First of all, I'd like to come clean and admit something that my friends and family already know very well ... I am a complete pain wimp. Needles scare me and the thought of anything puncturing my skin makes me nauseous and shaky ... which would probably make me the last candidate for a facial piercing!
At A Glance Author Nicole Contact Nicole@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Didn't catch her name :-/ Studio Dermagraffiti Location Scottdale, PA I'd managed to brave through three earlobe piercing (the first when I was in grade school, and the third ones on my 18th birthday), but I'd wanted something a little more ... "extreme". An eyebrow piercing was first brought to my attention when my little sister mentioned I should get one. "Yeah right..." I scoffed at first, "There's no way I would let some tattooed man anywhere near my face with a pointy object." Needless to say, my attitude toward piercings (and body modification in general) was a very poor one.
But after seeing a few people with eyebrow piercings, the idea started to become more and more appealing to me. I'd spent hours researching piercing on the web, and my opinions about body modification started to improve. By the time I was 18, I'd decided that I wanted an eyebrow piercing. There was just one small problem...
As I stated earlier, I'm terrified of needles. I loathe the doctor's office and hospitals, and each time I have to get some type of shot for work I always try to negotiate it to last-minute postponement. This posed a large problem, since a piercing obviously cannot be performed without the aid of a needle. Every time I was on my way to the tattoo parlor, I'd get half way there and inevitably chicken out. At that point, I figured that a pierced eyebrow would merely be something I would have in daydreams.
Fast-forwarding to a week ago, my little sister states she wants her eyebrow done. She asks if I can pay for it, as an early Christmas present, and being the generous soul that I am I accepted. After asking my mother if it was alright (my sister is still underage, thus needed my mom to sign for her), it's settled. The next day, we were driving to Dermagrafitti to get my sister's eyebrow done ... or so I thought. The night before, my sister admits that she's a little scared of getting pierced. Before I could even register what I'd said, the words spilled from my mouth ... "Don't worry, I'll get mine done too ... and I'll go first so you see that there's nothing to worry about." What was I thinking?! I was actually going to allow someone to shove a needle through my sensitive and oh-so-vulnerable skin! What had I gotten myself into?
We decided on Dermagraffitti, because my ex-boyfriend had gotten his tattoo there, so I already knew they were sterile and that their studio was very clean. (I was there at the time, because I'd paid for the tattoo as a Valentine's Day gift.) They were also relatively inexpensive (eyebrow piercings were $25). We arrived there a little after 12 noon, and I was immediately panic-stricken about hearing the soft buzz of the tattoo needle in the back room. But it was too late to back out now ... I was inside the studio, which was the farthest I'd gotten in my piercing quest.
A woman was sitting on the black couch in the waiting area, reading a newspaper. Thinking she was a customer or waiting for the poor soul who was getting the tattoo in the back room, I stood at the front counter browsing at the various rings and barbells that were on display. It wasn't until she cleared her throat and asked, "Can I help you?", when I realized she was an employee.
"Uh ... I'm here to get pierced..." I replied in an almost mute voice.
"What are you piercing?" she asked, and I told her I was there to get my eyebrow pierced. I handed her my ID, signed a form, chose my jewelry (a 16-gauge curved barbell), and next thing I knew I was being escorted into a small room behind the curtain into a flame-print clad dentist chair.
Once I was seated, I knew it was definitely too late to back out. First, she pulled on a pair of purple disposable gloves. I watched carefully, as she unwrapped all her utensils and set them out on a paper towel. First, she set down the clamps, next was the barbell I'd picked out, a small cork, and lastly was the needle. My eyes widened, and I started shaking so badly the chair started moving! My piercer chuckled, and told me to relax. She said "If you can pluck your eyebrows, you can definitely do this ..." A few days earlier, I'd had my eyebrows waxed and when she said that ... it actually made me feel a lot calmer.
Finally, the moment I'd been postponing for years came. She wrapped a small rubber band around the clamps, and clamped my eyebrow. I think this was the part that "hurt" the most, and it kind of made the area go numb. I was then told to close my eyes and I immediately grabbed my sister's arm. I can't really describe the feeling of the needle going through my skin ... it didn't "hurt", but it felt slightly uncomfortable for about a second. Next thing I knew, my piercer said "Okay, the worst part's over." and I opened my eyes. I could see the little cork out of the corner of my eye, and that big needle I was so afraid of. I started chuckling, because suddenly I finally saw that it wasn't that big of a deal.
The barbell was inserted, and I was finally allowed to take a look at my new piercing. I absolutely loved it! I listened aptly to the aftercare instructions she gave me, she handed my a paper with all the instructions on it, and I paid and left. (And, my sister got hers done, after seeing that her "big wimp" of an older sister could go through it.)
Now it's been a week and my eyebrow is healing rather nicely. I'm already browsing body jewelry, and I have plans on getting more piercings in the future. (I still want an inverse navel, tragus, and a small nostril piercing.) I guess what they say is true. Once you get one, you're addicted!