At A Glance
Author	snowmellen
Contact	snowmellen@bme.anon
IAM	snowmellen
When	A month ago
Location	Guelph, Ontario

Firstly, I'd like to say that while self-piercing is a viable option, it needs to be recognize that in no way, shape or form could an at-home job ever be as safe or sanitary as a professional studio. By choosing this route you place yourself at risk for all sorts of unpleasant things, such as increased chance of infection, injury due to unsafe or improper tools, complications and just plain bad placement. You don't have someone experienced to turn to when something goes wrong, and you may not be as informed as you think you are. While it's not wrong to pierce yourself, it is your responsibility to inform yourself, use the best possible methods and materials, and be prepared to accept a baseline level of contamination of your equipment and hence your body, and be willing to accept the inherent risks.

With this in mind, I still decided the best choice for me would be to perform my horizontal hood piercing myself: I had access to safe, appropriate and sterile instruments and an excellent understanding of anatomy and the procedure, as well as the fact that it felt more comfortable to me. This piercing, as all of mine are, was a long time in contemplation, involving serious research and thought. Over a year before, while working in a medical setting, I had secured my key materials: a surgical wash soap (5% chlorhexadine solution: a generic Provon), sterile gauze, and an 18 gauge new, sterile needle. Because the needle was from a medical setting the gauge was measured by the internal diameter, so the external diameter, or piercing gauge, was bang-on 14. The jewelry that I was planning on using was an excellent quality (316 LVM) 14 gauge SS CBR from the initial healing of my industrial.

I'm not sure what motivated me into finally doing it, but I was planning on performing it on the upcoming Monday. I was returning from the gym, freshly showered and shaved on Thursday, however, and was struck with the urge to do it then. I forgave myself the bit of impatience after such a long wait in the planning stage, and began to set up my materials. I got out everything that I would need, laying out a clean towel on my chair and Kleenex on the desk after I had cleaned it. I sat down and examined, not for the first time, my hood. I pretty much knew the placement that I was looking for already, but doing this exercise with the CBR gave me more insight into where it would go and how I wanted it to look in the end. I experimented with placing dots with a pen using the CBR to line them up, and then stretching my hood in different directions, allowing me to see the kind of path the CBR would take and how well it would withstand stresses in the future. I also felt arou nd and took mental note of all the sensitive, non-hood parts to make sure they would be well out of the way in case of any slip up.

Once I had settled on a placement that would allow for the best movement, but be deep enough not to reject and would sit properly in my anatomy, I proceeded to the bathroom where I scrubbed myself, the CBR and my hands thoroughly with the surgical soap. I knew that in no way could I duplicate the aseptic conditions of a piercing establishment, but at least I could be clean. I laid the CBR on the freshly-opened gauze and proceeded back to my desk, careful not to touch anything. I settled myself down in the chair, took a deep breath, and cracked open the sterile package that held the needle. Careful not to touch the actual metal part of the needle for some vestige of sterility, I got a firm grasp on the tissue to be pierced with one hand, and placed the needle against my skin. I began to push, slowly and steadily, and could actually feel the bevel of the needle as it sliced through the layers of my skin. Once through the skin it slid easily through the short amount of soft tissue between, and then met with resistance as I worked to push it through the epidermis of the other side. Feeling it rupture through, there was a definite popping sensation, and then pain as the bevel sliced the crescent-shaped slit. The worst part was where the bevel met the tube of the needle, there I had to use extra effort to push it all the way through, and then it slid surprisingly easily along the smooth tube. I sat there, astonished at the needle that now protruded from my anatomy. I realize that I went much more agonizingly slowly so the sensations I felt were very different and more intense than I had ever experienced being pierced professionally; where it's over so fast you barely have time to recognize the pain.

Now came the time to thread the jewelry through. I placed the curved end of the CBR against and sort of sitting in the bevel of the needle, as I would be drawing the needle backwards because it had a plastic hub on the end designed to fit into a hypodermic syringe, so I couldn't pass it all the way through. I began pulling the needle backwards as I pushed the CBR in, and found myself wishing for an extra hand to help hold my hood taut. With the CBR halfway in, I drew the needle the rest of the way out, expecting to follow it through easily with the CBR. Big mistake. I completely lost the hole, and after a few seconds of gentle fishing, removed the CBR, knowing there was no way I could find the path. Blood welled out of the holes, but not much as they rapidly sealed themselves shut. My hands shaking slightly from all the stress chemicals now running through my veins, I contemplated my options. I could give up, but this was my only needle and I had already abused my h ood and wanted, childishly, something to show for it. I figured the best way to get the CBR to follow the needle would be to somehow attach the two together. Thinking for a few seconds, and at a dearth of materials, I came up with the idea of using oh-so-unsterile packing tape, not the smartest move and certainly not the safest, but I'm blaming it on the over-stimulation of my sympathetic nervous system blocking my common sense. I ripped off the first layer of tape, and then another piece, which I ripped to a small size. Snapping off the needle from the hub, I carefully taped a single layer to hold the CBR to the end of the needle.

I washed my hands and the needle/CBR and sat back down, lining up the needle for a second pass. By this time the previous holes had completely sealed up, and I couldn't see a trace of them, even when I squeezed and manhandled my now-inflamed hood. I lined myself up for the second try and began to push through my skin. The first part wasn't so bad, although again I proceeded very slowly, but needles are meant for single uses and dull incredibly fast, in particular on the toughness of skin. This needle had already passed through 3 layers of skin, so pushing out the other side was agony. There was almost an audible pop as is ruptured through the other side, and I caught my leg quivering as I slowly pushed the bevel through, slicing the opening larger. I then applied some lube to the end of the needle where it was attached to the CBR. I began to carefully pull the needle through, and it was distinctly uncomfortable when the first part of the tape threaded through the ho le. I managed to pull it through though, and the CBR threaded in along right after. I had a brief second of worry that the tape would detach and I'd have done this stupid thing for nothing, but then the end of the CBR poked through the other side of the hole, still attached to the needle. I felt this immense sense of relief, and worked to get past the taped part so I could remove the horrid stuff. There were a few rough spots in the tape, and working them through caused no small amount of pain (I would certainly not recommend this method, if I pierce myself again I will make sure my jewelry either threads easily in to the needle or I'll get a needle with a cannula I can push the jewelry into for threading through). I picked the remainder of the tape off the CBR with a pair of tweezers and snapped the ball easily into place (I had had plenty of practice with this CBR before).

I sat back, still slightly shaky, and admired my handiwork while taking deep breaths. I proceeded to the bathroom, pausing to look at it in the full-length mirror. I cleaned up the rather bloody area then went back to the full-length mirror where I inspected it further. The placement was bang-on where I wanted it to be and looked straight and excellent: at least that was one advantage to going so hideously slowly. I left all forms of pants off for a few hours until bed, when I put on a clean pair of loose cotton panties with a panty liner in case I bled. I arranged a folded pillow between my legs to keep them apart and reduce the pressure on my new piercing, and fell asleep.

The next morning I woke to find a quarter-sized amount of blood on the panty liner, and cleaned the area with my chlorhexadine soap in the shower; which had always worked well for several other piercings. I had a rather gooey clot come off, and it was slightly swollen and there was some bruising, but otherwise it was surprisingly unpainful. I put on a fresh panty liner and went off to class. I found sitting in class, hunched over to take notes, a very uncomfortable prospect, in particular since my usual position is with my legs crossed. With much shifting around I made it through my morning classes and walked home, where I removed my lower clothing preparing for a nice, soothing salt soak. I had actually bled quite a substantial amount, a good two quarters worth, in just a little over 2 hrs. I soaked it by filling a glass with the warm saline solution and "vacuum sealing" it to my anatomy. I soaked it, swishing the water around, for a good 5 minutes, and then gently dried the area with a Kleenex, wiping away another two gooey blood clots. My saline solution, I noticed as I dumped it out, was definitely well-tinged with blood.

I attended the rest of the day's classes, finding it easier if I sat higher up in the lecture theater where is was emptier, so I could rest my legs up on the chair in front of me and alleviate some of the discomfort. Throughout the day I had considerable bruising develop, turning my hood a bright purple and extending down my inner labia. I attribute this to the sheer amount of abuse my hood took during the procedure, both by the needle and my own overly-firm grasp throughout the procedure. That night I also slept in a panty liner, but only had a few drops of blood.

Over the next few days I continued my aftercare regime of salt soaks about 3 times a day and washing in the shower. I switched over from the chlorhexadine to the milder Spectro-Jel, which had come recommended to me for use in aftercare for several other piercings, and I had found it worked well. The bruising and slight swelling faded gradually, and I gradually began adding back things that I did normally: crossing my legs; shaving; and careful, gentle, monogamous sex, using hood-friendly positions.

Within a week it was feeling very well on the road to healing. I could turn and tug gently on the ring without any discomfort, and the crusties had decreased to a minimum. I still kept up cleaning with Spectro-Jel in the shower, and either a second cleaning if I showered a second time, or a salt soak in the evening.

A month later and it is feeling well-healed and happy. I can tug, turn and flip the ring in any which direction with ease and comfort, although I do the odd occasional soak in the evening if I have some extra time and some tiny amount of crusties (which are uncomfortable when they turn into the hole while I settle in for bed). Otherwise, I'm immensely satisfied with how easily and quickly it has healed; as well as the placement, which has stayed straight and true from the first. I'm overall very happy with this piercing; it has great aesthetics and suits and flatters my anatomy.