What – me, a more-than-middle aged guy, get pierced? And not my ear, but my nipples? A guy that thinks (okay, thought) pierced folk were absolutely koo-koo? A guy that thought male nipples did nothing more than break up the blankness of the male chest? Let me tell you a story. . .
At A Glance Author Greenwich When Three months ago Artist Noah Carlson Studio B & R Body Colors Location Marquette, Michigan A little more than a year ago, half-soused, I wandered into a piercing shop here in town and had my navel done. Yeah, well, fine, but it never healed right – just a bit too much tummy-flab, and it always hurt, so out it had to come. Then, while drunk (again) one day, I stopped by a different shop and had my nipples done – simultaneously, by the he-and-she couple that ran the place. I'm sorry to say that they took advantage of my compromised condition, I think, but – well, I walked out a few bucks lighter and with a little barbell in each nipple. I think his telling me (as I was leaving) "Well, you're definitely a freak now" had some good effect on me, though, and made me think that I should try to stick (no pun intended) with this new idea.
I'm glad to say that I've been sober for over a year now – got sober within a few days of that double piercing. But while I don't hanker for a drink anymore, I did learn to enjoy wearing nipple hardware. I started stretching after a couple of months, going from the original 14 ga, faster than I should, but what the hell, to the 4 ga plugs I have now. That guy that pierced my right nipple, though, wasn't as good at aiming as he might have been, though, and the piercing was too close to the "front" of the nipple – and, sure enough, by the time I was at 6 ga I could see the migration going on. I've since removed the plug, the hole has closed, and I'll have to start over with that hole. Damn – but maybe I'll have Noah go in on a diagonal this next time. I'll send photos when I get that one started.
So anyway, I found another shop here in the city (Noah's the guy that pierces) and he did a vertical piercing behind my right nipple, through the center of the aureole, behind the "nub" of the nipple itself. Not too terrible... And a month or so later, a vertical hole through the left aureole, too. So then I've got one sideways, one up-and-down, in each side. Hey, this is getting kinda fun.
About ten weeks ago I visited Noah again – twice in four days. He did my right nipple (okay, aureole) on the right (outside edge) Monday, and that was okay enough that I went back on Thursday and he did the left (inside edge). O-KAY, this is getting definitely decent! We went on vacation for a week or two, and when we got back I visited the shop again – do both holes on the left aureole today, okay?
Each hole starts with a 12 ga needle that's followed through by a 14 ga PTFE barbell going in. I know, I know – take good care, wash with such-and-such, and don't try stretching for at least two months. I shower each morning – that's the sum total of the cleansing I've needed to do, and no infections, no nasties have developed. As for waiting to stretch – Noah now admits that whatever works for me must be okay, 'cause I'm usually too impatient to wait very long and I haven't suffered any undue consequences. It was about 10 days after the initial (side) poke(s) that I went from the 14 ga PTFE to 12 ga SS, and now – less than a couple of months after the initial pokes, I'm wearing 8 ga in each of the four "side" holes, with no discomfort, and 6 ga in the middle. I'm waiting for all to get copasetic so I can get the "side" holes to 6 ga, too. I'm using acrylic barbells – with the short amount of time I wear 'em before moving on to the next size, it's much less expensive to buy plastic. I get most of my jewelry from Bodyartforms.com, and heartily recommend that site for the good service I've received – and the fair prices, too, which are important when you have seven or eight holes to keep filled.
Next? Well, probably keep stretching the six vertical holes for another gauge or two, get the right nipple going again and get both of 'em up to 0 ga if I can (I like the idea of being able to pass a pencil through my nipples if I want to!), but first – how about barbells, about 1 1/2 to 2" long, horizontal, over-and-under each nipple/aureole? They'll be my first "deep" piercings. We'll see how it goes. I'll report back and let you know (and will submit photos, too).