me, so I said sure. He put on some new gloves and got everything out of the packages. He did drop the ball on the ground, but he was very business like about it and opened up a new package. When he pulled out the needle I was kind of nervous. For some reason I didn't expect it, I don't know what I was expecting but not a straight needle. I don't remember exactly how it worked, but I remember thinking it was weird. I could be very wrong, but I think the needle he used was hollow, and he put the ring in it, and when he pulled the needle through, it brought the ring through instead of making a hole, and then inserting the ring. It was a slight pinch, but it really didn't hurt badly at all. I realized I hadn't been breathing since he inserted the needle, so I took a deep breath and looked in the mir ror. I thought it was amazing and looked great! We finished things up, and he explained how to take care of it and to make sure to clean it. He also said to be careful little kids and dogs and cats for a while, because they could easily rip it out. He also told me the piercing would most likely be healed in 6 months, and then I would be safe to change jewelry. On the car ride home I was mostly excited and was looking at it non-stop in the mirror. There was a burning sensation for about 5 minutes, and then an itching sensation for about 5 minutes more, where I just wanted to itch it like crazy. That night I put the gel I was given on the piercing and went to bed. I was really cautious, and it was weird because I usually sleep with that side of my face on the pillow, but I didn't want anything to happen to my piercing. The next morning I was so afraid to take a shower because I thought the pressure of the water would hurt it or something.
I remember going to school and being so proud. All of my friends thought it was pretty cool, and I remember a couple of the preppy girls were talking to me about it because they had gotten their bellybuttons done at the same place (!!!). I followed the instructions the piercer had given me, putting the gel on twice a day and everything turned out fine.
After about 6 months, I bought a couple of barbells, I couldn't find any that were 14g, so I just got 16g. I remember it being a real hassle trying to get the original ball out. My mom used pliers, and I was really afraid she was going to rip it out. I should have gone to a place to have them change it, and I would really suggest not removing the original ring yourself. Maybe there is some trick to it that I don't know about. It also took me forever to screw in the ball of the barbell the first time.
About a year and a half after I got my eyebrow pierced, I woke up one morning and it was all swollen. I could hardly open my eye, and it was purplish, like I had been punched right there. I put some ice on it, and the swelling went down. It was sore all day, but I woke up the next morning and it was back to normal. I will never understand what happened to make it do that, I guess it will always be a mystery. That is really the only problem I had with it in 4 years. There were a couple times I hit it accidentally and it was a little sore for a day or two, but nothing extreme.
Over the last 6 months or so, I noticed it seemed to be growing out a little. It looked really thin, and about ready to pop out. It would be sore occasionally, but nothing out of the ordinary. One morning I woke up and noticed one of the balls in the barbell was missing. I was sick of always losing them, and can't afford new jewelry all the time, so I decided it was finally time to retire the piercing. I also figured if it did migrate all the way out, it'd be better to have 2 small holes instead of 1 larger hole. My boyfriend was kind of disappointed, because I he liked it and thought it was cute, but he understood why I wanted to take it out, plus now we don't have to worry about catching it when we're wrestling around or anything. It is pretty weird not having it anymore. After 4 years of something always on your face, it's almost like loosing an eye. I've just now gotten used to looking in the mirror and not seeing it, and it has been 2 months since I took it out. I was sitting in class the day after I took it out, and went to play with it and it was so weird not being there. I realized it has been a habit when I'm bored or worried or nervous to turn the ring around, so it is very awkward not having it there anymore. Another thing I've had to get used to is washing my face again. I had developed a way of washing my face where I only used my right hand and washed around the ring, and was really careful when I splashed the water on, using both hands to rinse off is so foreign now!
The holes are still pretty noticeable, and I guess they will fade over time, I'm not sure how much though. Sometimes I feel really plain and boring, and just like everyone else without having the piercing. I just feel so normal. Although I guess it is a lot more common to see people with eyebrow rings, so I guess I wasn't really that different, but I just feel boring without it.
I really enjoyed the time I had my eyebrow ring, I remember at work an old man making some comment about how I had a piece of metal through my face and was weird, and an older woman saying how cute it was. It was interesting what people had to say. I don't really have a way to end this, just be careful and research what you want done, and find a good respectable place.