I'm pretty much a closet wimp when it comes to a lot of things. I can't bike off of sidewalks unless there's a ramp, I can't stand looking out over overpasses, I can't even do a somersault on my living room floor. I'd like to think I was much more of a sav when I was a kid. But when it comes to piercings, I'm different. I just do it. I consider myself a piercing lightweight, but I'm never wimpy about getting poked.
At A Glance Author tinks Contact tinks@bme.anon IAM suicalove When A month ago Artist roger Studio prix Location hollywood
After moving out of my parent's house for college, I decided the labret would be my first facial piercing. How exciting! I have only had ear piercings—inner conch, stretched lobes, and an industrial. I don't know what on earth took me so long to get my lip pierced, as I ended up getting it done the very day before my first day of school.
I was contemplated whether to wait till the weekend incase there was swelling, or to just do it. I decided to just do it. No more waiting. And off my boyfriend and I went to Prix in Hollywood (recommended to me by Industrial Strength in Berkeley).
I was EXTREMELY impressed with Prix's studio. It was the cleanest place I've ever been in. There was a huge selection of body jewelry in elegant glass cases, and very friendly staff. I went ahead and got set up for a 16g lip piercing with a 3mm ball.
I wasn't very nervous at all. When I'm getting ready to be pierced it's like I have a different mentality. What happens to my shy and wimpy self? Maybe it's just that I use piercings to prove something to myself. After a short wait, I went into the room where Roger marked my lip for placement. It was to be on my right side—it took several dots, until Roger suggested I just get it pierced between the two dots. He called it a " happy medium," and he was right.
I sat down in the chair, ready for my first facial piercing. Everything had been sterilized and my lip had been cleaned. Roger, who had had training as an EMT, knew very well what he was doing. He told me placement had to be slightly angled to avoid my teeth and gums. He put on some tunes, and clamped my lip very lightly to avoid bruising, and in an instant, the needle smoothly slid though almost painlessly to my surprise. Wow! It hurt less than standard ear lobe piercings.
My mouth felt awkward at first. I kept my mouth open inadvertently in response to the odd numbness of my lip. But alas, I was happy!
I loved their approach to aftercare: Salt soaks, soap, and no touching. "Eat whatever, just don't play with it, LEAVE IT ALONE." Simple. That day I drank through straws and had a normal dinner with rice and mildly spicy foods. It wasn't too tough, although my boyfriend kept complaining about how we couldn't kiss. My lip was a little swollen the next day and the flatback sunk just a tad into my lip. I swished with salt water almost after every meal, and cleaned the outside with a little Dr. Bronner's soap every night.
Well, then came the day after. Day 3 till day 5, my lip became ENORMOUS. I sucked on ice and chowed down on ibprofen. I did all I could to tame the swelling. But seriously, it looked like there was no tomorrow. I sort of expected this though, as I'm not the best healer in the world. It was really bad, and my 3/8" barbell was almost too small for the swelling. I was worried the flatback was going to be eaten up by the inside of my lip. But I gave it time, and after a week, my lip slowly went back to normal and began to feel great (comfortable enough for kissing, among other things). I didn't encounter "crusties" of any sort, just mild soreness after sleeping on it.
Now it has been about a month since it was pierced and it feels wonderful. I'm a fidgety person and I tend to play with the bar on the inside of my mouth. But there's no discomfort. The post is actually the right size for me. It doesn't bother my teeth or my gums thanks to the wonderful placement! I would highly recommend this place if you're in the LA area. It's a bit of a drive for me (45mins depending on traffic), but this place is definitely worthwhile to me. When I went back to buy a retainer, I actually had them stretch my ears for me. Nevertheless I'm delighted I found this place since my move!
Well, if anyone is reading this for advice or motivation, I suggest you stop waiting around. The swelling is a bit of a pain but if you want to be a little shinier in the face, you have to work for it.