I decided to get my nipple pierced on what was really a bit of a whim. I have my ears pierced five times in various places as well as my navel and, each time I had planned to get the piercing done well in advance. However, I met my friend one Monday night and she announced that she had just got her nipple pierced. I had never really considered getting mine done (nor had I been vehemently opposed to it like a lot of people) but when I heard about hers I decided that it would be quite fun to get done.
At A Glance Author Aimee Contact deatona@tcd.ie When A month ago Artist Damn, why didn't I ask him his name? Studio Snakebite Location Dublin, Ireland. My friend assured me that her piercing wasn't very painful at all and that she had had no trouble with hers. This completely contradicted what my boyfriend had told me (yeah, he has his done too) who described the experience as feeling like being stabbed through the heart. I later found out that nipple piercing is much more painful for guys as their nipples have the same number of nerve endings as women's crammed into a smaller space and, surprise, surprise, they have a lower pain threshold too.
With the nipple piercing idea firmly planted in my mind I was all set to go out and get it done the following day. However, caution got the better of me and I decided to ask a few friends what they thought first. I got two yeses and several no's, with my boyfriend remaining largely undecided. I then looked up the web for information on nipple piercing (that's when I discovered BME) and decided to ignore popular opinion and go for it. A couple of days later (on the Friday) I set out on my great nipple piercing adventure.
I got my piercing done in Snakebite, a piercing studio in Dublin (Ireland, where I live). I had gotten all my other piercings done there, the piercers in Snakebite are always really friendly and know an awful lot about piercing. The studio is also totally hygienic and modern, and the aftercare service is excellent. In fact, Snakebite is one of my favourite places and I was thrilled to be going there to get another piercing. I was quite nervous when I arrived which is unusual for me. I had been totally cool about my other piercings but I guess I am just a bit protective over my nipples! After I filled out the consent form my nerves disappeared. The guy on the desk asked me for ID which they'd never done before, but I guess they're just careful not to pierce underage nipples. I then had to decide between a D-ring and a bar for my nipple, after much deliberation I settled on a bar (14g I think?). I waited a few minutes and then was called into the piercing room; my nipple's big moment had arrived...
Snakebite has a private room for doing nipple piercing, genital piercing, etc., when I got in there I was asked to remove my top (obviously, how else where they going to pierce my nipple?). This wasn't embarrassing, contrary to what most people think, as my piercer (I never actually found out his name) made me feel totally at ease and I'm not particularly shy either. I decided to get my right nipple pierced against the advice of my piercer. He told me that since I was right-handed I was more likely to hit against the piercing, however, I kind of preferred my left breast (it is very slightly bigger) and was keen to get the right nipple pierced to correct the imbalance. Of course it has now gone the opposite way and I love my pierced nipple so much that the left one barely gets a second glance! We then talked for a while about cleaning and aftercare, then the piercer measured my nipple with a calipers (not something that happens every day). He marked where he was going to pier ce and swabbed my right breast with disinfectant. I lay down on the couch and my piercer asked me to relax, breath in and out slowly and imagine I was lying on the beach (or something like that). He clamped my nipple which wasn't particularly unpleasant, asked me to breath in and out and then stuck the needle through!! It wasn't any more painful than my other piercings had been, but the pain kind of lasted longer because my nipple is, um, thicker than most other places. He then proceeded to put in the jewellery, which pinched a little. Unfortunately as he was doing this, his mobile phone rang but he managed to ignore the annoying ring tone and finish the job, very professional (except maybe he shouldn't have had it on in the first place). Immediately afterwards my nipple wasn't sore at all and, it didn't even bleed. The piercer also changed the ball on my navel ring to match the ones on my new bar. The piercing only cost 34euro (about $30-35, they give student discount) and he threw in the ball change for free, pretty good value I think. I wa s delighted with my new nipple piercing; it was definitely the most fun of all my piercings to get done.
Sadly, four weeks on, I have run out of people to flash my new piercing at. Most people I told about it were kind of freaked out, however, all the friends that were against it now think it looks nice and my boyfriend is definitely a fan! I am washing it twice a day, starting off in the shower just running it under hot water and finishing by cleaning any crusty deposits off the bar with sterile salt water and a cotton bud (Q-tip for all you Americans). I am also wearing a plain cotton bra all the time (even in bed) as recommended. This to keeps the bar in place and stops the piercing being pulled or rubbing against my clothes. I haven't any trouble with my nipple piercing, hardly any crusty stuff and only a tiny amount of swelling (not really noticeable unless you compare it with the unpierced nipple).
All in all, my nipple piercing experience has been great. The most fun piercing ever! I love it, if you're thinking about getting it done I would definitely encourage you to go for it. And, if you live in Dublin or happen to be visiting I would definitely recommend taking a trip to Snakebite.
Oh yeah, and feel free to email me or check out my web page (bearing in mind it is still a work in progress) at www.maths.tcd.ie/~deatona