Disclaimer: Do NOT attempt to do this piercing yourself. You have a great chance of damaging important things in your face and/or hitting a blood vessel. Please, please, PLEASE go to a professional that will explain all of the risks and has HEALED pictures of cheek piercings in his/her portfolio. In this experience, I will not explain how to do this because I don't believe an amateur "piercer" should try this. Thank you!
At A Glance Author Michelle Contact mbali91@hotmail.com When A week ago Artist Me Studio My house Location Colorado Well, a bit of background, I have 3 lobes piercings in each ear, an inner conch, bridge, double nostrils, 10 gauge septum, double monroes, double off-center labrets, and double center tongue piercings. I retired three labrets a week ago so I'm very sad about that. I've never been to a professional piercer because I trust myself more than anyone in the world.
It took me a full year to decide I was going to pierce my cheeks myself. I was afraid of the pain, the consequences, and what would happen if I screwed up. I graduated high school in August of 2008 and decided that it would be a nice present to myself to get something I have wanted since I was 9 years old. So I researched for 3 months. And then I looked at piercing placements, I pinched my cheeks, I spoke with other people. Everyone said that if I could heal them, they would be my favorite piercings. It was then that I decided I would attempt it.
Before I began gathering my supplies, I quickly measured my cheeks to see how long of a barbell I would need for swelling. I don't have calipers so I decided I would use 2" long PTFE barbells and continue to cut them down the more the swelling went down. Keep in mind that these were pre-packaged and came sterilized [you should never use jewelry that can't be verified as sterile, you run the risk of disease and infection]. I set out my supplies [clamps, surgical pen to mark, two 14 gauge needles, paper towels, and a box of gloves], washed my hands and put on gloves, then got to marking. I marked both sides and erased them until I was completely satisfied with the positioning. I washed my hands and changed gloves again. I clamped my left cheek [I did not check for veins (stupid idea) and I should have]. My clamps were sterilized by an autoclave for $15 by my local tattoo shop. I opened one of the 14 gauge needles and held it to my cheek. I went from the outside to the inside, S LOWLY. Honestly, it did not hurt as bad as I'd been led to believe, but it still hurt a bit. I then took off the clamps and followed the PTFE barbell through the needle and put two 5mm stainless steel balls on both the inside and outside. I looked pretty dumb with that long barbell sticking out of my face. I changed gloves again and washed my hands and got the clamps set up on my right cheek. I opened the other 14 gauge needle and started to push. And push. And push. Until I realized that the needle was not exiting out the inside of my cheek, rather it was going into the flesh right in the middle. It was painful and I cried and had to pull the needle out quickly. Surprisingly, my cheek is still okay, but it was a very scary experience. I tried the right cheek twice about three days later, except I couldn't follow the barbell through and kept losing the connection. For now, I have my left cheek pierced and will be attempting the right cheek after I am done fasting for 10 days , as a reminder that I can do anything I set my mind to.
I am currently wearing a 7/16" barbell in my cheek, and it is doing perfectly. I did not have any of the insane swelling that many people have had, and I haven't had any problems whatsoever with it. All in all, I'd say this is an adorable piercing and I'm in love.
Some things to remember when DIYing: use gloves, sterile hollow gauge needles a gauge bigger than your jewelry, wash your hands, change your gloves multiple times, clean the area that you'll be working on, if your needle falls on the floor, get a new one, read up on anatomy, blood borne pathogens [cross-contamination], and the best possible advice I could give you? If you don't feel comfortable doing your own piercing(s), please, I urge you to go to a professional. Sixty dollars [approximately] is absolutely NOTHING when it comes to your life and your body. Be smart about self-piercing. Safety pins and rubbing alcohol are a no.
Thank you for reading! If you need help or advice, feel free to contact me at mbali91@hotmail.com. I will do my best to answer your questions and if I can't help you, I can find a piercer in your area I can refer you to.
Happy piercing!