At A Glance Author Liz Contact eLombard@aol.com When Six months ago Artist Erin Studio Chameleon Location Cambridge, MA One of my favorite piercings is the Christina. From the moment I first saw a BME photo of one until the afternoon I got one of my own, the Christina is sexy, pleasing to the eye and a perfectly placed piece of jewelry. I got my Christina in August of 2004, eight months ago, the same time I got my left conch pierced. My piercer did the conch first and then proceeded on to the Christina. I was not new to genital piercings. Before this I had several genital piercings, three outer labias, one horizontal hood and a VCH to come months later. I knew what to expect.
No matter where you get your information about this piercing, you will learn the Christina is a piercing which is highly anatomically dependant. If you aren't built correctly, chances are that you will not be able to keep this exquisite piercing. After I saw the first picture of a Christina, I was very curious if I could get one. The only sensible thing to do was go directly to a professional. I was told by two piercers that I am suited for a Christina- but even with the proper build and flawless aftercare I still had to retire my cherished piercing in early March.
I did not experience rejection like many other people write about. Many people who describe rejection explain how more and more of the jewelry starts to show. People write of being able to "see" the jewelry as it seems to rise-up right under the skin. That wasn't the case with me. I had a 14g BB which remained deep under the skin. It did not appear to be resurfacing but it was turning, like the hands on a clock. Picture a Christina, straight up and down like 12:30 on a clock, well after 2 months of uneventful healing, the BB began to move to the right. At first the change in position was almost imperceptible, especially when you are looking straight down at it. My piercer remarked on it when I returned to get the original long BB exchanged for a more appropriate shorter one.
On the day I was pierced I was given a long BB to accommodate the swelling. In my case that was very good because I did have significant swelling. The swelling and tenderness (and maybe very slight bruising) went away within a reasonable period. Even when the tenderness subsided I still required that long BB, it was an appropriate piece of jewelry for the initial piercing, without the extra length I would have been in trouble from the get-go. My piercer took out the original BB and replaced it with a shorter one. Ever so slowly the BB was going to the right. I returned again and got a shorter BB and asked my piercer what I was afraid to ask during the last visit,
"Is it rejecting?" She told me how she was a bit worried at its continued dragging to the right but advised me to watch it and keep in touch.
Unfortunately, it was not going to stay. By now the BB was at a very noticeable angle. The top ball of the BB was more like 10 past 12 rather than the perfect 12 o'clock position. It was lopsided and no matter what I tried to tell myself, I knew it was past the point of no return. One evening I decided it had to come out before it went any further. I was very disappointed, I loved this piercing. I liked the way it looked and I liked the way it complimented my other genital work including two tattoos which are directly above the pubic mound, one to the left and the other to the right.
Genital piercings can be expensive but the money part didn't bother me as much as not having it to look at. I felt like a piece of a puzzle was missing. Like anyone with a body mod project, each and every piece is important in and of itself, plus it has added importance as part of the bigger picture. I hope I'm making sense.
With a latex glove, I got a hold of the BB, gripped it tight and twisted the top ball off. It stung when I pulled the migrating bar though the fresh tissue but it was out. The area looked 'naked' without the beautiful Christina. I kept the area clean while it healed. Like other BME submissions I also had a significant piece of scar tissue; mine was in the bottom hole not the top one. One woman wrote that it felt like a kernel of corn, I agree with her. That is a very accurate description of what remains. Taking advice I found on BME, I kneaded and rubbed the tiny ball of hard scar tissue every day in the hope of breaking it down. Now over 6 weeks later it is barely there. My body has reabsorbed it, maybe? I have a tiny scar from the piercing but that means nothing to me. Now that it has completely healed, my plan is to go back to the shop and have it redone.
A Christina is in a very vulnerable spot. Depending on the woman who has it, a Christina can sit either high or low depending on where her lips meet. I'm small with a petite build. I've read that this piercing is sometimes more successful in big girls who have a prominent ridge. But you don't have to be a big girl to have a defined ridge. I have the ridge and a nice spot to hold the bottom ball snug in place. My hope is that the second time is the charm.
I know some studios and artists use a non-metal' material; it was explained to me that this material is "much more forgiving than metal". That makes sense but I like the look and feel of a barbell. The Christina is sexy and unique and even though I have the "correct" build for one I still had a failure the first time. I guess it is a challenging piercing even with the right anatomy. Maybe that's why a Christina is not as common as a HCH or VCH- first a woman must be built a certain way and secondly- even when she is, success is not guaranteed. Well, what is? I hope this account helped someone. I look forward to reading some other Christina success stories! Thanks for listening.