On my eighteenth birthday in September of 2002, I had gotten both of my nipples pierced. It was a fun (and pleasurably painful) experience, and I was quite happy with them, aside from the fact that the right one was noticeably crooked. Heh, I'll never go to Diversity for anything ever again.
At A Glance Author Hyacinth Contact hyacinth@happyhya.com When A week ago Artist Geoff Studio Skin Factory Location Las Vegas, NV A month later, after showering, I was brushing my hair. The bristles got tangled in my hair and I pulled down really hard to get it out. Bad idea. The brush went through and the bristles snagged on my left CBR. Ouch! And there I was thinking that it hurt when I got them initially pierced! It didn't rip out all the way, though, so I dealt with the pain for a couple of days and forgot about it.
Another month went by and the pain gradually came back to the point it was just unbearable. I couldn't even put a bra on without wincing in pain. I decided to take both of them out, since the right one was crooked anyway. I vowed to get them pierced again...and so I did.
I believe that getting piercings or tattoos should be a group activity, so I had told a couple of my friends that we'd make a date for Saturday, April 26th to get pierced. On Friday, they come and picked me up. We had no idea what we were going to be doing, so I said, "Why don't I get pierced today instead of tomorrow?" I was excited about getting my nipples redone, and I just couldn't wait. Plus, the spontaneity of it all was a bonus. So off we went.
We finally reached the Skin Factory, where I had gotten my navel and tongue done, and I went through the paperwork procedure and waited patiently for Geoff to finish with his client. Geoff came out and waved for us to go to the back with him.
I watched as he put gloves on and prepared everything. So clean, so wonderful. Ever since I got my navel done by him the day after my eighteenth birthday, I knew Geoff was the only person I could trust with my piercings.
Geoff had me sit down and remove my shirt so he could clean my nipples thoroughly. Then he had me stand up nice and straight so he could mark them. I have pretty insignificant nipples, and I was actually nervous to see if it would hurt more the second time around (even though I had told Geoff that I wasn't nervous at all because I had gotten them done before). He asked me if I wanted to be sitting as he did it or lying down. I told him that I'd be comfortable either way, so I opted to stay seated. Plus, I wanted to see the whole procedure without moving or straining myself.
Geoff readied the clamp and set it on my right nipple. It wasn't as uncomfortable as I had expected. Geoff asked if I was ready and I said, "No!" and had my friend hold my hand because, yes, I am a chicken. No matter how much a procedure hurts or doesn't hurt, I find comfort in handholding. He asked if I was ready again, and I nodded yes. He totally comforted me the whole time, telling me to take deep breaths and to make sure that I kept breathing afterwards. The needle went in. Wow, I had taken that a lot better than I expected and it didn't hurt as much as the first time I got it done. Actually, the pain was quite satisfying. He followed the CBR through and put the bead in. Beautiful, just...beautiful. It was time for the second nipple. From the last experience, the second one hurt considerably more than the first. I braced myself and before I knew it, it was done. The jewelry was in place and I was happy.
I had just breathed a deep sigh of relief when my friend points out that I'm bleeding. I hadn't noticed, but I looked down and sure enough, there was significant bleeding. Geoff explained that since there's scar tissue, it was more likely that I would bleed. He cleaned it up and I sat there, topless, for a few minutes so Geoff could make sure that I wasn't going to bleed more than usual. I told him I was going to be fine, and carefully put my top back on. As I did, he asked me if I remembered how to clean them from my previous experience. I told him that I did and that I still had the sheet of instructions he had given me when I got my navel and tongue pierced. I reached down for my bag and paid Geoff for his services with a nice tip. After all, like one of the stickers that Geoff has in the room says, "It's bad karma to not tip your piercer." I gratefully thanked Geoff and walked out of the shop with a big smile on my face and metal through my nipples.
Almost a week later and I've never been happier with my piercings. They're not crooked and aren't hurting me as much as the first time. It's been quite a while since I've had jewelry through my nipples, so every now and then I forget that they're there and accidentally hit them against something or hug a friend too tight. Otherwise, everything's fine and dandy, and I can't wait for them to heal.