To begin, I present my stats. I am an 18 year old female currently with 10 piercings: left daith (14g CBB), right rook(14g CBR), right tragus(14g CBR), lobes (0g tunnels), lobes (8g CBRs), nostril (16g screw), tongue (14g BB), left nipple (8g CBB). I have an interest in tattoos as well, but I'm holding out until I'm ready for the ink and I know I'm dedicated to the design. And so without further adieu...
At A Glance Author Mel Contact Mel@bme.anon When Six months ago Studio Tattoo Art Location Kitchener, Ontario THIS is the story of two nipples. A tale, if you will.
First, the pain:
In mid-September 2001I got both nipples pierced at 12 gauge. About the pain, all I can say is did that EVER HURT! Definitely the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life. But hey, it was over quickly so I was fine. The only way I can describe the pain is by comparing it to red hot fire coursing through my torso. I think I released about half my body weight in water from my sweaty palms. Once again, I reiterate: it only lasted a few minutes before the entire procedure was finished, so this was not such a big deal.
So anyways. I went for both. In my experience I find that a lot of people only get one done, most often the left, and I wanted to go for something a little more exciting. Hence the double whammy. Symmetry isn't such an issue in my world, although I'm sure I was motivated on some level for that reason.
Next, the aftercare:
So here's the sitch. I was very religious with aftercare, as I was very pleased with my new piercings. I had them done with stainless steel circular barbells (the almighty horseshoe!) and they were absolutely gorgeous. Nipples ooze precious fluid QUITE frequently, especially during the first few months and I needed to pamper them all the time. For the first two weeks they were very sore. Sleeping was annoying, and anytime that I bumped them (putting on shirts, walking into walls, etc) those badboys would ensure that I knew who was boss. The worst was when I'd be in school (I was in my last year of highschool at the time) sitting at my desk (at chest level) leaning forward to write a test and...OUCH!
I have never used the word fuck so many times in my life.
As time went on, however, the pain subsided and I was able to conduct my life without walking around with my arms crossed in front of my aching chest all the time. Oh, another thing, for the first little while I avoided hugs vehemently. Some people just squeeze a little too hard, and I really didn't want to have to deal with the after effects. So life carried on, and my nipples were on their way to healing nicely.
Six months later:
At the six month mark everything was doing well, or so I thought. By well, I mean that the healing process was still underway – I still oozed occasionally, but experienced no major attacks of pain when I rolled over on my side or slipped on a sweater. I suddenly noticed at this point that righty wasn't looking so hot. As the weeks wore on, I noticed that righty was becoming just a little too visible. I could see the outline of the ring through my nipple and the area was more and more tender than on my left side. I decided to leave it for a little while.
A little while passed, during which I upped the aftercare and paid special attention to it. I noticed that nothing seemed to be helping matters and that it might be time to let go. My other piercings were all doing well, and I'd never had any problems with migration or rejection before, so I wasn't sure what to do, but after a month or two after noticing the initial conflict, I decided to abandon it.
Late winter 2002 marked the death of righty (insert moment of silent mourning).
I kept the horseshoe as a momento of my battle and in case I decided to get it redone. The hole gradually closed up, but two tiny yet barely visible dents still remain as a mark of what once was. *sheds a tear*
In the end, I was glad I took it out. It was only giving me pain, and removing it helped it to heal up. I made sure to clean it daily following the removal of the jewellry and kept a careful eye on it. No further problems arose after that.
Summer 2002:
So warm weather arrived, and my left nipple said to me, "hey kid, I'm getting kind of lonely down here." I of course responded, "no way am I ever getting righty pierced anytime soon, yo!" in remembrance of the hot and fiery torso experience that had occurred almost a year earlier. Still, looking down at the little guy gave me an idea...
I remembered that I still had some tapers kicking around from when I stretched my ear lobes, so I slipped one in with the help of my piercing cleansing agent. A couple days later, following some gentle tapering, I had successfully stretched up to 8 gauge from the original 12. I inserted another circular barbell for good measure. It felt amazing due to increased sensitivity from the stretch, and I was really digging the chunkier look of the bigger ring. I also have an 8g tunnel that I slip in for good measure every once in a while just for kicks. There is just something so hot about being able to see through my own nipple. I'm sure that there are those out there who can agree.
Which brings us to today:
Now, in April 2003, my left nipple is still at 8 gauge and doing wonderfully. It looks absolutely beautiful and is completely healed. It still discharges, but I hear that that is not abnormal? In any case, I am always thinking about upsizing to a 6, but I don't think I'll ever go any bigger than that. I'm also considering changing the jewellery to a barbell just to spice things up a touch.
As for righty, I sometimes think about getting it redone, but I'm going to wait for now. I'm not really in the mood to deal with nipple aftercare, which is quite demanding from my experience. I like to be really excited about a piercing before I get rather than just get it done out of obligation; mods are so much more rewarding that way.
The Moral of the Story:
1) Getting both nipples done at the same time has pros and cons. The pros include a symmetrical look and balanced pain across the chest, making one more aware of the healing process that is taking place. The cons include prolonged healing and a long period of sleeping on one's back.
2) I think that my right nipple piercing migrated because it was pierced incorrectly. I think that it was off centre and not deep enough. This, of course, was not my fault but perhaps a slip of the hand due to the piercer. I recommend carefully examining the entry and exit holes prior to the actual piercing, as once the piercing is complete there is nothing to do to change the placement.
3) Nipple piercings hurt a lot to get them done initially and while they are very aesthetically pleasing, the aftercare and the healing process can be quite taxing. I plan on getting my right nipple redone once I know I have the time and the health to invest in such a project.
4) Stretching is not meant solely for earlobes! It greatly adds variety. The only setback I've discovered is that all the 'cool' jewellery is in 14g. Of course, being as I got them originally done at 12 this wouldn't have mattered anyways, but my point is that I have yet to find an 8 gauge nipple shield. That fact saddens me greatly.
So to you, my faithful reader, I wish you luck in your own nipple experiences and I hope I've provided you with an educated perspective.