When you think of typical procedures done at home, generally a few things come to mind. Normally, all of them have a negative connotation. An unsanitary working area, impromptu tools, safety pins, cross contamination, no gloves, inexperienced piercing artist, busted veins, bruised areas and generally the phrase "It looked really cool, but I had to take it out because (insert malady here), but plan to get it redone professionally when I (insert excuse here.)."
At A Glance Author TwentyTwo Contact TwentyTwo@bme.anon IAM TwentyTwo When A month ago Artist Arwen Studio Done at the home Location Coral Springs, FL This won't be your typical experience. Nothing has gone wrong. This isn't to say it won't, but as for the general piercing and initial healing goes, it's been your average, run of the mill piercing. And I will include a disclaimer-- because in no way is this an experience written to advocate the do-it-yourself at home version of piercing. It's not even do-it-yourself.
I've joked about having my nipples pierced for sometime. It was always something I said I'd do, but to be honest, until I got my tattoo, never really had considered. It was the outrageous thing that I'd laugh about and want to do, but never thought I'd have the nerve.
As I mentioned, I'd never seriously contemplated it till after my tattoo. I loved the feeling of getting the tattoo, the pride and satisfaction I had from it. Shortly after my tattoo, I had my ears re-pierced at a 10ga and my cartilage pierced. Once again, confirming that I loved the rush of it, the feeling of accomplishment when I woke up with pain but saw the jewelry and knew I was doing it for something that I feel is an improvement to my body.
I sat down and had a conversation with my mother shortly before I had my nipple pierced, and explained to her how I felt about modifications. To my annoyance, she referred to it as a 'fad' and said that as long as I was under her roof, despite my being 18, I could sport no visible piercing save for my ears. The topic of the nipple was brought up, and her exact words were "Do what you want. I don't want to know."
There, I had the approval. The means were there-- as it had recently been my birthday a month prior, I had cash. There was no reason that I could not go to a piercing shop and have someone who had a professional environment run the needle through my nipple. I have no qualms about being bare breasted in front of strangers either.
So what would entreat me to opt to have my nipple pierced by someone other than my usual piercing artist?
The connection.
I've known my good friend "Arwen" (as she likes to be called) since 8th grade. She'd lived down here (In Florida) up until December of last year. Early January, she went up to New York where she was offered an apprenticeship with a tattoo and piercing shop. This is the factor that makes this story not a run of the mill "at-home" piercing adventure. Arwen is actually certified to pierce-- she dropped out of high school in 9th grade to be apprenticed here. Since then, she has preformed almost all of her own piercing, save for the nape of her neck and her two staples on her ribcage. Unlike most people who perform at home procedures, Arwen is trained, and has been practicing this to prepare for her profession for early 5 years, despite not being 'employed' as it goes with apprenticeships.
She came down a month ago to visit, and as our mutual friend Andrea requested, brought her supplies. We had a few people down here who wished to be modified for some time, but due to lack of funding or the unfortunate problem of being born after a certain date, could not go to a shop. So with her came the tools, the single use needles, the gloves, and the autoclave. She'll be the first one to tell you it's very interesting to try and pass airport security with these things.
I stray from talking about the actual piercing though. But the truth of the matter is that it was as average as any piercing can go. She set up her materials in my kitchen after sterilizing the area she would be using with various sanitary sprays, and then set up her stainless steel tray. From crisp plastic bags she pulled the clamps and set them aside. All the while, sets of gloves were being put on and thrown out. I don't know how many of those minty green colored gloves I had in my trash can by the time I was done.
The needle was a single use 14ga which had been ordered for her through the shop she worked at, and she rested the tip of it in the clear lubricant on the tray. A familiar purple marker was pulled from the bag and after she cleaned my nipple, she marked, removed, re-marked and stood back to inspect her work a moment before removing it and marking it one final time.
The adrenaline was pumping in my system now, as we've all heard the stories of how much nipples hurt to be pierced. I've heard more than my share of stories where people wanted to scream but held it in, or that they cried because it was so intense. I had my friend Mary holding my right hand while I had a pillow against my left side hugging it to myself. Arwen took the clamps from the tray and positioned them on my nipple.
Surprise number 1. The clamps did not hurt. I've heard more stories than I can count on how that people thought the clamp going on was just as painful as the actual piercing.
It was now where she picked up the needle and set it on the left side of the nipple to push through. She asked me if I were ready and I gave a nod, my face already furrowed into some strange alien expression of preparing for pain. As I was used to, she asked me to take a deep breath in. I did. The needle pushed through. These were the noises that followed as the needle entered. You'd be surprised how much you can say in the 5 seconds that a needle is going through something.:
"Ahh! That..that doesn't hurt! That..Doesn't hurt? That doesn't HURT!"
All the while I sounded quite pained though, apparently.
Surprise number 2. The nipple does not hurt as much as everyone says it does. To my dismay, I felt no intense rushing of pain, no sudden gasp of air was needed, no teeth clenched. I didn't even squeeze my friends hand. It was slightly uncomfortable when the jewelry was passed through the hole, but that was probably more in my mind than it was actually painful. It just looks like it should hurt.
Everything went smoothly. I had the utmost confidence in Arwen piercing me as she is one of my best friends. I knew that she would not have preformed this for me if she did not think she could do the best job available.
There was only one complication in doing the piercing- my excessive bleeding. In comparison to other people whom I know who have had their nipple pierced, I bled a lot. I attribute this to a combination of my diabetes, anemia, and the medication that I was taking, and nothing to do with the actual piercing procedure.
The only real pain that I experienced was about 5 minutes after the shock wore off, my breast throbbed horribly. I also had to apply pressure to my nipple because of the bleeding. As a larger chested woman, 40DDD to be exact, I also found it MORE comfortable to wear a bra after my nipple was pierced, to keep it from bouncing or moving around too much.
I was also unusually light headed, but this was because unlike my last procedures, I could not give myself a lot of sugar as I am diabetic. I drank lots of water instead, and found that the pain subsided with two Advil and to lie on my back instead of putting pressure on the nipple by having gravity pull on it.
I've followed up the piercing with daily anti-bacterial washes and after the scabbing disappeared, every other day sea-salt soaks. I've had some added paranoia about my choice of using a ring instead of a barbell or curved barbell, but with the extra care I am giving it, it seems to healing fine with no migration outward.
Previously, the nipple which was piercedhad little to no sensitivity. I was not aroused at all by my nipples, and generally they laid flat against my skin and were rarely hard. In having one pierced and one unpierced nipple it is easy to compare to the two, and there is an extreme jump in sensitivity and it seems to be permanently hard, which I don't mind. I find my breast, which before this point I did not like at all, more pleasing to the eye, and as soon as I finish healing this nipple I will be going to have the left one done.
It's been a month now since the piercing, and I have waited to write this for a reason. I wanted to visit my piercing artist first, which is what I did this afternoon. I told him I'd had my nipple pierced, and I'd just like him to take a look at it to make sure it was healing fine. I didn't tell him up front the conditions of the piercing, until after he'd had a look at it. Afterwards I let him know how it had been done. He asked the usual questions about sanitation and experience of the piercing artist, and was satisfied. He assured me that the piercing was healing fine, and that it was perfectly aligned, not migrating, and had been done at a professional quality. He told me to even pass his compliments onto Arwen, which I have happily done.
So here I sit at this point in time, the right breast pierced with a 14ga CBR, my self esteem increased because of how aesthetically pleasing I find it, and a very appreciative attitude toward my friend which has brought me these two joys.
The moral of this story: if you are to do things at your home, make sure the environment is safe, the person competent and knowledgeable, and you know that despite all safety precautions as in anywhere, accidents can happen you must be prepared as we were (though nothing happened); and in the end, things can turn out quite alright.
LAST DISCLAIMER: I am NOT advocating DIY piercing. This was a special circumstance, and although there are always exceptions to the rule, I generally do not think DIY or at home piercing are a good idea. The person in this experience IS a PROFESSIONAL piercing artist, and has the proper tools and is trained to use them. If you insist on doing DIYs, please don't rush recklessly into anything. Learn everything you can and be safe. There is nothing more in the world that irks me more than kids who think a safety pin and a lighter are proper materials to pierce the body. This is also not a rag on DIYs. All of Arwen's piercing are DIY, but they were done safely and not before she had the proper tools and knowledge. Simply be careful.
Thank you to LiTeSp3eD for catching my 4am- too tired- low on medication mistakes.