At A Glance
Author	Yarddog
Contact	4yarddog@prodigy.net
IAM	yarddog
When	A year ago
Artist	Sque3z
Studio	Anomaly
Location	Pasadena, CA

When the journey was the destination

I have been asked a lot of questions about my 17-step scrotal ladder. This is a compellation of my answers to various questions from the Scrotal Ladder Forum that I monitor on IM/BME. It also assumes that the reader if familiar with safe procedures and has a fundamental knowledge of "get pierced." If you don't, do not read on. This is an experience about an advanced procedure ...it is not about a single piercing; it is about doing multi-piercings.

Part I
I have a 17-step scrotal ladder. It might be said that getting it has been a three-part process and, that to a certain degree, what ended up driving me was the idea of "one healing process." It also might be said that the whole thing was a journey and the journey was the destination. Let me explain.

My first, original, ladder consisted of seven rings that had fully healed after three years. Then I had an emergency operation during which the doctors took the rings out while I was under.

When my piercer (Sque3z from Anomaly on IM/BME) and I finally reinserted those seven rings four weeks latter, only three of the original rings "re-settled." For whatever reasons four rings developed a heavy cristallis. After trying various, soaks, medicines, we made a decision to just take them out.

That left me with three rings, one near the "base" of my shaft and two on the underside of my scrotum that were close to being quiche piercings. Those three served as the beginning and ending points of what would eventually become my current 17-ring stepladder.

But before we started the new project we let my scrotum totally heal for four months.

Part II
I want to say at this point that I have a man I call my piercer. His name is Sque3z and he owns Anomaly Studios in Pasadena on Green Street. I found him six years ago by emailing the American Association of Piercers (APP). "Is there anyone in Pasadena that you would recommend?" "Yes, there is a guy name 'Squez3' who is doing good things there, I'd recommend him."

I also want to say that I would never do a piercing on my own. I come from a generation of folks who did. I've been to parties where Jim Ward would pierce people on a coffee table in someone's living room. And I got my first piercings at the Gauntlet on Santa Monica Blvd in what was later to become West Hollywood. All I can say is: leave it to the professionals.

Next Sque3z and I had done piercings before. I understood how my body responded to them. I trust him, his place, methods and he knows me. That is really important. When we did the original ladder we learned some things about my skin, the thickness, and the depth at which scrotal piercings will heal best on me. So we had prior experience. That was important.

And one more thing, Eric also has scrotal piercings. When I first began to think about getting them I asked him! It was kind of embarrassing, but he is a professional and immediately responded, "yes." I asked that question because I want someone who knew what it was all about! And he wasn't the first piercer I asked. Several of them responded with, "I don't think you have to have one to know how to do it." That may be true, but it was not the answer I wanted to hear or in several cases the attitude that went with it!

PART III
It was my decision to do the thirteen new rings in two settings of 7 and 6 each. There was a two-week period in between each setting. I think each session probably took two hours from beginning to end, maybe longer

Ordinarily Sque3z would not do it. I have sat in his store enough to know that as fact. People ask; he says, three only. When I first asked him years ago; he said, three. I think that most piercers say that three is the limit. I generally agree with that statement.

And I agree because it has more to do with my own ability to "take it" or to take care of the piercings afterward – even if I can. It takes a lot of time and energy to do that many piercings. There is placement, markings, piercing, immediate aftercare, blood, healing, my health and time. A good ladder means placement and placement take time.

But, again, as I have said, I have a long tern relationship with my piercer. That confidence of him and me and I in him made it possible. During the whole process he kept saying, "How you doing, buddy?" He was totally aware of my facial color, my breathing, and my tension. After the first set of 7; he just got tired and quit. After the second set of six I was glad it done.

PART IV – healing
It has been a year since we did the thirteen. They are not healed completely. Some of the rings still get crusties ... and my 00 PA bangs against one of them and it is still not settling down. But they are coming alone nicely!

Let's be clear, the initial three ring rings healed a lot faster than thirteen did, but I think that is natural. And the healing process is not like a septum or ear piercing. The scrotals are in an active part of your body. They are affected by everything you do from sitting, to sex, to exercise to sleeping.

In fact I think it is during the healing part of the process when many people just give up on them. If you read the Scrotal Ladder Forum you have read that from a couple of guys.

For healing I actually "invented" several bandage type things to use during the healing process like using surgical masks to hold my scrotum right after each set of piercings for several weeks. I've cut up white socks (forget that one) and I bought cheap jockey shorts to hold them in place. Movement is a difficult issue at first. And it was that initial period that is my new piercings were the most bothersome.

At some point I stopped wearing anything special but it was a while, like three+ months. I think the key is to wear something that "breathes". My healing took place over a length of seasons, from fall into winder ... that actually does make a difference. Because of that you are wearing different clothing. Suit pants run close to the crotch, as do tight jeans. I bought baggy pants, and after a while loose underwear.

Soaking: I did regular soaking for probably four months. And three times a day at first, which, in my case, meant that I was using the bathroom at work for one of those sessions.

One thing I did not use was sea salt. Salt maybe fine for other parts of my body but it irritated scrotum. I ended up using just pain water in a deep sized dish in the evening and afternoon and the shower in the morning. Later on I used one drop of tree tea oil in the soak each night. I am aware that some people do not recommend that but for me, during one period, it worked great.

For me those soaks became like brushing my teeth. I just did it. I think I stopped soaking four months in the healing process, maybe five ... after a while you forget. Now I am careful to clean them first thing in the shower and to wash various soaps way from them.

I also took care to take more vitamins then usual and added some Iron daily.

I guess the last thing I would say is that if you do a scrotum ladder you have to have patience. Settle in for a long healing process that is not easy. I mean, after all, it's your nuts!

Oh yes, one more thing. One of the driving reasons I wanted them: sex. Aside from the sound, the look and the experience I had this image of having sex with my ladder. Now, here is where I'll get edited, but if you close your eyes and think about it, you'll understand. They don't match a PA for sensation but what they lack in sensation is made up in sound, looks and the ability to say, "I fucken' did it."