I think my story has about every stupid mistake you can make while getting a surface piercing and trying to heal it...learn from my mistakes, if you will!
At A Glance Author MiseriaCanticle Contact MiseriaCanticle@bme.anon When A month ago About three or four weeks ago I finally decided to go get my first surface piercings. I knew my friend went to a relatively cheap place, and her clavicle surface piercings turned out gorgeous looking, so I thought it would be a good place to get two on my left wrist.
First mistake: I didn't research surface piercings enough to know what type of procedure was most likely to heal. So of course I just went in the place without asking what they used, or how they used it. Also I didn't take any notice of the placement as far as movement goes...I just thought, "yeah, pretty place, let's go." Now this would have worked if I only wanted a temporary job, but I wanted this for a while...so more shame on me.
The place I went to used teflon rods. The actual procedure was wonderful, needle in, needle out. Feel it go in, feel it come out, nothing in the middle, it was awesome. Watching my boring arm become studded with steel was amazing in itself.
Second mistake: Not asking to see pictures of successfully healed surface piercings performed at the studio. The piercer did mention that surface piercings tended to grow out. But I ignored him, very silly thing to do.
The piercings turned out *very* pretty. The one further from my wrist bled quite a bit, but there wasn't any pain. As I left the place, I loved the expressions that I got from strangers, the people who served me in the following days goggled - I loved the attention.
Third mistake: timing.
A week afterward I visited my folks, being a uni student that had been away for four months. Of course I had to keep my new darlings covered up, which was no good for the healing process, for sure. I also got into a couple of accidents with a horse, which caused quite a bit of trauma, impact force, as well as one of my piercings being partially yanked through.
Fourth mistake: neglection.
I failed to keep bathing them while away, I had no time to myself, so they missed out on the babying they should have recieved. In one of the accidents, the piercing closest to my wrist got pulled partway back through the hole, and I lost the end bead. I should I have pulled the plug on it then, but I was determined to keep them. So I made a make shift do with a few bandaids to keep the end from pulling into the piercing again. Of course this structure let no air in and trapped in all the lymph. I was just begging for an infection! Luckily enough, I got none, however horribly I was treating it.
Fifth mistake: further neglection. Oh the horror.
So I just left it covered with stifling bandaids til I could get to a piercer that may supply a new bead for the end. He took one look at my arm and said, "those piercings should be made illegal..." and then began a spiel on the high infection rate...how nasty the infections could be...the almost certain rejection...and how I should have never gotten it done in the first place. Furthermore, the teflon was a custom gauge, he had no beads that would fit over the end, and he advised me to just take them out, that they were beginning to reject, hence the growing discolouration at the exit holes.
First thing done right: I took them out that day. The holes are still healing a week later, but are nearly there completely closed over. There's just four scars now where the piercings were. I could have let them grow out completely, but the irritation, the possible infection - No, I wasn't going to do any more stupid things!
I was rather heartbroken at the time of pulling them out...but also sheepish, because I knew I didn't do all the right things. So in the end, my loss was really my fault. There was no pain removing them except for my damaged pride. Please learn from my mistakes!
I will be getting one redone at some stage next year, this time with surface bars, which are much more likely to heal than teflon rods. Of course I'll nurture them as my own children...and I'll get them done at a much more intelligent time. And of course I'll go to a much more reputable place. My two piercings cost me $25 each. Including jewellery. For something fickle like surface piercings it seems only right that there should be more expense!
And I say is again. Learn from my mistakes!