This is my public service announcement. PLEASE go somewhere professional to get all of your piercing done!
At A Glance Author Angelus When A year ago Artist Myself Studio At Home Nearly a year ago, though it seems very recent to me, I was obsessed with getting a piercing. I had not had anything on my body pierced in any sense, even though I was offered on countless occasions. My friends were never really the "kind of people" who would get anything modified in any way. I always thought that I was somewhat different, since I had yearned for piercing and tattoos.
One friend of mine, Thomas, was very into it, however. He self gauged his ears to one inch within a matter of two years, and had had everything from gum rings (in the web or I guess "frenum" of his upper lip), lip rings, every cartilage piercing you can think of, and his proudest claim was his Atreyu "Live, Love, Burn, Die," tattoo.
I had asked Tom many questions about his look. He told me that it was not his way of standing out, more of his way of feeling good. He said it was like being the center of attention, but not really taking advantage of it. This was all about the time he started to wear his ten inch long Mohawk on a daily basis.
I had wanted a lip piercing badly. It was a stupid idea to everyone I mentioned it too. "You will look Goth... You will get an infection... You will not be able to eat right." I was really tired of people's reactions to something I had not even done yet! So I guess I decided to do what I really wanted to... I pierced it myself.
I have seen countless stories around the web detailing how to pierce your lip properly. What I really thought would be cool is to have a piercing like no one else. I had tried to go for what Tom referred to as "Half a snake bite." Although I was totally for the idea of me with a shiny thing in my face, I never liked the rings everyone else had online and in person. I have always thought it would be so neat to have a safety pin just sticking straight out of your face. So I thought I had kill two birds with one stone: Get a piercing, and have the "ring" I wanted already in place!
This is where my story goes a little downhill. I sat in my bathroom in front of my mirror, this being the only time my girlfriend was actually out of the house long enough. I thought I was taking good precautions, so I held the pin over a lighter for a minute, and then numbed my lip with a mixture of ice and Oral J (toothache glop). I thought I had done a pretty good job, seeing as I could not say the alphabet straight anymore, ("Aya Bwe Seey"). As soon as I took a deep breath, I jammed the pin into my lip, and fastened the over end quickly.
I am not going to lie, I screamed, and I think a tear may have gone down my cheek. The pin was pulling tightly in my mouth, and blood just poured out of the vein I had hit. I cleaned up and grabbed ice. My girlfriend came home that afternoon and just shook her head at me, as I sat on the couch with a lunch box cooler on my mouth. She was cool about it, and only said "See, I told you so!" a few times. I later took the pin out when I knew it had healed just a little. It burned for a few days, and if I chew too much, it would break open and bleed a lot.
Needless to say, my girlfriend and friends were less than thrilled. They all thought that the scab on my mouth was just proof of what they told me. Tom patted me on the back and said he was proud, but that I was still a "damned fool." Oh well, I avoided infection with soap and the like, so that was something they could not fault me for.
My piercing fetish is over, and it is all too well received. It was not really my thing in the first place, though I love seeing other people get them. I have not yet gotten the tattoo I want (black wings between my shoulder blades), but I am sure that when I do have it done, it will be in a sterile and safe place.
Take my advice, you may have some luck with your own piercing, but leave somewhat complicated junk to the people who know it best. The small dot of a scar beneath my lip is enough for me to wear off self jobs forever! If you are thinking about doing it, I suggest doing it right!