At A Glance Author nic Contact nic@bme.anon IAM deadgirlsdance When Three months ago Artist Maurice Studio Tattoo Zoo Location Cork, Ireland How Can Two Vertical Bars Bring So Much Happiness?A chain of events led to the final decision pretty quickly. After saving up my money for a while to buy a pair of boots, I went into the shop to discover that they didn't make the boots in my size. So suddenly I had €200 in my wallet and nothing to spend it on... when it occurred to me that I hadn't been pierced in three months, since I'd gotten my septum done. Three months? It seemed like forever...The Piercings
I'd been wanting my nipples done for quite some time, ever since I discovered that the 'required' age for nipple piercings at the tattoo and piercing studio I frequent was 17, and not 18 like I'd originally thought. Also, because I like my breasts, and I wanted to adorn them suitably... who wouldn't?
I'm lucky enough to have been blessed with a mother who doesn't mind me being pierced, so I brought nipple piercings up in a conversation with her one night and found out they were one of the few piercings she actually thinks look nice on people. I asked her if she'd mind me getting mine done and she said of course not. I decided I'd get them done sometime after Christmas and put the idea to the back of my mind for the time being.
I put a lot of thought into these piercings. I initially hoped to have two pairs at some point - one vertical and one horizontal in each nipple - but I eventually realised that there was no way I'd fit a second pair onto them. I decided to go with a single pair of vertical piercings.
It wasn't as easy to put the piercing-related thoughts to the back of my mind and I found myself thinking about it at every spare moment. I was having a particularly crappy week in school, with tests, and promises of more tests to come over the new few weeks. It was a little depressing, so I decided I would cheer myself up by getting my nipples pierced this coming Saturday. Surprisingly, one of my friends decided she'd like to get one of her nipples pierced too.
Saturday arrived and I headed into town. I hadn't been this excited since my last piercing in September. I met up with two friends and the one who had previously said she was getting her nipple pierced had chickened out. I told her to come along anyway and see how mine went. After a quick stop for food and the gathering of nerves, we went to Tattoo Zoo.
It was fairly empty. I went to the counter and told Maurice I wanted both my nipples pierced, with barbells. He went into the little piercing room to set up, while I handed my jacket and bag to my friend and tried to calm myself. It wasn't actually the pain I was worried about- I was scared about taking my top off.
Maurice pulled a kind of a screen from the back of the room that he placed at the door of the piercing room and told me to come in. I did, grateful for the privacy, and pulled off my top the second I was in there so I wouldn't have time to be nervous about it. I sat up on the leather chair and removed my bra. It felt a little strange at first but my mind soon became pre occupied with what was ahead, and Maurice talked away to me about my other piercings, asking how I was, and I felt totally at ease.
He explained to me that he would use two needles for the procedure, one for each piercing, so I wouldn't have to be pierced with a 'dull' needle.
He spent about five separate minutes marking each nipple- looking at them from different angles, having me sit up and lie down, and giving me a mirror to check them myself to make sure they were as straight as possible. He showed me the barbells he would be using (titanium) and after cleaning my nipples and the area around them, it was finally time to do the piercings.
The right nipple was pierced first. I lay back and did my usual 'deep breathing' routine. I'd wanted to watch them being pierced but because of the angle of the piercings I wasn't able to see, so I concentrated on the ceiling instead.
It felt very different to my other piercings, which up until now had mostly been cartilage (ears and septum). There was a very distinct, sharp pinch that made me gasp a little. It faded away quickly to dull pain and I thought the needle was through, until Maurice instructed me to take another deep breath and there was another pinch as the needle came through the other side. The insertion of jewellery wasn't too bad - another couple of pinches - and the right nipple was done. Maurice moved onto the left.
This one hurt a lot more, for some reason, but I hear this always happens. It seemed to take a little longer for the needle to go through, but it was really only a few seconds. The barbell was inserted and it was done. I was ecstatic - my nipples were pierced!
Maurice took a step back to check them once more before giving me a thumbs up and telling me I could have a look at them in the mirror. I did, and they were beautiful. The placement was perfect.
I sat back again while Maurice placed dressings over my nipples, and telling me what I should be careful of - taking my bra on and off, tight tops, etc. I put my top back on and left with a huge smile on my face.
For a few hours afterwards, my nipples were extremely achy- I had to be careful to avoid putting the slightest amount of pressure on them. By that night the pain had disappeared altogether and I hardly knew they were there. Maurice had told me to take off the dressings next time I showered, which would have been that night. But I decided to leave the dressings on until the next morning, just to keep them safe while I was asleep and they were still a little sensitive.
Pain wise? The piercing itself was pretty sore, but not excruciating and definitely not unbearable. It really does only last a second, and it's actually a kind of pleasurable pain. I'm also eternally grateful to Maurice spending so much time marking the placement of the piercings - they're completely straight and perfectly placed, and I couldn't be happier with them.
HealingI removed the dressings the next morning after soaking them while in the shower, and got a good look at my new piercings for the first time. I gave them a nice long sea salt soak and cleaned them with Savlon Spray on a cotton bud. I noticed for the first time that my right nipple was a little more sensitive than the left.
I kept up my usual cleaning regime - three sea salt soaks a day. I would add a quarter tea spoon of sea salt to a warm/hot cup of water, and then pour the mixture into two shot glasses which I would then hold up to and invert over my nipples for ten minutes (Yeah, it looks pretty silly... but your nipples will thank you for it). My left nipple was pain-free but my right nipple was sore for almost a week after the initial piercing and a couple of times I found a little dried blood clotted around the bottom end of the hole. Within a week, however, it calmed down completely.
They were almost crusty free. There were a few during the first fortnight and since then they've been fine. I salt soaked them three times a day for the first two weeks, before reducing it to twice, then once. It's been over a month since I got them done now and I clean them with Savlon Spray twice a day, using the sea salt soaks every few days. They're healing nicely and it feels like I've had them forever... I can't even remember what they looked like before they were pierced.
I'd highly recommend wearing a bra to bed for the first month or so at least, especially if you're anyway well endowed, to avoid irritating them or getting them caught on anything. Obviously, sleeping on your stomach is out for the time being.
Migration is something you need to watch out for, and the last thing you want to happen! I was worried that these piercings would be difficult to heal, because they get so little air and because they spend so much time underneath my clothing, but you just need to keep an eye on them. Make sure that they're not being 'pushed' in any direction when you're putting your bra on. Don't forget they're there.
Whether or not you get them done at the same time is up to you. I don't think anyone will find the pain so bad they'll be afraid to come back for a second one. I think it's probably easier to heal both at one time rather than one after the other, plus I'm a sucker for symmetry! But there are no major advantages or disadvantages whether you get them done at the same time or not.
To be honest, I found my bellybutton piercing was much more annoying than these. They don't interfere with anything at all. For the first day they were sensitive, but not in a bad way...
ConclusionI love my nipple piercings. They've done wonders for my self-image and confidence. They make me feel great, and they look great! Even my mother adores them. Personally I prefer the vertical bars aesthetically and I'm so glad I decided to get them done vertically. They cost me €70 and they were more than worth every cent. I don't believe I'll ever get tired of them - I can see these piercings lasting me the rest of my life.
-nic