Once upon a time, about 2 years ago, I decided that I needed to have double vertical labrets done. I researched it quite a bit, online. After that, I went to several shops in the city I was living in at the time - Calgary, AB, Canada.
At A Glance Author i have no feet! Contact i have no feet!@bme.anon When A year ago Artist Rick Gilmour Studio Adorned Location Calgary, AB Most of the shops I went to, told me that I couldn't get vertical labrets done, for one reason or another. I later figured out that they only told me that because they really didn't know how to do them properly. Finally, I went to Adorned Body Piercing, and asked Rick Gilmour about them. He told me that they were fine, and there was basically no chance of them rejecting - or any of the other complications the other piercers claimed that there would be - if they were done properly.
So, I went home and thought about the piercings. I knew I wanted them but I needed to decide whether I was 100% committed to them. After a couple of days, I went back to visit Rick, to get them done.
After giving me the lecture about how these weren't piercings that I would be able to take out for work and whatnot, and how they were a "different" sort of piercing (quite uncommon, at least at the time, and in that area), he started getting ready to do my double vertical labrets.
After preparing everything very carefully, and changing his gloves about a million times, as any good piercer would (and Rick is the best - although this was my first experience with him, I would later go back to get several other piercings done by him, and to this day have a very hard time trusting anyone but him to stick a needle through my flesh), he began the process of marking up my lip. After her had it marked, and I approved of it, I laid down on the table.
Throughout the entire process, Rick explained everything that he was doing. After a few deep breaths, the needle went through for the first piercing. It was a bit more painful than a "regular" lip piercing, but it wasn't anything horrible. After Rick told me how great I did, it was time to move on to the next piercing. Everything went just as smooth for the second one as well.
After we were done, and they stopped bleeding, Rick explained the after care. He then told me to make sure I come back if I had any problems at all, and to come back in a few weeks to downsize the two curved barbells that were now in my face. I went out front, paid, chatted a wee bit, and went home.
At first, I wasn't too sure what my opinion on my new piercings were. I knew they were done very well, but I just wasn't sure about if I liked the look. I went out that night with some friends and they all told me how incredible they looked, so I think that helped me get used to the whole idea.
The healing process wasn't too bad. Actually I thought, and was told, that it would probably be a whole lot harder than it actually turned out to be. The inside of my lip bruised a little bit. After a couple days, that all cleared up, tho. There was a tiny bit of bleeding from the top holes for a few days as well. Every morning I'd clean them up with a q-tip, and then give it a nice sea salt soak a few times a day. After a few weeks, they were fairly healed, and it was time to go back to Adorned to downsize the barbells.
Another visit to Rick left me feeling great. The shorter barbells fit perfectly and looked so great. It was a huge surprise how much better they looked (although I had decided long before that, that I loved my piercings anyways). I gave them a few more sea salt soaks even after that, just for good measure. In a few more weeks they were totally healed, and stopped being crusty.
Eating was a tiny bit difficult, soon after I got them done. I found that I just had to cut up my food, rather than biting into it. It wasn't a huge deal, more of an annoyance than anything. Other than that, it was completely fine - no troubles at all. People definately looked at me funny, tho. I got a lot of stares from random people that I'd never seen before in my life. It was really quite amusing - some of the looks and comments I got.
So now, it's about two years later, and I still love my vertical labrets. They look great and I've gotten used to all the funny looks I get (most people's comments were nice anyway, and now I live in New York City where piercings such as this are a lot more common than where I lived when I got them done). I get good comments all the time about how perfectly straight and symmetrical they are, and how well done they are. So, thanks Rick - you're the best.