Hi, my name is Gabrielle and I am here to tell you about a GREAT experience I had with my very first navel piercing. If you're surfing this site and reading these stories, then chances are you are considering getting your navel pierced. I spent a lot of time here on BME before I actually got my piercing. I read stories, did research, and looked at tons of photos...and waited. About a year passed. That may seem like a lot of time to most of you, and at times it seemed like forever to me, too, because I really really REALLY wanted to have my navel done. But getting any type of body modification should be something you take the time to think about. Here's why: not only is it fairly permanent, the aftercare takes a lot of time and attention and isn't something you should take lightly. Is it worth it? YES! YES! and..YES!
At A Glance Author Gabrielle Contact xenasbard@earthlink.net When A month ago Artist Tim Young Studio Sacred Heart Studio Location Houston, TX Okay, now onto the good stuff. After a year of waiting (mostly because my spouse insisted that I wait until I was really sure I wanted it), we ventured down one Saturday afternoon to Sacred Heart Studio in Houston. This place is so cool, it's right in the Montrose area of Houston and the outside is painted bright purple and green. It looks warm and friendly from the outside and just sort of makes you want to come inside. It was dinnertime, so we figured it might not be as crowded and we were right. Nobody was there except us and we were greeted promptly by a nice young girl who had some visible piercings herself. She looked rather...goth....but was one of those people that you like right away just because you can tell that they're nice.
The girl asked what I wanted and I told her. She led me over to a counter where there were several pieces of jewelry in a glass case. Now note that the glass was spotless, the place was clean as a hospital, and everything was arranged neatly both in the case and around the whole store. This helped put me at ease because I tend to notice things like this. When you go someplace, ask yourself if you feel comfortable. If you don't, find someplace else. It's not worth it and there are lots of places to choose from. I picked Sacred Heart because of my extensive research into studios. I had also heard excellent stories from others both here and in my town about how clean it was and how great Tim and his wife were. Tim, I learned, has done over 15,000 piercings! Not only that, but he is strict about cleanliness and ensuring that everything is sterile and follows proper guidelines. The store has brochures on what those guidelines are and what to look for in a piercing studio.
I chose a curved barbell and learned from the girl why they are slightly curved and not completely straight up and down like they look when they are in your body. It has something to do with the curve of your skin and the piercing hole....everything just fits naturally together when the barbell has a slight curve to it. They don't recommend rings as much anymore because of the chances of getting them caught on something and that they may be harder to keep clean. But of course, if you have your heart set on a ring, you can certainly get one.
I almost went with the purple gem but decided at the last minute to get the silver barbell instead. The reason is because you have to keep your initial jewelry in for about 9 months to a year and it's better to choose something you know you'll love for that amount of time. Taking it out too soon can cause all kinds of issues, so pick something you can live with and remember you can change it later as often as you like (once you have healed, that is).
The nice girl took the jewelry out of the case, made sure it was what I really wanted (it was) and then took it to be autoclaved. For those who don't know what an autoclave is, it's a machine that sterilizes using heat. If the place you want to go doesn't use one, don't bother. You CAN'T get sterile enough without one. Believe me, I used to work for a medical doctor and I know this to be a fact. If they use another method of sterilization, you should question it or at least be sure you are comfortable with it before you let them poke you with a sharp instrument that has been sterilized in some other type of contraption. While my barbell was being sterilized, we paid, and the nice girl (wish I had gotten her name, for now we'll just call her Nice Chick With The Many Piercings) went over the aftercare instructions with me. She explained everything and then encouraged my questions. She gave me their business card and said call anytime if I had more questions, problems, or could think of anything else I wanted to know. A good studio will be like a good doctor and will care about what happens to you even after you pay them and leave.
Okay, so here comes my lecture about aftercare. Hey....get back here! I'm serious about this, you guys. After having my piercing for five weeks, I can tell you that I think I know why so many people get their piercings infected. It takes time and effort to keep your piercing clean. So, don't bother getting one if you don't want to invest the time or you think you are going to beat the odds by not cleaning your piercing the way you should, because it won't happen the way you think it will and later you'll be really sorry you skimped on that part. For the first six months, you are supposed to clean it twice a day with either Dial Antibacterial Soap (that works wonders, lemme tell you) or some other type of cleaner recommended by the studio. You can't use regular soap or shampoo or anything like that. It has to be antibacterial. Just buy the Dial, it's easy to find and perfect for the job. I also bought some natural peppermint soap recommended by the studio and it works great too. But let them tell you what they recommend, don't just buy anything. Some soaps and cleaners have dyes or other irritants that won't help and might hurt your healing time. You can't use neosporin, peroxide, or anything else. Keep it simple, simplicity works in this case. If you get sore, or for a quick in between cleaning, you can use Bactine spray. Just get your own bottle and don't let anyone else in the house use your piercing stuff. It has to stay as sterile as possible.
When they say "wash" your piercing, what they mean is first wash your hands. In fact, if you seriously don't want an infection, don't EVER touch your piercing unless you have washed your hands first. And, don't let anyone else touch it, either, unless they wash their hands first. You wouldn't believe how many disgusting gross germs are on people's hands and could get transferred to your open wound. Yuk! Just think about when you go to the store and you touch a shopping cart and push it around for an hour or so. How many people touched it, sneezed on it, kids drooled on it, left dirty handprints. Wash your hands! Okay, so now you're all washed up and then you take some Dial and warm water and lather up your hands again. Rub the soap gently over your piercing, getting the hole and the jewelry wet. I do this a couple times, then move the barbell up and down so the soap can work into the hole and clean off the barbell as best that it can. Tim told me about 8 times in each direction. Then you rinse, moving the warm water through the piercing just like you did with the soap. This is done the easist in the shower, but since you have to do it 2 times a day, you can do it over the sink one of those times if you don't want to shower twice.
When done, don't grab the nearest handtowel and dry it off. Towels trap bacteria. Buy some of those flat or round cotton pads like you use to take off makeup. Cotton balls only leave fuzz, so don't get those either. The round pads are flat and about as big as a fifty-cent piece and are about $2 for 200 or so. They call them "one-use" pads. Blot your piercing dry, and throw the pad away. I sometimes use two or three. Just don't reuse them. They're cheap, don't skimp. Get your piercing nice and dry in between cleanings. Oh yeah, and don't move your jewelry without putting warm water/soap on it first. It hurts, and it might damage the hole as it tries to heal that little flesh tunnel around the jewelry. It's a wound, ya know.
You hear a lot about salt water soaks, they are the best thing in the universe when you have a piercing. I do a salt water soak once a day at least, in addition to the regular cleaning. You can do it regularly or you can do it whenever your piercing feels irritated. Get a jug of distilled water and some SEA salt. Mix about a tablespoon into they say I think a cup of distilled water. Use a clean clear glass cup so you can see the piercing through it. Heat the water in your microwave and make sure its not hot enough to burn, just warm. Then you lean over the cup and press it against your stomach, be sure to cover the barbell and then lean it back, forming a suction. I usually just lay there and watch tv for the 10 minutes I soak. The warm water feels great and the salt is doing its thing. Salt helps your body heal faster.When done, lean up so you don't spill on yourself, and again, use the cotton pad to dry off the area.
Be sure to sleep in something clean while your piercing is healing. Not that you don't already, but change your shirt every night even if it seems clean.
Here's something else to remember: Your piercing WILL produce a very small amount of whitish-yellow looking pus while it is healing, that's natural for any wound that is healing. A good idea is to gently squeeze the piercing while you are cleaning it to expel the small amt of pus each day and clean it away. I was nervous the first time I saw the pus, thinking after all my cleaning diligence that I had gotten infected anyway, but that is not the case. So, don't freak out unless you have major pus with lots of other symptoms of infection like extreme redness, lots of pain, major swelling, fever, etc.
Okay so back to the shop...while we waited, lots of other people came in to get pierced and it was fun listening to them talk about what they were having done. When the piercer arrived, and it was my turn to go in, I was pretty calm. I thought I would be more nervous, but I felt confident in the place and in Tim and I was also excited to get the piercing.
Now Tim is really cool, he came in all decked out in sterile gloves, a mask, even a small apron, I think. Everything was in individual sterile, NEW packages and he opened them in front of me. The needle was new and he threw it in a sharps container once he was done with it. Don't let anyone ever reuse a needle or use a needle on you that might have been used before. Tim also changed gloves during the procedure which a piercer should always do.
The next thing he did was have me lay down on a table and he marked where the needle would go in and where it would come out. He had me get up and approve the placement. Then he had me lay down again and he cleaned the area with iodine. I had to wait about a minute he said until the iodine wash had soaked in after he cleaned the area. Then he told me exactly what he would do and when. He was true to his word, everything happened exactly as he said. He talked to me thru the procedure which was calming since I knew what to expect at each step of the way. He first put the clamp on, and some people say that's the worst part but it wasn't bad at all. Just a little pressure. It makes the skin stand up so he can put the needle through straight. I think it also cuts off the blood flow for a minute so everything looks good while it is being pierced. He said he would have me breathe in and let a breath out and when I breathed out, he would push the needle thru. He did. Now everyone wants to know most of all, did it hurt? Well, it does hurt a little but not nearly as much as you would think. I have had many other things hurt a lot worse, like when you slam your finger in the door or accidently bite the inside of your cheek. This was a pinch, some pressure, and it was over. Just a little, quick, jolt of pain and it was over. The needle was sticking in me and that part didn't even hurt. He said then he would put on the jewelry and I didn't feel that, either. He screwed on the ball and wiped off the area and I was done. No blood or anything! It didn't even bleed afterwards at all.
Of course, I loved it then and I love it now. It looks so cool!! As I said, the tough part is really just keeping it clean and resisting the urge to touch it. Just clean it, soak it, and leave it alone. Your body will do the rest. If you work out or get dirty in the yard, etc, just come inside and clean it. You can put a waterproof bandage over it for anytime you think something might get in it or on it that could get it dirty if you want. I don't recommend going in a public pool or spa while you are healing. Too much bacteria. It seems like a lot of work, but it's worth it. And once you hit 6 months, you can reduce your cleaning to once a day. Just take good care of it, and be good to yourself. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. I'll be happy to help if I can.
Good luck, and enjoy your piercing. It's totally worth it!