07/October/2004
At A Glance Author The Witch Contact wiccanbutterfly83@hotmail.com When A week ago Artist Jamie Studio Sydenham Tattoo Location Sydenham, South East London I've tries so many times to sum up why exactly I'm into piercings. I've failed about six times, let's hope it's seventh time lucky.
I first thought labrets were really cool when I saw the lead singer of Linkin Park. (I've read quite a lot of other experiences that say the same thing about Chester.) He was just so sexy, piercings and all! I've always wanted to get more piercings. I had my ears done once and let them close as I was a total tom-boy until a few years ago and I thought earrings were for girly girls. I got them re-pierced about three ears ago. Then I thought they looked to plain, everyone has their ears pierced, so I got my nose pierced. Then I got my left cartilage done, then my lobes done twice more. The most recent was three weeks ago getting the cartilage of my right ear twice, I got it done with a gun in Claire's. I am in no way defaming Claire's, all my other ear piercings were done in Claire's with a gun and they turned out fine. My right cartilage didn't. It was fine for 7 days. On the 8th day I woke up with my ear in pain! I couldn't even sleep that night because it was throbbing so bad. I finally managed to drop off and when I woke up my right ear had swelled at least twice in size! I practically yanked the earrings out on my ear, followed by the ones on my lobes to stop them pinching. I saw a doctor and was told that the stress of having them pierced so close together at the same time made it swell. Suffice to say, I'm never having a gun piercing again.
Anyway, that is straying from the point, I got all these piercings thinking I would get just one more and then I would be happy. I guess that's the way it always happens, the "just one more" mentality. I have wanted a nipple piercing since I was about 18, my mum has absolutely said NO! I have been asking for a lip piercing since I was 17, she has finally relented, I'm now 21!
I'm getting it done on the 13th, a lucky day for me as I'm a Wiccan. I went through a stage a couple of weeks back when I was totally nervous. I would have just done it then to get it done but I have a dentist appointment on the 12th so I have to wait until after that. But now it's only six days and I feel just excited and impatient!
09/October/04
I think really what this piercing is about goes deeper then the aesthetics. It seems since I was about 15 I've always been in a relationship with some guy or another. Just over a year ago I came out. I reclaimed my femininity, my womanhood, and most importantly, my body.
This piercing is a way of saying this is my body. Mine. My own. I can do with it whatever I want, I can be fat if I want to, I can be pierced if I want to, I can cover it in tattoos if I want to. I choose to modify my body because I CAN. That is why I'm getting a Labret. It is also why I hope to get a eyebrow piercing soon and why I have a few tattoos planned. Some people will think (my mum included) that I'm ruining my body. I'm not, it's not like I'm smoking - which is proved to cause cancer and a whole load of other health problems. I'm getting metal put through my flesh and ink put under my skin. I'm modifying, I'm improving, I am reclaiming what is mine.
10/October/04
I've finally gotten my mum to understand what piercings mean to me. It happened earlier when we were folding laundry. I said earlier I would also like to get a Medusa and eyebrow piercing. She just told me to be quiet. I told her while we were folding that to me piercings are a statement. I don't hide the fact that I am gay, I wear my pride necklace, I wear my dungarees and Doc Martens! I am proud of the fact that I'm a Lesbian and I'm proud that I belong with the modified. Just like in American Pie, Jim was the band geek that never joined the band, I was the modified who didn't have any mods! (But not for long!) I said to her 'you aren't ashamed of being Irish, you don't hide it. I don't want to hide that I'm pierced, I want to show it off to the world, I am who I am and I'm not afraid or ashamed to show it.' And she understood.
12/October/04
Tomorrow man! I'm so excited, I can hardly sit still enough to type this. I was so nervous this morning I though I was gonna throw up. But I'm much calmer now. Just impatient. Tick Tock!
13/October/04
Welcome to Labretville, population: me!
I did it! I have proved that I'm not a total chicken. My brother drove me, him and my mum waiting in the car as we were going shopping after. I went in all on my own, being brave and grown up, went up to the counter, asked for a lip ring and was bought through to a small and clean room. It was like a tiny kitchen, minus everything but the sink. My piercer was Jamie. He asked me if I wanted a ring or stud and I said stud (I think they are cooler) He went to get all the supplies. I stood there nervously and decided to sit on the table/bed/chair thingy and wait for him to come back in. Everything was in sterilised packages. Jamie put his gloves on, opened everything and put it on a tray like they use in operating theatres. He marked my lip, I looked in the mirror and saw it was perfect, I wanted to be able to wear a ring if I wanted to once it has healed. I sat back down and he wiped the outside of my face with disinfectant stuff that smelled like a hospital! He put the clamps on and said they would be a little uncomfortable. He then asked me if I was ready and I said yes. He put the needle through. OUCH! I'm not gonna lie, it did hurt, it is basically a sharp piece of metal going through your flesh, but it was in no way agonising. He took the needle out, leaving in the plastic sheath, cut it short, and pulled the labret through. It was still stinging a bit because it all happened so quickly but the labret going through was absolutely painless. His hands were shaking badly as he screwed on the ball, that made me laugh. He kept asking me if I was ok as he was doing it all, I just made a little uh-huh sound. As soon as I was able, the first words I said were "Smegging hell, that hurt!" (I attribute the "smeg" to the fact I am watching my Red Dwarf dvd's) I showed him my hands and they were steady as a rock. He said I made him nervous as this was my first body piercing! I got up and looked in the mirror and loved it! He gave me the piece of paper with the aftercare instructions, quickly wiped my lip as there was a spo "\Ãw"ë t of blood, and told me not to drink alcohol while it's healing as it thins the blood. I asked if he took tips or if they had a tip jar but he said he didn't want it but thanks. I paid and went on my merry way. I told mum that the placement meant I could wear a ring once it had healed, her actual words were "No, I like the stud" I grinned widely as she admitted she liked it!
By far, the worst part of the piercing was the fear and nervousness beforehand. It does hurt a bit, but it's only a pinch. It's well worth it.
15/October/2004
All is going well, my chin was and still is swollen, but it's gone down a lot now, the left side of my lip is slightly bruised and sticks out a little more then the right side. I have minimal crusties and they come away with salt water on a tissue. Now the news of last night. I was sitting down to my dinner, lovely home made shepards pie (nice and soft so easy on the lip) I was halfway through and disaster, the ball fell off of my labret! It fell into my bra *blush* so I picked it out and tried to screw it back on, I dropped it again, this time I didn't see where it went, me and my mum searched but couldn't find it. I rang the shop and was told if I came down they would replace the ball for free, woohoo! I went down, got it replaced and had a chat to Jamie, not the guy who pierced me but the tattoo artist who I had talked to for weeks before on their website, have arranged to get a tattoo of fang marks on my neck on Tuesday (19th of Oct) So all is well now, my lip still hurts a bit, just on the outside, I'm very aware of the fact that it is against my gums, am checking all the time for signs of swelling or recession, but since it has only been three days I'm fine! Have been making sure to eat lots of cold stuff to help with the swelling - any excuse to eat ice cream is ok with me!
16/October/04
Have had some pain last night, I accidentally bit the flat back and caught me lip, it bled a little, bit the piercing itself is ok, my gums hurt as well, from wither talking or chewing too much! But this morning they are fine now. Bonjela helps my lip and gums so that is cool. The swelling has pretty much disappeared now, not that there was much in the first place!
18/October/04
I know it's only five days since I got my lip pierced but it is already well on its way to being healed. There is a defined edge to the outside of my piercing, it is no longer flush against the labret post but the skin is starting to grow into it. It doesn't hurt anymore, and I'm more used to it now, I don't bite it or catch it on my teeth, it's like it has always been a part of me! Since it is healing so well I'm going to submit this now, on the condition that if anything goes drastically wrong I'll write in an update!
So this had been my labret experience, I would totally recommend getting pierced to anyone, it does hurt but in the long run it's worth a little pain. Like I said, the worse part is being nervous before hand, it's not worth worrying about. So go get it done, there is nothing stopping you but yourself. The biggest tip i could give is read as many experiences as you can, I would have chickened out if I hadn't. It's so helpful to know thousands of people have done it without ill-effect (mostly!) So read up, chill out and go for it!