Let me begin my tale by emphasizing that I DO NOT ENCOURAGE ANYONE TO ATTEMPT TO DO WHAT I HAVE DONE. I have a personal philosophy regarding my body modifications in that I use them as a way to get in touch with my own body, and because of this I KNOW MY BODY VERY WELL, and I KNOW WHAT IS GOING TO PISS IT OFF. That being said, even everything I know about my body, bloodborne pathogens, infections, and first aid is NOT enough to make self-piercing safe! If I were in any doubt, I would see a professional, and luckily I know many professionals who would be willing to help me if anything had gone wrong. In short: Don't be a moron. On to the story...
At A Glance Author ReggieEffigy Contact ReggieEffigy@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Myself Studio My house Location South Jersey I have ALWAYS been an impulsive person. Luckily, my respect for body arts has helped me to change that. In a way that was totally uncharacteristic of me, I planned this out for weeks, if not longer. I have had quite a few piercings done professionally in the past [a center labret piercing, a septum piercing (retired,) and 3 nostril piercings (also retired,)] and I have in the past done a number of piercings myself [6 ear piercings (also self stretched,) a fourth nostril piercing (retired,) a side labret (retired,) and a lowbret placed directly below my center labret,] so I am fairly knowledgeable of the process and knew very well what I would need to have on hand. First off, since I was planning cheek piercings for this endeavor, I went out and bought a set of 1 1/4 inch barbells (most people would probably think to use labret studs - BAD IDEA! This is the kind of piercing that WILL SWELL A LOT!) Since I have friends who are piercers, I was also able to have this jewelry autoclaved, a CRUCIAL step that is often skipped by self-piercers. I had already in my possession a number of 14 gauge hollow piercing needles, individually packaged in their sterilization pouches (no safety pins for me, kiddos!) and a number of small corks, similarly packaged, that I use in lieu of clamps. Now, with my basic materials assembled, it was only a matter of waiting for the right time and the right state of mind. Since these piercings were to be, for me, more than just fashion or aesthetics, I like to be properly grounded and receptive to the experience.
Perhaps a week later, that state of mind came to me. Resolutely, I began to prepare my work area (my bathroom): antibacterial soap to clean face and hands, a bit of Listerine to clean the inside of my mouth, a bleach solution cleaned the marble countertop, a paper towel from a brand new roll laid out to hold my supplies: alcohol swabs (good to use before piercing, TERRIBLE TO USE DURING HEALING,) surgical marker, needles(still packaged,) corks (ditto,) jewelry (ditto,) and lots and lots of latex-free, powder-free gloves.
A few minutes and as many sets of gloves later, I'm ready to start marking. I have always said that symmetrical piercings only help to accent the asymmetricality of the human anatomy, but marking "symmetrically" was slightly easier on this occasion as I am lucky enough to have natural dimples to use as a reference point. Unluckily, I am also anal enough that marking STILL took a few minutes.
More swabs, more Listerine, more hand washing, more gloves...now I'm ready to start thinking about the actual piercing (haha.) Packages opened, contents UNTOUCHED (else they would have become as dirty as the OUTSIDE of the package, defeating the purpose of the packaging itself,) laid out on a NEW paper towel. New gloves. Time to get centered...
Finally, it's go time. Feeling around inside the right side of my mouth (with my finger working kind of like a fish hook,) I find my perfect exit spot, and place my cork there (God, I love working freehand.) Place the needle to the mark, applied steady pressure, and we're through. I found this piercing to be no more painful than any of my others, just a little longer as it's got more flesh to go through. Follow-through with the barbell, a small pinch, and a silent curse to myself for not using A) 12-gauge needles to facilitate follow-through with 14-gauge jewelry, or B) internally threaded jewelry. Oh well, it still looked and felt great, and no unnecessary trauma was done to the area. New gloves, repeat the process with the left side which was slightly awkward as I am right-handed, but still everything went of without a hitch. There was only a small bit of blood, so I cleaned off the areas and decided to leave them the hell alone for a little while. I wanted a few minutes to enjoy the endorphins, and they wanted a few minutes to rest; they've been through so much today!
The next few days were filled with antibacterial soap, Listerine, and sea salt soaks. The piercings looked even and lovely and they received countless compliments, regardless of the fact that they were swollen (which was, of course, to be expected.) My jewelry had more than enough room to accommodate for the swelling, I drank lots of water and sucked on lots of ice, and I kept dirty hands far, far away from them, so by the third or fourth day the swelling had all but entirely gone down.
Fast forward about a month, and they're still doing great. I'm still doing the salt soaks and keeping them very clean just to be sure to keep them happy, because I am very much in love. I haven't changed the jewelry yet, so the barbells are slightly awkward for their length, but I have decided to wait to change them until they have completely healed, if I change them at all. As long as the inside ball doesn't hit my teeth, they don't really bother me, and the extra length leaves room for bigger smiles.
Happy piercing, and please be careful! Your body will thank you for it!!
xo,
Reggie