So lately I had been thinking about a new piercing. It really needed to be on my face, too. So that being decided, I went to Express yourself, the best local shop, (and one of the best shops anywhere, in my opinion) to talk to Jakk and Leah, the two piercers who were working that day.
At A Glance Author seth Contact seth@bme.anon IAM ebolarama When It just happened Artist jakk cook (iam: scabboy) Studio expressyourself tattoo and piercing Location lackawanna, NY I walked in and took a seat, as they were both busy helping people. I sat for a bit, while Jakk did a piercing, and Leah inserted some new jewelry. I looked at the case of jewelry while I waited, and read all of the certificates on the wall.
When Leah came back out, she greeted me and asked me what I needed. I told her about my decision to get a medusa. She immediately got down to business getting everything ready up front, and told Jakk to set up in the piercing room. We talked about piercing and stuff for a little while, and then I was called back.
Jakk told me to hang up my coat and hop on up on the piercing chair. I did both, and took a look at all of the tools and supplies he had laid out. A toothpick or two, some drops of gentian violet, a little pool of what I think was technicare, a packages beveled Pyrex receiving tube, a packaged taper that appeared to be curved, the packaged needle and the packaged labret stud. There was also some gauze or something to apply the technicare and a cup of tech2000 mouthwash.
First, he dipped the toothpick in the gentian violet and told me he was making a height mark. He made it, and after I looked in the mirror, we lowered it at least twice. I wanted the piercing to sit pretty close to the center of my upper lip, but low enough to avoid my zero gauge septum piercing.
After the height mark, he made some intersecting lines to zero in on the center of the area. I checked those out in the mirror too, and liked the placement.
Next, I swished some tech2000 around in my mouth for thirty seconds, and spit it back into the cup, which Jakk took and disposed of in the biohazard can. He then vigorously scrubbed me with the technicare on a little piece of gauze or some other white pad, and tossed it in the biohazard can.
He unpackaged the needle and jewelry, and picked up the receiving tube. Then he moved over toward me and lined it up with the inside of my lip. He was going to pierce downward, through the outside of my mouth. Jakk then picked up the needle and placed it against the lip with a little pressure. He looked at it for a second, and put the needle down. I wondered what he was doing. He reached over, opened a compartment on the organizer on the wall, and took out a thicker beveled Pyrex receiving tube and tore it open, laying it on the mayo stand.
After changing the gloves, he put that receiving tube against my lip and centered the needle again. Reminding me to breathe, (something I forget when getting pierced) he told me he was going to push the needle. On an exhale, he pushed it through. It went through very easily, and when it did he told me not to worry about showing a little pain, because medusas do hurt, being in such a tender area. My eyes watered a lot, as they always do with facial piercings.
He took the receiving tube away from my mouth and tapered the jewelry in with the curved taper. It went in super easily, and all I felt was a little pressure. He cleaned the area, and looked at me, and told me I was done. I was pretty excited to see it. I tossed a tip on the counter on the way out, and left.
I looked at it in the rearview mirror on the way home. It was so cool. I am probably going to put a little star or a small gem end on the labret stud, however.
I am really pleased with Jakk's work. He has also done my vertical labret, and this piercing looks just as fabulous. My mother didn't take another facial piercing too well, but it's not her body. I told her that I find my piercings just as lovely as she finds her haircuts or nail painting.
So all in all, this piercing was not hard to do. The aftercare is really just anti-microbial, alcohol free mouthwash and sea salt rinses. I have healed many other oral piercings such as a labret, vertical labret, and a side lip piercing, so I am not worried about how this will heal.
Definitely worth it though!