I'm Rebecca, I'm 17 years old and I have a couple of piercings- my nose, my cartilige, 3 piercings in each lobe, my standard navel and my newly acquired lower or inverse navel. This is my experience of getting my inverse navel pierced!
At A Glance Author Bex Contact bex_scotland@yahoo.co.uk When It just happened Artist Gaz Studio Elgin Tattoo Studio Location Elgin, Scotland I have had my standard navel piercing done for nearly three years now, but I was getting bored with it- I needed something to liven it up. I did think about taking it out, but then I decided that I couldn't be without it, so then I started thinking about multiple navel piercings.
I did my research on BMEzine about bad experiences of rejection and migration, and what I found appeared to be similar to that of standard navel piercings, so I decided to go ahead.
The place I got my belly pierced at first time around has since been closed down due to poor hygiene standards (yikes!) and so I had to find somewhere else to get pierced.
I decided on Elgin Tattoo Centre, because everyone I know who has been there has received a professional service, which was, most importantly, hygienic. This is the only place in Elgin which hasn't been banned from piercing due to poor hygiene.
So this morning I got up early ( I was starting work at 12, and by early I mean 7.45am) showered, breakfasted and dressed and went to Elgin. The studio opened at 10am, so I had time to go get a mother's day card and some other stuff from Tesco. Then I headed back to the studio and sat in the waiting room and waited for the piercer to arrive.
Gaz rolled up, looking a bit flustered and after he had talked to a guy about booking a tattoo he asked me if I minded if he had a quick fag becuase he couldn't function properly without caffeine and nicotine. I didn't mind. We stood outside while he had a fag and then he went back inside to wash his hands.
Then he took me through to the glistening piercing room, where his work mate was tattooing a tribal sleeve onto a man's arm. The piercing bed was in an alcove in the room with a curtain around it for piercing privacy.I chose my jewellery, Gaz said a lot of people like a ring the second time they get their belly pierced, but I chose a silver coloured bar, with a blue stone. He rolled up my top and looked at my belly to make sure he'd be able to pierce it at the bottom, proclaimed that he was satisfied my belly was suitable then he washed it with iodine, followed by an alcohol wipe.
Then he made me stand straight with my arms by my sides so he could mark where he was going to pierce. He kept rubbing it out and marking it again and again until he was happy that it was both straight, and inline with my other picrcing. Finally he was satisfied, so he told me to look in the mirror to make sure I was happy too. I was.
Then I laid down on the bed and he took the clamps and positioned and repositioned them on my belly until he was happy with their location. Then he told me he was going to touch the needle against my skin, which he did, then he said he was going to go ahead and pierce me. He pushed the needle through, removed the clamps and left the hollow platic tube in my belly. Then he cut it and put the bar in, pulled the tube out, and screwed on the ball.
The whole process took less than 5 minutes, and I felt no pain, only a tugging feeling as he pushed the needle through.
There was a small drop of blood where he'd touched the needle against my skin before piercing me- I'm not sure why he did that to be honest.
He then went through after care with me- he told me to use soap and warm water to clean my piercing, whereas last time I got told to do salt soaks twice daily.
I paid twenty five pounds and headed on my way to get to work on time!
I expected the drive home and my nine hour shift at work to be sore or at the very least uncomfortable, but I have had no pain so far, although I have had a couple of drops of blood and some odd looks from people who have seen my lifting my shirt at work to check that it is still there, because I can't feel it!
I am very happy with my double navel and would recommend the piercing to anyone considering it.
I would also recommend Gaz at the Elgin Tattoo Studio very highly for his professional attitude and his ability to put at ease nervous customers like me.