I had been searching for nearly a year to find someone experienced in doing the triangle piercing. So when I called Man's Ruin in Asheville, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they had a piercer who had done several.
At A Glance Author Rovylern Contact Rovylern@bme.anon IAM Rovylern When A month ago Artist Zoe, assisted by Heather and Steffunny Studio Man's Ruin Tattoo Location Asheville, NC
On Friday I went up to meet the staff and check out the shop, which was spotless. Zoë showed me her portfolio and then took me aside to talk to me about the risks involved with this type of piercing: damage to the clitoris, which can result in losing the ability to have clitoral orgasms, is uncommon but possible, and there is also a risk of over stimulation which can lead to desensitization. After talking to her and one of the other staff members for about an hour, I made an appointment for the following Tuesday.
Piercing:
I got to the shop about forty-five minutes early. My daughter's dad took her for a drive and said he'd be back in an hour. I had some butterflies in my stomach when I went in, but I had waited too long to chicken out now. I watched Zoë lay out the clamps and a 12 gauge curved needle and she showed me a couple of rings. She said that which one she used would be dependent on my anatomy and how deep we ended up piercing, which was fine with me. Finally she told me to take off my pants and sit on the chair with my butt as far forward as I could and my feet on her thighs. She cleaned the area while Heather and Steffunny, the other two staff members, watched. Zoë then had Steffunny lay my chair back while she examined me.
I stared at the ceiling while Steffunny held my labia open and Zoë started to put on the clamps. She asked a lot of questions about how it felt, what hurt and what didn't; she was very careful to make sure that my clitoris was exactly where she thought. When she finally secured the clamps she gave it a few tugs, which hurt, but I concentrated on breathing slowly. It's really hard to be calm when three people are staring intently at your crotch, but you've got to try anyway.
Zoë asked me if I wanted to know when she was going to put the needle through, and I said to let me take a deep breath and go on the exhale. I closed my eyes as Heather held the clamps, Steffunny held me open, and Zoë opened the bag with the needle. When I heard her say "ready" I took a deep breath, grit my teeth, and exhaled.
The pain was like no other piercing I have ever had. It was intense and lingering, I could feel every millimeter of the needle pushing through. It was more than just pain, though; it burned the whole way as if the needle had been heated. I sucked my breath through my teeth as I felt blood running onto the chair. Zoë corked the needle as she started to open the package with one of the rings. I could still feel blood running down onto the chair when Zoë suggested we taper directly to a 10 gauge to slow the bleeding. I said ok between clenched teeth, just wanting the clamps off.
Zoë slid in a taper and removed the needle while Heather went to the jewelry case. When she found a ring that Zoë approved of, she put another pair of gloves on and went back to holding the clamps while Zoë put the jewelry in. Finally she released the clamps and I breathed a sigh of relief. Steffunny held me open and held the ring in place while Zoë looked for a ball that fit tightly enough that I wouldn't have to worry about losing it. The ball snapped in place with an audible click, and as I finally sat up I was shocked at the amount of blood.
I felt fine, no dizziness or light-headedness, but they made me stay sitting for a while just to be sure I didn't faint. After about twenty minutes they let me get up and get dressed. We discussed aftercare and Zoë said that if the bleeding hadn't slowed to a trickle by the next afternoon, that she'd taper it to an 8 gauge to help stop it.
Day One:
The bleeding had nearly stopped until I picked Sierra up to put her in bed, then it started again, quite heavily. I called Zoë and let her know how it was going, as she asked, and she said again that if it hadn't stopped within three days that she was going to stretch me to an 8 gauge.
Right now it's still bleeding, but it's not sore unless I press my legs together. It's made for some interesting sensations while driving, though, so I'm looking forward to it healing a bit so I can try it out.
Day Two:
8:40 AM...I woke up this morning in a lake of blood. Zoë warned me that it might happen, so I wasn't too worried. The bleeding has slowed to just a trickle except if I lift something, bump it, or when I stand up. She told me to come in today at 11 if it hadn't slowed and she'd stretch it to an 8 gauge, but I don't know if I want to do that. The whole area is very sore this morning...now I know how a guy feels when he gets kicked in the nuts. I was planning on driving home today, so I'd really prefer not to do it while in pain from stretching a new piercing. I think that I'm just going to call and tell her that it's ok, and that I'll come back if the bleeding hasn't stopped within a week. There are a lot of veins and vessels in that area anyway, and the piercing was so deep, that I really don't think that it's going to be a problem as soon as it starts healing a bit. 9:49 PM...Most of the bleeding has stopped, except when I've stood up for a long time or if I shift the ring. It's sore if you touch the area, but most of the time I don't even know the ring is in there. I guess that's a sign of good placement.
Day Three:
I'm very sore, but at least the bleeding has stopped. While I was cleaning it this afternoon I noticed quite a bit of bruising in the area from the clamps that were used. The whole area seems to be a little swollen, as well. Except for the soreness I can't even feel the ring most of the time, which I guess means that the placement is good. The ring tends to shift a bit to one side, so that the ball hangs a little off-center, but it's so uncomfortable to stand or close my legs when I fix it that I've decided to just let it be. When I go back to have it checked in two weeks I'll ask her about it if it's still a problem.
I rode up to the store with my dad today and the vibrations from the car created some interesting sensations; however, I don't know yet if it's from the piercing or just because the whole area is so tender, sensitive, and swollen. I have noticed one thing since the bleeding has stopped--it is much more comfortable, at least right now while I'm healing, to wear underwear rather than going without like I normally do. Since I only own three pairs (for "that time"), I guess I'll have to invest in some.
Day Four:
Still swollen, and a little sore to the touch. When my labia are closed the ring gets shifted to the left, but when I pull them open it moves back into place, so I don't think that it's going to heal crooked. I have some lovely purple bruises from the clamps, but after the initial darkening the bruises haven't spread any more so that should be fine. I was reading through some of the triangle experiences on BME and laughed when I read a few that said it didn't hurt all that much. They must have some very insensitive tissue down there. I was very proud of myself for not yelling or crying, but the girls told me that my lips (the facial set, not those ones) went completely white when the needle went through. I also couldn't believe the ones where they said they let someone do it who had never done it before. I couldn't imagine...I've been calling around for a year trying to find someone who had experience; I can't believe people would let someone do such a difficult, deep, and s ensitive piercing when they have no experience doing it. I know that everyone has to learn sometime, but I'd rather not be the first.
Aside from some salt-water soaks, I've decided to employ a leave-it-alone philosophy. I used baby soap to wash it in the shower, since antibacterials are always so harsh on my skin, and all it did was irritate both holes for a few hours. Both sides wept a clear, blood-tinged fluid for a little while, but it doesn't look like any damage was done and the discomfort faded after a bit. The hardest part is soaking it without making a mess. I tried a shot glass, but the water level wasn't enough to cover the whole area that I wanted, so right now I'm using a sippy cup with the lid removed. It's still a bit awkward, but it's the best I've found so far.
Day Five:
It's not sore anymore, except for the bruises, but it burns whenever the ring shifts. It's more annoying than painful, actually.
Week Two:
I made the trip to Asheville to have Zoë check the ring and make sure everything was going as planned. Except for the ring getting twisted and pinching sometimes, there is no discomfort or pain. Some of the bruises are still fading, but they're just in the spot where the clamps where, not over a large area. The next time that I go up we are going to change the jewelry since the ring is still getting twisted when I have my legs closed, but we haven't decided whether to go with a teardrop shaped CBR or just a smaller diameter ring. I will have to admit that, from a sexual point of view, this does a lot more for me than my hood did.