The night I arrived in Darwin, Lori and I were throwing around ideas about what piercings I might like to get while I was in town, and I mentioned that I'd hoped to have my nipples both pierced, as I'd been thinking about them for quite a while and lamented a retired piercing from a few years earlier. You can read about that experience here. I had been thinking either 10ga (2.4mm) or 8ga (3.2mm) barbells as I thought that with the size of my breasts (DD/E) and nipples that anything smaller may be problematic with healing and/or lead to possible migration such as I'd previously experienced, and also not quite look right (to me) aesthetically. The next day Lori measured me up, agreed that I definitely had enough tissue to support the jewellery so she ordered two 10ga barbells so they'd arrive before I was due to return home.
At A Glance Author Jen Contact skweetis33@gmail.com IAM Anaesthetise When A month ago Artist Lori St. Leone Studio Vogue Body Piercing Location Darwin, NT
AustraliaWe'd decided to do the piercings on the Saturday afternoon (April 14th) before I was due to leave town, after closing time at the studio. I had been pretty calm and hadn't been at all nervous leading up to that day, but when my period started that morning I started to get a slight feeling of dread that got worse as the day wore on. Would I be more sensitive due to having my period? I knew it was fairly common that women had a lower pain threshold while menstruating and it played on my mind. I thought it would be a good idea to make a stop at the pharmacy and get Emla patches. I wasn't expecting them to completely numb my nipples, but I thought they'd at least take the edge off. I applied the patches around 12:30pm and busied myself around the shop, fending off the occasional lighthearted taunt from Sana and Lori, waiting til closing time at 2pm. Sana finished her shift, wished me luck and went on her way, and Lori and I stepped into the studio.
A huge wave of nervousness hit me ... I was about to get 10ga needles put through my nipples! Uhm ... ow, that's going to hurt a lot, isn't it?
I took off my shirt and bra and hopped up on the bench, completely forgetting that I had the Emla patches on, until Lori grabbed the edge of one and ripped it off in one lightning fast movement, hurty-bandaid style. Cue nervous fit of giggles. In hindsight, I think that might have caused me more discomfort than the actual piercing! Off came the other patch, then Lori cleaned off the remaining Emla residue, prepped my skin with Technicare and marked me up. I checked the marks in the mirror and approved the placements, then assumed the position on the bench and started some conscious breathing while Lori set up.
I remember having a big rush of adrenalin at that moment, so I stood back up and went over to the water cooler to get a cup of water. I guess that was the "flight" aspect of flight-or-fight panic response kicking in! I glanced at the tray as I turned around and my eyes focused on the 10ga Industrial Strength blade needles for the briefest of moments. I tried not to dwell on how big they looked and where they were about to go.
Back on the bench, eyes closed and mind focusing on breathing. Slow and deep. No more shaking. Ok, maybe a little shaking, but I was calm, relaxed and ready. Turns out Lori was ready too, so she asked if I was ok to go; I nodded and within a heartbeat the clamps were gently in place and I took a deep breath in and emptied my lungs in a hard fast rush as the needle went through. The jewellery was followed through, the ball was screwed on, and a gauze pad soaked with cool, soothing saline was applied with light pressure while I got my breath back. Lori asked how I was and I replied that I was fine, and I really was. I immediately and fully relaxed. I'd handled the piercing just fine and had zero concerns about the next one.
Lori moved the tray around the bench to my left-hand side and we got ourselves organised; me with my breathing and Lori with the tools required for piercing number two. Again, Lori checked with me that I was ready; I nodded and took another deep breath in through my nose, pushing it out hard through my mouth as the needle went through. Another seamless jewellery transfer and I was done, although I had a slight moment of alarm when I felt what I thought was a trickle of blood running down the side of my breast, but it was just saline from a new, freshly soaked gauze pad. Phew!
I had a quick look at my shiny new Industrial Strength 316LVM internally threaded barbells, exactly where they were meant to be, before Lori put a non-stick wound dressing over each and before I put my bra and shirt back on. I was expecting pain when I stood up, but felt nothing. I put it down to the Emla, and Lori cautioned that once it wore off I might be in some discomfort, but it wasn't to be the case. I felt pretty comfortable all day, except when we were driving around later and the car went over bumpy spots in the road. Even then I wasn't in any pain, I just felt very aware of the extra sensitivity!
That night, I left the dressings on and slept in a cotton soft-cup bra, to limit movement and the chance of me knocking them in my sleep. I tend to sleep on my stomach and wasn't surprised when I woke up in that position, although I was surprised that I wasn't feeling any significant discomfort. I got up and went for a shower, removed the dressings to find a little dried and clotted blood around both sides of each piercing, which was to be the case for the next two or three days, the amount of blood less and less each day over that time. The only other thing I noticed was irritation and minor bruising on and around my areola from the adhesive on the Emla patches.
I did fairly minimal cleaning, and still, just over six weeks later, clean them only once a day. I've found that leaving them alone is really the best thing for their healing. They're cleaned once a day in the shower, with the aftercare wash provided by Vogue, called SafeCare Plus. It's a water based, non-chemical gel soap containing essential oils and all that's required is a couple of drops which are lathered up in my hands and lightly massaged on each side of the piercing, then washed off. It's very simple and very effective. The first couple of weeks I noticed increased sensitivity, but since then the level of sensitivity has either gone back to pre-piercing normality or I've become accustomed and desensitized to them being there. Now, they feel as though they've been there for years, like the rest of the piercings I've had long-term, although they are by no means close to being healed at this point.
Even though Lori is my best and closest friend, I still appreciated her wonderful bedside manner while we were in the studio. Sometimes I think in that situation it's hard to separate the personal from the professional, but Lori really combined them both to put me completely at ease. Sure, we joked around a lot and bantered back and forth during mark up, before and after the piercing, but when in piercer mode she is 100% professional and efficient. I was impressed with her speed and the calm, confident energy she put out. Even when it's your friend piercing you, someone whom you trust implicitly, it's an extra leap of faith to extend that trust while you're in a very vulnerable position, lying half-naked on a table!