Well, after waiting for two weeks until I got back from holiday, I finally got my first piercing today! I thought I would be best to wait till I got back from Majorca, as it would be harder to heal with me sweating all the time (ewww) and if anything went wrong I would be hundreds of miles from the piercing studio.
At A Glance Author Jon101 Contact Jon101@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Daryll Studio Retro Rebels Location Aberdeen, Scotland Well, I had to get up early to get a lift into Aberdeen, then bugger about for a while till it was time to go get it done. I tend to be a slightly impatient person and don't like waiting around for things to happen, so I was a bit flustered! Also, I didn't think I would be nervous at all, but I was bricking it a little bit when I actually walked in the door, plus there were no other customers in the shop, so that made it a bit worse :)
Anyway the piercer (Daryll @ Retro Rebels) was very friendly and talkative and put me at ease straight away. After going through to the back room and signing my life away, the journey began. I can now conclusively say that Xylocaine tastes yucky! He changed gloves then and disinfected the area. I told him that I would like a labret placed so I can wear a BCR (CBR in the States) when it heals, then we had a few tries marking the spot until I was happy (I'm an akward little bugger) and we had got a third opinion to make sure. So he clamped my lip, told me to close my eyes and take a deep breath, and that he would then push the needle through, which he did. It was really not very painful at all, slightly nippy but not nearly as bad as getting an injection at the dentist and certainly not worth getting worked up about. What I did notice was the sensation of the needle passing through the flesh (which seemed like a much further distance than I had expected!) and the tip of the ne edle popping out the other side. It happened very quickly though. After that he asked how I was doing, and I tried to reply "Not bad at all" with a big plastic straw stuck through my lip! Anyway, he slipped the labret post through, made sure the ball was nice and tight, and that was me done! He seemed quite pleased with the piercing, as was I when I looked in the mirror and started to smile, which felt a bit strange with the stud in :) Once again, Daryll was very friendly and explained every step of the process as he was doing it, and we talked about some other things about cool jewellery I could get, and people with PAs, that kind of thing :)
So afterwards, I was given a list of aftercare instructions on a sheet of paper (which he also explained to me before and after the piercing), I paid my money and went on my way! I couldn't wait to tell someone and I'm looking forward to showing it off when I go out tonight. I will be rinsing dilligently with diluted Listerine and washing the yucky bits off with saline, and we'll see how things go! I hope it works out as I'm already in love with the new decoration on my face, and will be all excited again when I get to try a BCR once it heals.
It feels a little strange right now, especially when I lick my lips or smile. It's also a little bit painful when I drink from a bottle or nibble at the inside of my mouth (which I shouldn't do anyway) but it's early days yet - only about 4 hours since I got it done. I tried rinsing with saline and decided it was disgusting, so I'll stick to diluted Listerine for rinsing my mouth and just use saline for the outside.
I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has been thinking about getting it done. I prefer the higher placement, I just think it looks nicer, plus I will be able to wear a ring, but that's just personal preference. I was feeling a bit self conscious after I had it done and was walking up the street, especially when I got back to Alford, which is a small village where I live, and isn't known for the open-minded and tolerant opinions of its residents, but no one seemed to be staring at me - no more than usual at least ;) Also, as soon as I got off the bus I saw a girl walking up the street with the same piercing, which was quite funny, but I think her, one other girl I know and myself are the only people around here with a facial piercing. Yes, it is a backwards place!
Anyway, I'm just about to have something to eat, which should be interesting :)