I have always loved piercings and tattoos from a young age. I went with my mum when I was little (and before rules and regulations about under 18s in tattoo parlours!!) and watched her get a rose tattooed on her shoulder. I got the tattoo-ing and piercing bug after that!! I have (so far - I'm not stopping any time soon) 4 tattoos and as for piercings ...my ears are covered in them, my nose and bellybutton are also pierced. The feeling after being pierced is like a release - probably from the releif of the painful bit being over and the thought of then enjoying my piercing!!
At A Glance Author Beth When It just happened Artist Darryl Studio Retro Rebels Location Aberdeen I first got my madona pierced about a year ago in a studio in Elgin. The procedure was relatively painless and easy and my piercer was friendly and helpful. I was very pleased with the result. It was my pride and joy and got a really good response from everyone I know, everyone saying how it suited me.
I had my labret changed on several occasions thereafter at Retro Rebels by Darryl because I was always too scared to attempt changing it myself. From the first time I met him he was polite, interesting and I trusted him instantly. It was never too much trouble to change piercings - Retro Rebels does not charge for this (only for the jewellery you buy from them). He told me how people he had pierced about 5 years ago still came in to get their jewellery changed.
One day a couple of months ago I decided to change my labret myself - not a good idea. I struggled to get the new labret through myself and the more I struggled the more I panicked and the more swollen my lip became. I did not know what to do as I did not want to lose my piercing - I have a habit of healing over very quickly!!
As I live 50 miles away from Aberdeen, a quick trip to Darryl was out of the question, so I decided to ask a new tattooist/piercer, who had recently opened shop in my hometown of Macduff, to change it for me. He couldn't get the labret through either and after what seemed like a lifetime of clumsy fumbling with it and constant dropping of it, suggested to me he re-pierce my original hole to fit the jewellery. I agreed.
So gritting my teeth and closing my eyes I felt the needle go through and an eternity later my original labret was fitted. It felt different to my usually comfortable piercing - it was rubbing against my gum and catching easily on my teeth - but he assured me it was because of the swelling.
I went home to suck some ice-lollies and it occurred to me the piercer had fitted my own jewellery which was not sterile and had not cleansed my lip before the process. What's more my labret continued to be uncomfortable and I soon realised it was not going to get better with time - after examining it in a mirror and allowing friends/family and virtually anyone who was willing to look at it realised it was pierced at an angle, totally different from my original hole. On the inside of my lip there was a noticeable mark where my original piercing had been and about a eighth of an inch below was the exit of my new piercing. So the labret was removed and I allowed the piercing to heal for 7 weeks. I was gutted! I wished I had never attempted to change it myself in the first place.
Today was the day I could get my piercing done again, and straight after I had finished my classes at college I went to Retro Rebels to have it redone!! Yay - at last!! It has seemed like a lifetime waiting for this day.
Darryl did the piercing for me. I was so nervous after my last experience and he put me right at ease. I lay on the bed and clenched my fists anticipating the pain but the piercing itself was not too painful (my anxiety was far worse) and of course as they always are at Retro Rebels - cleanly done. He fitted the labret quickly and with ease, letting me know it would all be over in a second. That was the second piercing I've had done by Darryl and probably won't be the last.
The experience has taught me to only go to the people I trust and so the only person I would now let pierce me is Darryl at Retro Rebels, Aberdeen. It has also taught me that I am not cut out to change my own jewellery and just wait and get Darryl to do if for me!!