I first had my navel pierced about 7 years ago. I did it a studio down in Ft. Lauderdale and I passed out and nearly threw up into the biohazard trash can and had to be revived with ammonia smelling salts. I took it out because I had a problem with it (my ignorance) and had it re-done several months later. That one sucked, because it was a difficult piercing; it was pierced off-center and ended up migrating and I had to take it out. I was bummed out because I really liked it, but I didn't have a choice. I was younger and stupider (is that a word?) and uneducated and that spells trouble for piercings! Word of advice: get educated! Love your piercing (that goes for tattoos too) and it will love you back!
At A Glance Author Big D. Contact Big D.@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Nick Studio Outrageous Tattoos Location West Palm Beach, FL Fast forward 6.5 years. I'm older now. Over the past 6 months, my life has been turned upside down! I left my well-paying, full-time job (long story) to go back to school full-time and finish my degree (I have a future now, thank god). I left the stuck-up, corporate world and went back to the very liberal world of the college campus. I also have lost 30 pounds and I'm lookin' kinda good, and I wanted to reward myself. Instantly, I thought of getting my navel pierced again. Another plus is the fact that my belly button is visible when I sit down - that wasn't always the case!
I didn't want to have another bad piercing experience, so I did some checking around and on the advice of a friend who got her navel pierced recently, chose Outrageous Tattoos which is nearby. I called first to get some information and the price was right and they use titanium jewelry - a metal that is more resistant to rejection. I think they use titanium for implants and rods and stuff when people have to have those things implanted in their body. I was told that surgical steel is not a good choice for new piercings, and now that I think of it, it could have contributed to the migration of my last piercing.
I went in the afternoon, by myself. This was something that I had do to alone. It was kind of a spiritual awakening for me that I could experience only by myself. It was a release and a sort of "coming of age" experience. And if I REALLY want to get symbolic (I'm an English major), I could see it as an "initiation" back into the liberal world and away from the smothering conservative world of corporate.
I had never been to the shop before and when I walked in, I heard the familiar sound of the BUZZ of the tattoo machines and felt a yearning (I have 4 tattoos) for another, but that isn't the budget right now. The place is an open design and very cool. It looked pretty clean and it was busy for a Saturday afternoon.
Anyway, I met Nick, a guy that does piercing there. He remembered me from our phone conversation earlier that day. We did the standard ID stuff and he took me back to a private room. The room was very clean and organized. He was very professional and clean. I always watch a person when they set up their stuff for tattooing or piercing and he was methodic about his setup, laying everything out on a tray. Everything was sterile and autoclaved in their own packages. He asked me a couple of questions about my previous piercing, looked at my stomach and saw the scar tissue and planned accordingly. All the while, he was educating me on how to care for the piercing and the DOs and DON'Ts of piercings. The message that I got from him was that being educated on the piercing experience and aftercare will yield the best results. And the #1 thing is to NOT TOUCH IT with dirty hands. No playing with it or anything like that with dirty hands. That is the way it gets infected. CLEAN HANDS, folks!
He did a few things that I had never seen before but I was highly impressed: he cleaned my stomach with iodine – normal, I thought – but he cleaned a big perimeter around the piercing site to make sure the whole area was clean. He also wore a surgical mask throughout the whole procedure – from before he started setting his stuff up to after we were done. He changed gloves for each stage of the setup and piercing. He even got out a little ruler and measured the holes he marked to make sure it was right. I was very impressed!
The piercing didn't really hurt. I braced myself for it. I was reclining on a chair and one hand was gripping the table and the other was holding onto the seat of the chair. I closed my eyes (I can't watch this stuff) and waited. It was a quick pinch, but then there was some tugging because he had a little trouble getting it through. That part was a little uncomfortable. But nevertheless, we were finally done and I looked down and I had a nice ring there. I felt a little lightheaded for a few seconds, but that went away (thank god – I didn't want to pass out or puke again). He gave me an aftercare sheet that was 2 full pages and that was it. He said to come back if I had any questions or problems.
The whole experience was great and I recommend Outrageous Tattoos for anyone wanting to get a piercing! I left with a good feeling about the whole thing. And I have my nice little ring there to enjoy!