I decided to get my tragus done at the beginning of my senior year after I saw a classmate with one. Although it was poorly done, I fell in love with this piercing. I like to be different and I happen to be of African American descent and I have never seen another African American girl with a tragus piercing, so I was all over the idea of having one. I have to admit that I was pretty worried about the pain level, but hey, when you really want something, you'll do anything to get it. Besides, pain is temporary. I called a few places, but in the end I decided to return to the tattoo shop (N2SKIN Tattoos) where I had previously gotten my tongue pierced and a tattoo on my foot (that was extremely painful, but again pain is temporary and it was worth it).
At A Glance Author danielleish Contact danielleish@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Joanna Studio N2SKIN Tattoos Location Farmington Hills, Michigan I decided to go to the shop one day in which the schedule was clear and I would have plenty of down time for a while so my fresh piercing could start the healing process on a good note. The studio was clean and all the staff was friendly as usual. I told the guy at the front counter that I wanted my left tragus pierced. He went into the back and got my piercer. I then signed some papers while my ID was copied. Next thing I knew I was sitting in "the chair". Joanna (my piercer) was very knowledgeable about both piercings and tattoos since she does both, this made me very comfortable as I sat in the chair. I wasn't sure if I wanted get pierced with a labret and a CBR. Joanna suggested a CBR because it's easier to clean around. I have seen tragus piercings done with both CBRs and labrets. We discussed the jewelry options more and I eventually decided that the CBR had more benefits and looked cuter than the labret. I picked out a 16g 1/4 inch CBR. I happen to have smal l ears :)
The sound of Joanna's voice was very calming as I sat in the chair. She cleaned my ear with alcohol swab and marked my ear where she though the piercing would fit best and then handed a mirror to me to confirm the piercing positioning. It looked great to me! She touched my ear and I tensed up. Joanna assured me that she was piercing my ear yet. Next she told me to take a deep breath, which I don't remember doing because for some reason I didn't realize that she was about to actually pierce my ear so I was completely caught off guard by the sudden sharp pain in my ear. It was as bad as I thought it was going to be. I could feel the needle coming out of my ear and the jewelry going in. That part really didn't hurt too much but it was an annoying feeling. The tricky part was putting the ball in the CBR. Joanna was very quick which was greatly appreciated. The whole process took only what seemed to be about 5 minutes. After I was all done, Joanna and I discussed afterca re which consisted of warm sea salt soaks 2-3 times a day for the first 2-3 weeks, then cut down to 1-2 times a day until the "crusties" stop. She also informed me that rotating the jewelry is not necessary because it may pull the "crusties" into the wound and cause an infection.
I eventually got out of the piercing chair and walked to the front of the piercing shop to pay for the new beautiful hole in my body. The wind against my new piercing was a bit uncomfortable but I could deal with it. Stupid old me forgot to eat before going to the shop. Eating beforehand is a good idea because it helps keep your blood sugar levels from plummeting after you get pierced. Never get pierced on an empty stomach. If you're nervous before you get pierced, your blood sugar levels are high. After the piercing is over, you blood sugar level drops rapidly, causing you to feel like your about to pass out. The symptoms are twice as bad if your stomach is empty. This happened to me and I had to sit for a while before I could drive back home. I got really sweaty and hot. I felt really light headed and kind of nauseated. Seriously, eating beforehand can help with these annoying symptoms. It was still worth it though :)
Overall, this was a good piercing experience. My piercing is only two days old and it doesn't hurt unless I forget about it and knock it. It is bothersome to sleep on my piercing but I changed my pillow case just in case. It is always a good idea to sleep with a clean pillow case with any facial piercing in order to cut down on bacteria exposure.