I have wanted to get my nipples pierced since I was a freshman in high school, but, for obvious reasons, I had to wait until I turned 18. I can remember telling my friends about it, and they all thought I was completely crazy for wanting to do that to myself. Then again, I was considered a kind of "freak" in my high school anyway, so mostly everyone thought I was weird regardless of what I wanted to do to my body in the future.
At A Glance Author Alison Contact Alison@bme.anon When Three months ago Artist Luis Studio NoKaOi Location Philadelphia, PA I am from New York, but I decided to get pierced in Philadelphia because that is where I am now going to college. The day I turned 18, my parents drove my friend Michele, my sister, and me to Philly, since I told them it was where I wanted to be on my birthday. After we all ate lunch, Michele and I walked down to South Street to NaKaOi. My nerves were beginning to get the best of me since I really didn't know what to expect pain-wise. I had read a lot of nipple piercing experiences on BME but everyone seemed to think differently on how it really was. I wasn't sure whether to expect a pinch or an unbearable jolt of pain.
Michele finally convinced me to go inside after chain-smoking about 4 cigarettes in 10 minutes. When I got upstairs, the woman working at the desk asked me what I was getting pierced, xeroxed my driver's license, and handed me a form that I had to initial and sign. She told me that getting nipples pierced wasn't too bad, and she had hers done two weeks ago. I had to wait for Luis to get back before we could decide what gauge jewelry I needed, so I looked around at the jewelry for a while, and then went outside for another cigarette.
When Luis came back to the shop, he first helped a woman who wanted the barbell in her navel changed. When that was done, he asked me what kind of jewelry I wanted and what gauge I would like to be pierced at. I had decided to get 8 gauge barbells before my birthday, but I chickened out and told him I wanted to get my nipples done at 10 gauge. He needed to see if my nipples could accommodate that size jewelry, so we went into one of the piercing rooms and he told me it would not be a problem. We went back out to the counter and he got some jewelry while I paid.
When he was ready, Michele and I went to the piercing room. Luis put on gloves and put the barbells and the needles on a stainless steel cart thing (I think there is a name for them, but I really can't remember it at the moment). Then he told me to stand up and take off my shirt so he could make markings. I thought I would be really nervous about taking off my shirt in front of a pretty random person since I've always been extremely self-conscious of my chest, but I had no problem with it. He told me to stand with my hands at my sides so the markings would be even. He redid them a few times until they were straight, and then I looked at them in the mirror and agreed on the placement.
I sat down in the piercing chair and grabbed Michele's hand. Luis changed his gloves again, then picked up the needle. He told me to take three deep breaths, and on the third, he pushed the needle through my left nipple. The feeling wasn't as bad as I expected it to be, but it wasn't very pleasant either. There was a quick burst of searing pain, but when the needle was completely through my nipple, it dulled to something not very bad at all. He put the jewelry in, and then did my right nipple, which was definitely worse. When he was done, he wiped off my nipples and I looked at them in the mirror. I was excited because they looked really good and I couldn't believe I had actually gone through with getting them pierced. He gave me aftercare instructions and Michele and I left.
For the next few days, the inner part of my chest was really sore, but my nipples themselves never actually hurt after the piercing itself. They bled for about 2 days, and I went braless and wore dark shirts for a couple weeks. I am very happy that I got them done, and they now rank among my favorite piercings. After a few weeks, I noticed that my nipples are much more sensitive than they were before (I had almost no sensitivity before I got them pierced), so I am very pleased. My boyfriend likes them too; he thinks they look awesome and he can't wait until they are healed.
So, my advice is, if you're thinking about getting your nipples pierced, you should go for it. I know I can only speak for myself, but I had a great experience and have not had any problems yet with the healing.