Two days after I got my hood pierced, and found out that my regular piercer doesn't do triangles, I found out that Elayne Angel was in town and I knew that if anyone would be able to do a triangle piercing on me, she would. Since the triangle was what I had wanted originally, I called Dragon Mood Tattoo Studio where Elayne Angel was visiting and made an appointment for the following evening. I couldn't believe that not only was I going to get to meet one of the leading piercers in the country, but I was going to get pierced by her too. I was a little bit nervous when I got there, mostly because it felt like I was meeting a celebrity rather than because of the piercing. I had done my research, read all of the relevant experiences on BME, read all about Elayne Angel, her methods, and her qualifications. I knew it was going to hurt. I didn't really care, I just knew that I wanted this piercing.
At A Glance Author Ren Contact Ren@bme.anon Artist Elayne Angle Studio Dragon Mood Tattoos Location Glen Burnie, MD Elayne Angel was so nice, I was immediately at ease, and I couldn't believe how well she explained everything, and I mean absolutely everything, that she did. I lay down on the table with my feet on the edge and my knees spread. Once she determined that I was able to get this kind of piercing, she disinfected the area with betadine, and while that was drying, she went over the aftercare instructions. I admit that I wasn't listening too carefully, but I was feeling confident that I knew the routine. Pain doesn't usually bother me, but I was so worried that I would involuntarily jump or flinch and mess everything up.
She showed me the pretty rainbow niobium circular barbell that I had chosen, explaining that a circular barbell is better than a ring because it will lie flat between the labia instead of twisting the wrong way. Lying flat on my back, I couldn't see what she was doing, but she was still telling me everything, and when I felt the tip of the needle, I knew this was it. I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath and didn't move a muscle as the needle went through. She was incredibly fast, and as soon as the needle was through, she said she was ready to put the jewelry in, and another second later it was over. She congratulated me on not moving, and said that most women jump or flinch a little. The second that the needle went through, it hurt a whole lot, more than I can describe, so much that I don't think I could have moved if I had wanted to because any movement would have made it hurt more. In my experience, cartilage piercings feel like a hard pinch (I've never heard a crunch or pop), and my hood piercing felt like a pinprick, sharp but tiny. This is the only piercing that has felt exactly like what it was – a razor sharp needle going through the tissue behind my clitoris. It hurt again when the jewelry was put in, but that was a duller pain, much more bearable.
She made me lie there for a few minutes even though I insisted I was fine, and then she let me sit up slowly. She talked to me about my other piercings, and I was about to stand up when she told me to stop and pointed down. There was a pool of blood on the table where I was sitting. I was so embarrassed, I couldn't believe I was bleeding all over the table, and the floor, in front of Elayne Angel, and I hadn't even known it. I didn't know what to do. She had taken her gloves, off, so she couldn't help, but she kept handing me tissues until I had a big enough wad of them between my legs to keep more blood from dripping onto the floor. It took some careful maneuvering to put my underwear back on and replace the tissues with a maxi pad that I had brought, but finally I was dressed and no longer making a mess all over the place. I kept apologizing, but she insisted it was ok, and by this time had another pair of gloves on and was blotting up the mess on the floor and spraying disinfectant where the mess had been.
After that, I was prepared for a lot more bleeding, but it had stopped by the time I got home, and I didn't bleed at all that first night. I bled off and on the next day, and wore a pad for that whole week, even though I wasn't bleeding any more, it offered more support than just underwear and was more comfortable. The piercing was sore for about 2 weeks, but I went to work the next day and had no problems as long as I sat down carefully and didn't cross my legs. After care was essentially the same as my other piercings, clean with provon soap twice a day, salt soaks if necessary (didn't even have to do that), and hands (and everything else) off. It was pierced at 12 gauge and I've since stretched it to 6 gauge, and I'm almost ready to go up to a 4. This is absolutely my favorite piercing, and it's actually more stimulating than my vertical hood, which looks lovely but doesn't seem to be too functional. My triangle is very functional, and looks great with the matching vertical hood barbell behind it. My advice for this piercing is the same for any other – if you want the piercing, don't worry about the pain. The pain is short; the piercing is as long as you want it.