I recently made the difficult decision to abandon my nipple piercings. This was the first time I've ever been unable to properly heal a piercing, so I was a bit disheartened at my loss.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon IAM assilem When N/A Artist Happy Dave Studio Modern Primitives Salon Location Chicago, IL When I decided to go ahead with nipple piercings, I didn't think the decision to abandon would be so difficult. I had gone back and forth for years on whether or not to pierce. I am an extremely busty girl (38 DDD), and not only did I know the added risks of piercing nipples on larger breasts, I had debated for years whether or not I'd want to go through with a breast reduction. Due to the nature of breast reduction surgery, my nipples would likely need to be relocated. Nipple relocation usually includes a change in the size of the nipple and areola as well as a probable change in orientation. It would be pretty much impossible to guarantee that a piercing would remain straight and properly aligned following such a procedure. And that doesn't even account for the potential medical problems that could arise (mastitis and/or other infection, migration, rejection). Considering how complicated healing nipples can be to begin with, I waited until I was pretty confident that I didn't want a breast reduction before deciding to go through with the piercings. And even then, I went into the procedure perfectly willing to let the piercings go if healing them properly got to be a problem.
The piercings were performed by my friend Happy Dave at Modern Primitives Salon with a new needle for each nipple. Per my request, Dave pierced them at 10ga. I knew that the piercings would be more painful at that gauge, but I was familiar with theories that larger gauge piercings heal more quickly. I also had no intention of stretching the piercings down the road. All told, the piercings were not as painful as I had anticipated. Of course, I had Dave pierce my septum on the same day, so it may have just been a matter of perspective.
Now, when it comes to healing a piercing, I'm of the LiMA (Leave it Mostly Alone) school of thought. I soaked with hot water twice a day, and cleaned them once a day in the shower with Dr. Bronners Pure Castile Soap (Baby Mild formula). For the first few months, I had no real problems. I had to swap out to longer jewelry at one point because my nipples got larger as a result of the piercing, but beyond that they seemed to be healing nicely.
Fast-forward two years, and the septum piercing performed that same day (the one I struggled with for those first three cold winter months) is happy and problem-free and my left nipple still hadn't completely healed.
Over the course of my two year struggle, I followed the advice of a lot of different people. Piercers, other women who had had a difficult time healing nipples, my GYN. I read experiences here on BME and on RAB (the rec.arts.bodyart newsgroup). I tried straight TI barbells, hoping that the TI was the kinder, gentler jewelry material. I tried large diameter CBRs for a few months, hoping that they would help ensure proper drainage. I tried downsizing to 12ga with the same drainage hopes. I eventually stretched them back up to 10, then to 8 hoping to both kick my body into high healing gear as well as to make it more difficult for the piercing to migrate. Unfortunately, stretching like that is a bit of a crap-shoot, as it can sometimes accelerate migration. And that is exactly what happened. I feared that migration had become my biggest opponent, so I dropped back down to 10ga TI straight barbells. And I prayed. My left nipple still wasn't happy.
A month or two later, it was apparent that the migration was continuing. After two years of constant lymph and occasional blood, intermittent pain and the realization that I wasn't actually enjoying the piercings as much because I couldn't use them for their intended purpose, I chose to remove the jewelry. I opted to abandon both piercings in the interest of balance, largely because I do not intend to attempt horizontal nipple piercings again.
Of course, the story doesn't end there.... I'm still checking them every day to make sure they drain properly. Based on what I've seen of others' experiences, the last thing I need is to end up with mastitis. I will say this, though: within a day, I could tell a difference in the way my left nipple felt. So far, there has been no more pain and no more blood.
I want to be clear that Dave has been with me on every step of this journey, and that he has more than fulfilled his duty as piercer AND friend in the process. Everyone's body is different, and sometimes piercings don't work out. As difficult as it was to make my choice, I have no doubt that I made the correct choice for me.