| At A Glance | |
| Author | Danielle Rae |
| Contact | Danielle Rae@bme.anon |
| IAM | Vanilla |
| When | Three months ago |
____On the 21st of November 2002 after two horrible nipple piercing experiences (Nipples: here today - gone tomorrow. & I'm glad I only have two nipples.) I decided to retire my nipple piercings.
I had taken numerous photos of the piercings throughout both experiences, as well as the jewellery change that signified the death of the piercings. I wanted to steadfastly hold onto them, however after receiving some advice from a piercer friend and my fiance I knew that retiring them was the best thing to do.
After the second time they were pierced the jewellery that was originally used (8 ga circular barbells) was scratched badly and needed to be replaced - this was done a week after the initial piercing. The piercer, very unfamiliar with her gauges, had ordered 10 ga to replace the rings with. I drove long distance to the studio and had this done - noting the difference in the ring gauge, however the piercer refused to double-check the gauges. When I left the studio that day I had 10 ga captive bead rings in place. I was upset, but at least I had my nipple piercings still.
I continued to take care of them as I was taught with salt soaks 3 times a day and general cleaning in the shower to rid them of overnight lymph crust buildup. As they were healing I noticed slight downward migration. I tried to prevent this by flipping the rings up and wearing them upside down for part of the day, by taping them higher, I tried damn near everything.
Eventually, one day in the shower I noticed that when looking down I couldn't see the rings from the top. This was all the evidence I needed to know that they had migrated rapidly and were rejecting. Being that my nipples were originally pierced at 10 ga, then immediately dead-stretched to 8 ga with the jewellery (no taper as since she didn't know what gauge she was piercing me at or the gauge of the jewellery) then finally down gauged to 10. The new 10 ga rings sat at the bottom of the piercing hole from the 8 ga bar bells. As such the nipples started closing in on the rings, however they didn't close in evenly from the top and bottom they closed exclusively from the top, thereby putting pressure on the smaller gauge rings (which were naturally adding downward weight of their own) and pushing them down and - had I let them take their course - out of the nipple.
I believe that the jewellery size difference wasn't the only factor in their migration - because of the large diameter of the captive bead rings and the size of the hole that they were sitting in I had to keep them as immobile as possible throughout the day. For 6-weeks straight I wore a bra for 23.5 hours a day, the only time I didn't was when I was in the shower. To minimize pressure on the nipple piercings at night and when I worked out I altered Dixie cups (those little bathroom paper cups) and used them as a cup over the nipple and ring giving the ring the ability to move without pressure but to stop them from being able to flip up and twist in the night. I have since learnt that nipple piercings, while healing, should have little to no pressure on them and that pressure alone can encourage migration. Should I have them redone I will either get a bra with the nipples cut out or fashion myself one for the duration of healing.
After finally deciding to remove them I made sure to do so in the most sanitary way possible. First I prepared a salt soak and soaked each nipple for 10 minutes to ensure that there were no crusties that I would drag through during the removal process. Following each soak I rinsed and rotated the rings in distilled water. For the removal itself, since I did not have gloves available I washed my hands with antibacterial surgical scrub, being conscious not to touch anything with my hands between washing my hands and touching the rings themselves.
I knew that if I were to contaminate the rings before pulling them through that, as the nipples healed shut, they could trap bacteria or irritants inside of the wound which could lead to infection. For once in the entire process of my nipple piercing experience I was glad about one thing - that the piercer didn't clamp the rings shut tightly. I was able to pop the beads out without a great deal of effort, though one was more difficult than the other. I placed the beads into a container with some distilled water in it and then gently removed each ring after ensuring there were no lingering crusts. The rings slid out easily and painlessly. I put them in the same container as the beads and I sat there depressed.
I had gone through a lot to have these piercings - only to have to remove them 6 weeks after having them re-pierced. I felt a loss. I never believed people when they described that it felt like they had lost a part of themselves when they retired a piercing. I had my doubts that it could be such an emotional experience. All of that was understood when mine was also very emotional.
Within a day the holes had sealed up. They wept fluid for about 12 hours after removal of the rings. I kept on with twice-daily salt soaks, and in between soaks I massaged the nipples with vitamin E (from a sealed capsule) alternating with olive oil. The former would keep scar tissue regeneration to a minimum and the latter would reduce the redness that often accompanies healing wounds.
I only did the salt soaks for the first few days following removal, after that point it was useless as the holes had sealed themselves over. Within three weeks all that was visible were small bumps on either side of each nipple. I could feel the scarring and eventual softening of the piercing tube in each nipple.
I can no longer feel anything inside the nipples, and where the entrance and exit bumps were only light scars remain.
Though I miss my piercings, the weight, the feel, the look and the way I felt they helped to complete me I knew that retiring them was the right thing to do. Had I held on they would have eventually forced themselves out and I would have been left with a mass of scar tissue and would surely have diminished if not eliminated any future of breastfeeding my children.
I've decided to give my nipple piercings one more chance. When I do, I will have them pierced at 8 ga with titanium barbells (to minimize weight) and I will be much better informed on the proper procedure and aftercare required. Just because I gave up on them doesn't mean it was a bad thing - it was the best thing to do at the time. One good thing to come of all of these experiences is that I now have a nice base of scar tissue that will help to anchor my next piercings.
Sometimes opportunity disguises itself in strange ways.