I've wanted to get my lip pierced since I was seventeen and a half. Peer pressure was one of the reasons I wanted to get my lip pierced, as most of my female friends said something like "you'd look cute if you get that!" Another reason was to express myself. Getting a piercing is better than cutting yourself or picking fights with random people on the street. I had to wait until December 24, 2006, my 18th birthday. My girlfriend (who now is my ex, but that's not important right now) had two tattoos, her lip, tongue, and nipples were pierced. She said that getting most piercings does not hurt that much, just got to watch for any rejection. She told me that she got her piercings done at a place called "Big Lefty's Tattoo & Body Piercing" located in a part of West Chula Vista that I normally don't go to (at least until now).
At A Glance Author G-RED Contact theif8bit@gmail.com When Six months ago Artist Johnny Studio Big Lefty's Tattoo/Body Piercing Location Chula Vista, CA
So my girlfriend and I went to Big Lefty's on my birthday, December 24, only to find the parlor closed. But it was the day before Christmas, which completely makes sense that the piercer was gone home for the holidays. She told me about some other good places to get piercings, but all of them were closed as well. I was bummed out but the closings were reasonable, as it was December 24.
I waited until late January of this year, 2007 to get my lip pierced at Lefty's, which was the closest to where I live. I took some time to think about it as I read about piercings and the health risks and dangers of infected piercings. But the big thing for me was "is it going to hurt?" So I went to Lefty's and met the piercer, Johnny. I asked for him to pierce my lip, he told me $35, he also told me to sign a paper and show my I.D. card. I did those things and he told me to rinse out my mouth with Listerine. I sat in a chair, i was thinking: "this is my last chance, I can either do this or remain a chicken in life and run away: in my head. I decided not to be a chicken and take it like man. Johnny told me to lean toward him and opened my mouth, he marked the spots on my lip. Then he clamped my lips, ready with the needle. I closed my eyes and clenched my fists, I felt a little sting in my lip. Before I knew it, he was done. It was not that bad. I paid Johnny and left. At $35, it was a bargain, a lot cheaper than the other places I checked out.
My parents did not know I was going to get any piercings. So I always took it off when seeing my parents, at the dinner table, etc. I knew it was not good to keep taking off your piercings especially if you just got them four hours ago. That has been going on for about three weeks. Then my parents discovered my piercings and my tattoos (which I'll get to in another story). My mom was like "how could you!!!???" But my dad was alright with it, as he did explain that I was eighteen and it was time to make my own decisions. My mom agreed and said it was alright as long as I didn't get any extreme body modifications (ie. split tongues, lip plates, genital piercings, uvula piercings, any general unusual piercings. Those are extreme in my family)
Some stuff has come up a month later and I had to go to court. Meaning I had to take out my piercing. After sitting in that waiting room for two hours straight, going through the court thing (got off with probation), I went home and tried to put my lip piercing on, but it would not go through the hole. I went back to Johnny, he tried to put it back in, he even tried to re-pierce it, but told me to wait a week. After a week, he re-pierced my lip for free. And that's the end, I'll see him again if I want something else pierced. As long as I lived in the southern San Diego area, Johnny is the only piercer I would go to. I checked out some other places, but most of them were either expensive or dirty.
Anyway, it really was not that bad getting your lip pierced. But it probably depends on what kind of person are you. Everybody has different characteristics. If you want to get your lip pierced, go ahead and do it! (If you're a minor either get your parent's permission or get it done in your friend's garage. Which is extremely risky.)