I have always been petrified of needles, although my small collection of body art certainly doesn't hint at that. The idea of piercing my nipple was something I had been considering for a while, although it was more of an attention-seeking ploy than an actual desire. I also prefer 'symbolic' piercings/tattoo's, which remind me of a certain period in my life. I had already celebrated coming out of a relationship with a tongue web-ring, and so had no need for another piercing. But for some reason, I was itching for one anyway!
At A Glance Author jussymonsta Contact jussymonsta@bme.anon When A year ago Artist Tracy Studio Metal Machine Location Cape Town, South Africa In December last year I finally found a reason. My best friend had come down from the UK, it was a glorious summer and my boyfriend at the time was coming to visit me at the end of the month. I decided that this piercing would be a celebration of all of the above. I decided not to tell my boyfriend, because he had expressed negativity toward nipple piercings as an ex of his had one, and I didn't want any negative energy clouding my big day. I grabbed a few friends and made a mission (well, not much of a mission cos I live right near town) to Metal Machine.
I have been to Metal Machine for all of my 'art' and it's definitely the best place in Cape Town. They are always busy, they don't require you to book - just walk in, fill out the forms and you're off. I have always been pierced by Tracy, and she's always been incredibly helpful with regard to questions and worries. She's also very straight when it comes to questions like 'is it going to hurt?' which I found helpful - I would rather know if it's going to hurt than pretend its not and then be surprised.
We walked in there and were served almost immediately. That's when the butterflies started! I think it's a combination of the buzz of the tattoo gun and the smell of fear that seems to leak out of customers. No matter how badly I want a new piercing, I always get incredibly nervous before the time.Tracy made me drink a can of coke before she would even look at my nipples - clearly she could see how nervous I was. Then she took me into the piercing room, and everything was clean and sterile as usual. She asked me to take my top and bra off and asked which nipple I would like to have pierced. She marked where she was going to pierce it and then asked me to check the placement. Absolutely perfect.
Then she rubbed my nipple with a square cloth, probably to clean it off. It was a pretty surreal experience, having some strange woman talking to my nipples and saying 'come on, stand up, you're going to get pierced now'. The she sat me down in the dentist chair and told me to 'hold on, cos this is going to hurt like a bitch'! I started getting REALLY nervous and tried to back out, at which point I realised that the needle was already halfway through my nipple. Looking down is a BAD MISTAKE. If you already have issues with needles and the actual mechanics of getting pierced, then watching the procedure is a bad idea. I prefer the finished product, rather than the experience, and looking at a needle hanging halfway out my nipple was not encouraging! She quickly finished up and put a plaster over the ring to prevent any blood from seeping through my top. She told me that I should try to wear a bra constantly for about 2 weeks, to prevent the nipple from rubbing and chafing, an d that I should make sure I cleaned it 5 times a day for the two weeks. I'm not sure how big the ring is, but I have 32DD breasts, so Tracy told me that I needed a bigger ring to make it look decent.
I walked out of Metal Machine feeling incredibly weak and self-conscious. I also felt incredibly tender, so much so that even walking next to people made me want to protect my breast. I think it's because breasts are the most prominent part of the female anatomy (especially if they are large), that when you have them pierced you become doubly aware. This didn't last terribly long, and by evening I was happily walking around and mingling with people without having to constantly shield my breast against unwelcome contact. Thankfully the bleeding was minimal, and was limited to the initial post-piercing period.
That evening it was a bit painful, especially when I had to peel the plaster off. Showering was weird for a while - I am very exuberant and washing myself turned into a fine art for a while! The tenderness healed after 2 weeks, and thankfully there was nothing worse than some crustiness some mornings. The aftercare only took a few minutes everyday and was well worth it. The salt DOES sting the inside of the nipple, but the sting is temporary and I found the stinging a useful indicator of the healing process. The less it stung, the closer I was to healed.
The only negative thing was that sexual contact was ruled out for about 6 months. Perhaps it was my boyfriend's fault, but every time he touched the ring it felt like he was trying to pull it out. Now, however, everything is fine. The nipple seems totally healed and it can be licked, sucked and bitten with no problems. The nipple itself has increased in size and is very sensitive - which is a nice bonus. It's so enjoyable, I might consider doing the other one :))