Like everyone, I should probably start by saying how I've "always wanted to get my _____ pierced" and I "finally turned eighteen and decided to do it."
At A Glance Author andrew Contact andrew@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Kris Studio Windham Tattoo and Body Piercing Location Maine That's somewhat true, but I only really started seriously thinking about any piercing after I already turned eighteen....
I have always admired the beauty of a center lip ring, and I started to think more of it after the option became available. So, like a good little boy, I did my homework, checked out all the nearby piercing parlors, and read up on The Good Site, our very own BME.
I told one of my friends I was going to do it, and he told me to wait a week, so he could convince his mom to let him pierce his ears. After a month and a half, she was convinced, so in the car we hopped and zoomed away to Windham Tattoo and Body Piercing. (great place, if you're ever up in Maine, I highly suggest it. Clean facilities, nice folks, they've got it together down there...)
We both went in and shuffled our feet, (both of us having never been pierced before) and spoke meekly to the girl who took our licenses and gave us forms to fill out. His mommy helped him with his. (heh heh...)
I ended up going first, and though I had been a little nervous that morning, I was feeling fine when the time came. She sat me down, explained everything, very nice girl. Had me rinse with listerine for almost a full minute, (probably the most painful part of the whole ordeal.), and then got me all set. She put a little dot with a marker where she thought it should go.
(I must have rejected her dots twenty times before I felt it was just right...)
She asked me if I was ready, I said yeah, and then she did it. Pow. With a little force, it looked like, she got it clean through. It hurt a little, not nearly as bad as I expected, but I suddenly felt immensely tired.
Disclaimer:
I am a big wimp. Do not use this as a basis on how your lip piercing will go.
I faded a little out of consciousness, while I saw both the piercer and my friend staring at me with a frightened yet interested look, as if they were seeing the blood sucked out of my face by some cruel biological trick. I managed to get some color, (green), back into my face within a few moments, and then, with the demeanor of an action movie star, proceeded to fall asleep.
I must have been in that chair a good twenty minutes by the time this whole thing was over.
Kris was very nice. She got me cool towels and put them on my head and arms, and gave me a nice cool gatorade to get some sugar pumping through my broken body. (Getting used to drinking is rough.)
The piercing went pretty well. Very clean, very prepared, and very understanding. Kris had two lip piercings and she said she felt a little sick after she got hers. (a little sick. Big fat liar.)There was some blood, not much, and after she got the jewelry she was very gentle and careful to not yank on it when putting the bead on. I looked in the mirror. I looked horrible, but my lip looked really good.
She had used a 5/8 CBR or so, and my lip swelled so much that I could feel every edge of the ring pressing against it. As far as recover goes, the first couple days were a little painful and a little annoying. Your lips stays pretty swollen, worst the second and third days, and learning how to drink out of cups takes a little practice. I had changed the jewelry about 3 weeks after I got it done, far against the rules that Kris had laid out (no changing jewelry for 2 months, at least.), and it wasn't so bad at first. But as the healing process continued, it started to actually pull the smaller ring into the hole, and started making a little groove that was healing around it. That was, needless to say, pretty gross, and quite painful, so I replaced the original ring and got really sick all over again. Woozy, green, and nauseous, I laid down with an icepack and slept away the sickness.
So kids, make sure you can handle the prospect of a needle through your face before you get it done, or you will look like an idiot in front of whoever you bring along.
And that person, whoever they may be, just might sit in that same chair after you and proceed to get TWO piercings, and they will laugh and stand up, and walk out to pay ,and you , just maybe, you will be lying on the floor like some old rag doll, green and shaking, covered in sweat, with a little pool of gatorade on the floor near your mouth.
take care