I have wanted my eyebrow pierced since I was around 7 or 8. My parents would never let me get it done as long as I was living at home because neither one of them liked them. I would ask pretty much every birthday, Christmas, Easter, etc. if I could have it done, but the answer was always no. I pretty much gave up on getting one.
At A Glance Author keryn Contact kerynbennett@hotmail.com When A year ago Then around a year ago, (November 2002) I was at a party, and the person whose house we were all at had his eyebrow and labret done, and he had done them himself. I was all like, "Oh, pierce mine!" I know NOW that I shouldn't of gotten someone who wasn't a professional, but I just wanted it SO bad. He said no the first time because he was fairly drunk. Of course, I was disappointed, but I hadn't really expected him to do it anyways.
Then the week after, he came up to me and said he would. I was so happy because I hadn't thought he would do it in the first place. So he took a fairly large sewing needle (I know, I know, I cringe about it now too) and boiled it in hot water for about 10 minutes and washed his hands and told me to wash my face. I did and then I sat done. He marked with a ballpoint pen where he thought it would look good, and showed me. I said that it was good. I was feeling really nervous because at the time, I only knew a little bit about piercing but I knew that you shouldn't get it done with a sewing needle or by someone who isn't a professional. I was also nervous about the pain because the only other thing I had pierced was the cartilage on my ear twice, and that was done with a gun.
So anyways, he stuck the needle through my eyebrow and told me to leave the needle in there for a little bit because the hole was too small for a barbell yet. I didn't really see the logic in this because I figured if you have to shove the barbell through, it might as well get done right away then in a couple hours. I also didn't want to walk around with a big sewing needle in my eyebrow, but I did it anyway. The pain factor wasn't all that much for me, I didn't find it hurt so much as pinched. I am, to say it bluntly, a wimp. I didn't find it hurt half as much as when I got my ears pierced, and it didn't have that burning sensation afterwards, either. But then again, I didn't get it done with a gun.
When it came time to put the barbell in, I was very excited. I was being impatient, and didn't really like having a sewing needle stuck through my eyebrow. He boiled the barbell, which was straight, 16g, and silver. The needle came out, and the barbell TRIED to go in. The key word is "tried". It must have been the most painful part of the whole experience. The hole was much too small for the barbell and it was a bitch to get in. After it was in, the hole was bleeding and sore, and my eyebrow felt tight. I wasn't used to it being there at all.
I put polysporin on it every day, and to this day, it hasn't ever gotten badly infected. There was one time that it did get infected, around a month and a half after I got it pierced. I started noticing crust around the outside edges, which I don't think is all that bad, because it is part of the healing process. I went to bed and when I woke up, there was green puss everywhere. It was not a pretty picture. But I just soaked my eyebrow in sea salt for around 10 minutes and it was gone in about 4 days.
I would NOT suggest getting your eyebrow pierced the same way I did. Go to a piercing professional. I know my experience sounded like everything went right and I was lucky, I'll admit that much. But there is so much that could have gone wrong. I still have my eyebrow in today, around 11 months later, and I still love it. I have changed the barbell in it around 3 times since I got it pierced. My favourite barbell is a tiny 14g barbell that has very tiny blue spikes. I wouldn't even really call them spikes, they are more rounded, but they have a triangular shape to them.
I, on occasion, wear a 12g barbell that is white and purple cones, but I find it gets really sore after a while, and where my face is tiny, it looks too big.
I know I did a number of things incorrect, but at least I have my beloved piercing. I wish I had read up a little more on the topic and got it done in a piercing shop, but I am impatient by nature, and I just couldn't wait any longer. I also want to stress again, as it is very important, PLEASE GET YOURS DONE RIGHT! :)