I have but one piercing, although I have some not-so-concrete plans for a few more, including possibly my bridge, nostril, and lobes. I guess I should state my mom hates my lip ring and started to cry when I told her I wanted to get more piercings. This is the reason those projects are not already done. The first time I came home after I got my lip done she stared at it forever and kept nagging me about infection and hinted every few minutes that she wouldn't mind if I decided I wanted to take it out. Anyways, here's my exciting lip experience...
At A Glance Author <[cashew]> Artist Nick Studio Evolved Location Columbus, Ohio I picked up a flyer a few months before at a local show for a piercing/tattoo studio located just off campus. I went there late in th afternoon and asked about pricing, looked at the shiney things in the counter, etc. I asked about a few different piercings. Still wasn't sure if I wanted to put a hole in my lip. I'd only seen one or two people who had those. I wasn't as keen on nostrils then as I am now, so that didn't even cross my mind and I didn't really like labrets. Everything else was far too common, so lip it was! Wasn't too expensive and on Sundays I could get 2 for the price of one!
A few days later, my room mate and I walked in and I recognized the guy at the counter. Saw his band play back home a few weeks before. Then I looked to my right. A girl from my senior class was sitting on a stool, filling out her forms and patiently waiting to be called into the back room. She said she was getting her nostril pierced, and we talked for a little bit. Small world...
I walked up to the counter, talked to the guy about music and such for a while and chose the ring to be stuck in my face. While I waited, my room mate looked through books of tattoo designs and I sat and chatted with the familiar faces (which calmed me a bit... this being my first piercing).
The girl from my class kept asking everyone if it was going to hurt, and they assured her that it would be fine and she wouldn't feel a thing. After quite some time, she went into the room and I continued to talk to the guy behind the counter. (His name is Shawn.) As soon as the door shut behind her, he said, "Everything I got hurt, but what does she want me to say?" I started to get a little nervous. He had numerous lip rings. They all "hurt." Was this going to be something I regreted?* *(not at all)
My time came and I followed Nick (the guy who pierced me) into the room and had a seat. He explained the procedure, showed me the needle, gloves, etc. and had me swish with Listerine. He pulled out his marker, lined it up, and placed a dot in the center of my lower lip. "That about where you want it?" He lined it up to the center of my face rather than the center of my upper lip, which I liked, so I told him that would do. (It's not much difference, anyway.) He cleaned the area and it was showtime. Squeezing the guaze, he told me to breathe until I felt the needle start to go in, then exhale. He asked me if I wanted to do a practice round, so I figured I would. "Breathe in, breathe OUT!" Gah! The needle was through. So much for practice. It did hurt a bit, but it wasn't unbearble. Of course, the worst part was getting the jewelry inserted put in. That stung quite a bit, but only for a short time, and after he was done I just felt an annoying irritation rather than pain.
I took a look in the mirror. Pretty cool. I was handed an aftercare sheet and guided through step by step. Easy enough. For a few weeks I used sea salt and yellow listerine, graduating later to blue and green listerine and significantly less "delicious" cups of saltwater each day. I went out and got my room mate, said goodbye to Shawn and thanked Nick for sticking a needle through my face.
It healed fine, though it was pretty sensitive for a week or two. I still hit the ol' Listerine two or three times a day (Blue is still the best!). The only problem I ran into right away was when I tried to drink something from a can or cup. Straws became quite handy, as liquid would often spill over the edge where my ring touched. After months of rigorous training, I've once again mastered that elementary art; drinking stuff... without a straw! :)