Whilst researching my next piercing on the Web I came across the BME website which provided me with a lot of information and inspiration. In particular the personal experience pages were very helpful so I decided that after I was pierced I would send in a description of my own experience.
At A Glance Author Alan Contact Alan@bme.anon When A week ago Artist ? Studio Cold Steel Location London Over the last few months I had decided I wanted a new piercing but was uncertain about what to go for. The only piercing I had previously was my left earlobe, which is pretty boring and conservative when compared to what's on offer these days. Whilst mulling over what new piercing to get I passed the time by stretching my earlobe with tapers, but that is another story.
Initially I thought about getting a tragus done, but since I work in a university I do have to keep up 'proper' appearances, so I decided on a more subtle piercing. For various reasons I didn't fancy the idea of a tongue stud so by now I had narrowed things down to nipple or genital piercings. I was tempted by an apadravya – a P.A. doesn't really do it for me – but the process does sound pretty horrific. I like to think I'm quite good with these sorts of things but the possibility that the pain would be too much to handle put me off. So after many weeks of deliberation it was decided then (mostly by a process of elimination) that the only other piercing really left for me was the nipple.
For me the hardest part was choosing what piercing to have. The next stage would be to choose where to have it done. When I was a student I worked for a Japanese company that traded a bit with a firm called Cold Steel who sell body jewellery and operate piercing studios in San Francisco and also in London, which is where I come from. I found them on the Web and spent a few hours browsing their website.
Having liked what I saw on their website I decided to pay them a visit. Conveniently for me the Cold Steel studio is located in Camden, which is halfway in between my home and my workplace, so one day I took a detour on my bike on the way home and stopped by. Being a touristy area Camden has its fair share of piercing and tattoo cowboys so I was a bit wary of what I might come across.
All my previous worries were dispelled after I had walked in. It was busy with customers, the shop was run by heavily pierced people (I don't trust skinny chefs) and their piercing rooms look cleaner than most operating theatres. The staff were very friendly, courteous and knowledgeable and quite prepared to answer your questions unconditionally – they didn't put you under any pressure to make an appointment to get pierced. Whilst I was looking at some jewellery they actually turned away a young girl because she was pregnant, proof that they had scruples too, unlike a lot of other shops in the area. I bought a ring and an enlarging crescent and left, saying that I would return to be pierced sometime in the next few weeks.
Amazingly, after having gone through with this so far I actually got cold feet and the day I thought I would stop by and make an appointment I found myself making up some pathetic excuse and just going straight home. Over the next few days though fortunately I managed to overcome these thoughts and made it into the shop on a Thursday night and make an appointment for four o'clock Friday afternoon. This way I could leave work early, get pierced and then jump on a bus and go straight home and take it easy. They took a £5 deposit, put my name in the book and told me to keep off booze and drugs tonight, get a good night's sleep and show up early.
Work the next day passed uneventfully and I knocked off about three. On the way I had to stop off and buy a bottle of water as my throat had become quite dry, and I dropped into my favourite record shop and browsed their selection to try to calm myself a bit. I got in to Cold Steel for about quarter to, and then I had to fill out a health questionnaire/release form and pay up front (the only single criticism I can raise about Cold Steel – and it is a very minor one – is that they don't take cards or cheques). I had chosen a straight bar since they heal quicker than rings and I paid £25.
They told me to sit and wait, which was probably the worst part of the whole procedure for me. Although it was only a ten-minute wait it felt much longer, and even though I had my coat off I was sweating a little bit. I occupied myself with reading the large aftercare sheet that I was given and then after what felt like an age the piercer (I didn't ask her name unfortunately) told me it was my turn.
She was very professional and got me talking to try to relax a bit, and told me there was no reason to be nervous etc. She then went on to explain each part of the procedure in detail. When I took off my shirt she saw my tattoos and we chatted about them whilst she washed the whole nipple area with a special soap and then carefully marked two points with a surgical marker pen. She rubbed them off and marked them on again a couple of times until she was satisfied they were level.
Then I laid down flat on the examination table and she got her stuff ready. After putting on the clamp she told me to take two deep breaths, and then she would put the needle through on my second exhalation. I did what she said and her hand moved like a flash and the needle went in. The point went into the flesh easily, came across a little resistance in the centre of the nipple itself but with a couple of shoves went right through: it was all over in about two seconds. Being able to feel every movement of the needle as it cut through my body was a most unusual sensation and I winced a bit as the pain was unfamiliar, but it was neither overpowering nor unbearable as I had feared it might be. She put a cork on the sharp end and then fitted the jewellery, which I thought was actually a little more painful than the piercing itself. She dropped the screw-in ball on the floor so had to get another one, but by that time the whole nipple area had numbed a little and felt very w arm and fitting the new ball on was relatively painless. As I was composing myself and sitting up, she explained the proper aftercare procedures to me, although to be honest I was a little shell-shocked and a lot of what she said went over my head, but I already had all the aftercare information on the sheet I was given. She gave me a bottle of Provon soap to clean the piercing with, I handed over a tip in an envelope, said my thanks and left.
When I arrived home I did a hot salt water compress twice which removed the crusted blood and tissue fluid around the piercing, and then a salt water soak which dramatically reduced the swelling and redness. Later in the evening in the shower I washed it carefully with Provon. My piercer had told me to wear a T-shirt when sleeping to prevent it catching on the sheets, but my first night was uncomfortable since I am unaccustomed to wearing clothes in bed and every movement of my body seemed to cause discomfort around my nipple area. By the next night though I had no problems whilst sleeping. I now do salt soaks twice a day and wash it with the Provon soap every evening when I shower. Sometimes when wearing collared shirts the material can rub the nipple and cause a little discomfort, so I try to wear something a little softer but apart from that the new piercing hasn't caused me many problems – but I am still a bit paranoid about bumping into things. I was told it would take at least two months, maybe longer, to heal fully so I still have a long way to go.
Overall I am very satisfied with my new nipple piercing and if you are considering getting it done, I think it is very rewarding. Also when I next get pierced it will definitely be at Cold Steel again since I am very pleased with them - if you are looking for a good studio in North London I recommend them highly. But since I have gone on much too long already, if any reader is interested further in my piercing experience please e-mail me.
Alan