I had gotten the piercing itch once again and was flipping through pictures on BME trying to decide what I wanted to pierce next. I had already had 13, retired three. I am luckier than a few being that I work at a piercing and tattoo shop, and our piercer, Dustin Sharrow, was always kind enough to do my piercings for free. I was thinking about doing another facial piercing, since those piercings are my favourite, and I really didn't have any body piercings left that I wanted done. So after lots of thought, I figured a monroe or medusa would suit the piercings I already had best.
At A Glance Author 13lotusflowers IAM 13lotusflowers When A month ago Artist Dustin Sharrow Studio Cottage 13 Location Hamilton, ON Friday at work, I kept pestering Dustin asking him which one he thought I should get, and he said that since I had brought up the monroe the most over the past week, that I had already had my mind set, and he was right. I asked him if he thought he might have time to do it sometime that day at work if we had a lull, he said sure.
As the day went on, Dustin got busier and busier. It was an above average day, and right up until the last ten minutes he was booked with appointments. Though my piercing itch was strong that day, it didn't look like I was going to get to have my fun too. Ah well, part of the job. At the time, staying after work wasn't an option for him since he bussed to and from Toronto to work in our studio everyday.
Dustin's last piercing went smoothly and he was done with ten minutes to close. He came out to the front and said, "Okay, lets go." I looked at the clock confused and asked if he was nuts. He walked into the piercing room, started quickly setting up and handed me the surgical marker. "You mark, I'll pierce"
So I looked in the mirror, slightly content that he trusted my judgment in placing it myself, and picked the spot that I had always pictured it. About 3 millimetres from my smile crease, and centred between my nose and my upper lip. I didn't know exactly what I was shooting for on the inside of my mouth, but I wasn't sure how much I cared. I see people almost everyday with that piercing in many places and it works out for them. As well, my time spent looking at the pictures of people's faces on BME showed me a lot of different places. And Dustin had asked me earlier that day what I liked about the look of the piercing, how it was placed and why. So I knew my mind was set.
I marked the spot right the first time. Dustin gave me a cup with the Oral B alcohol free in it, and I rinsed for what seemed like an eternity, and then spit it out. Next, Dustin cleaned the area with tech2000 I believe it is called. It's actually the first time I've seen that particular solution. He put the clamp on as gentle as always and checked to make sure that everything was lined up. He knew I was ready to go without even asking, but joked how this was going to be the longest monroe piercing he ever did since he had to be the one to stare at it everyday.
He lifted my lip just a little bit, and lined the needle up on the inside of my mouth. I could barely feel the tip of the needle. This is why I love oral piercings. You can't feel the needle when it's starting on the inside of your mouth; you can just feel it when it breaks through the skin on the outside. Dustin slowly pushed the needle through, and he was right, it was the slowest oral piercing that I have gone through, but I rather liked the feeling. It helped me to appreciate every level the needle was passing through. When it broke through the outside, Dustin removed the clamp, and picked up the 3/8" SS labret. He put it in the back of the needle and slid it through with the greatest of ease. I didn't feel a thing. He gently put the bead on and I jumped up to look in the mirror.
It was warm and already starting to tighten, but it looked great. It was perfectly straight, and exactly what I was looking for. After a quick clean up, I barely had enough time to thank Dustin before he jumped on his bus back home, but of course I would see him the next day.
I walked out to the front reception with a huge grin on my face, and my boss smiled. There were some customers that I was talking to before Dustin whisked me away, that even remained behind to see what it looked like, and I was happy to show it off. It is funny how the novelty of having a new piercing still doesn't wear off even though I work with them every day.
Saturday at work, I gave Dustin a measly tip to thank him anyways. He takes good care of my piercings. I appreciate him a lot more than I show. He pestered me to make sure that I knew how to take care of them, and I said of course and ran down my routine. He seemed satisfied.
It healed well, and as expected. I changed it today to a shorter post and it looks very awesome. Dustin did a great job, as always. I wouldn't expect anything less.
What can I say, but that it was a great five minutes.
Note: sorry if I seemed to miss anything. Since I see piercings as my job, I sometimes forget the small details that just seem so normal to me. Anyone with any questions should feel free to IAM me.