On September 28, 2004, I had both of my nipples pierced. I've been considering it for a while, and I already have a few other piercings: tongue, navel, hood, and the usual ears.
At A Glance Author endo Contact endo@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Allen Studio Obscurities Location Dallas, Texas I had reconsidered quite seriously because of hearing that it decreased sensitivity, but decided that I would never know until I tried. So I gathered up my courage and just...went in and got it done.
Before I get into the detail, let me say a few good words about Allen and Obscurities: When I moved to Dallas, I started asking around about a good piercing studio. Several friends recommended Obscurities as being incredibly spotless, friendly, knowledgeable, etc. All of those recommendations were dead-on. The place is incredibly clean, they go through several pairs of gloves per piercing, the people there are all incredibly sweet and friendly, and I have yet to ask a question they haven't answered cheerfully, even when I think it's incredibly dumb. As far as the piercers go, I've only had personal experience with Allen, but I hear that Tasha is equally wonderful.
Now, about Allen: he is, without a doubt, the best piercer I have ever been to. He has an incredibly calm and relaxing demeanor and does a great job of making you feel comfortable. He explains everything as he's doing it, and when it's time to actually get down to it and pierce, he's super-quick. Just exactly the way I prefer it.
Anyhow. I went in and explained that I wanted two nipple piercings. I went through the ID and payment process and waited a little bit for Allen to show up. While I was waiting, we briefly discussed what kind of jewelry I wanted. I had been considering CBRs, but it was explained to me that they normally use straight barbells so that they don't catch as much and are a little easier to clean. I think this turned out to be a great idea.
Allen arrived and he measured for the length of the barbells with a little caliper and sterilized the jewelry. When that was done, I went back into the piercing room and he had me lie down so that he could clean the area. He asked me to stand so he could mark the holes and then had me lie down so that he could check them.
He did use a clamp and warned me that he was fairly brutal with it, although to be honest, it wasn't even horribly noticeable. He had me inhale and exhale, then do it one more time, and on the second exhale the needle went through.
(Let's be honest: I was terrified that it would be brutally painful. Of course I was. I have fairly sensitive nipples. But really, getting bit when my daughter grew teeth was more painful than the actual first nipple.)
He put the barbell through but left the ball off one end, then clamped the second nipple, had me inhale, and pierced the second one on the exhale. The second one hurt a fair amount more than the first, but I understand that this is pretty common. Maybe it's because you know exactly what it's going to feel like? I'm not quite sure, but it certainly seemed true.
He put the jewelry through and threaded the balls onto both ends. At that point, I was done! They were perfectly placed (naturally!) and looked great. He gave me aftercare instructions (Provon soap, sea salt, the usual) and I made my way home.
It's been almost a week since I've had them done. They're incredibly easy to take care of: I clean them with the Provon soap that they provided me with, and a couple times a day, I soak the area with sea salt and warm water. They provided the sea salt as well. That turned out to be a little tricky, but I discovered that mixing the salt and water in a little paper cup, putting my nipple into the cup, and standing up and holding the cup to my chest works quite well.
They bled slightly for about three days but all appears to have stopped now. They never really hurt terribly, but did feel a little – what? – bruised for a few days, but that appears to have mostly gone away as well.
It does feel a little strange when I get cold, still, but I think I'm just not used to having a piece of metal in a new place yet. Not painful, but it definitely feels quite different.
I've also discovered that at least so far, the fears of lessened sensitivity are totally unfounded. If anything, my nipples have become MORE sensitive.
I would recommend this piercing without hesitation, if you're considering it. It's not terribly painful, it's incredibly easy to take care of, and so far, it appears to be quite pleasurable.
And you know what else? It really does look great.