Content: 1. the procedure, 2. post-procedure, 3. tips & pointers.
At A Glance Author Kelly Contact Kelly@bme.anon When Six months ago Artist the aussie Studio High Priestess Piercing Location Eugene, Oregon I go to school in Boston, but I call Springfield, Oregon home.
The bug bit me during freshman year... I had been exposed to modified people my entire life, but for some reason, it took me 19 years to develop a love for mods. Choosing a first non-ear piercing was hard, though. My job didn't allow visible piercings so facials were out of the question. So, I decided to get my nipples done... for no reason in particular. I did tons of research on proper jewelry, aftercare, etc (mostly because I wanted to be knowledgeable when I got my piercings done so I wouldn't be cheated or abused).
1: the procedure
I decided to wait till I returned to Oregon to get my nips done, because I'd been to many of the parlors around my town and trusted the employees (people are just nicer in Oregon). One day after work (my summer gig) I took a bus to High Priestess Piercing. The minute I walked into the parlor I fell in love. The place was CLEAN and tidy, but beautifully decorated. And Tony, the ridiculously beautiful man who works the counter, offered to help me right away. I said I wanted my nips done, answered some basic questions about my health, and signed on the dotted line.
Then I waited. By that time I was pretty nervous. I've never been bothered by getting naked in front of strangers, so I wasn't worried about taking my top off in front of my piercer, but I'd heard nothing but horror stories about the immense pain of nipple piercing. I "knew" what to expect: my endorphins would make the first nipple bearable, but the second nipple would hurt like nothing I'd ever experienced.
I was interrupted from my waking nightmares when beautiful Tony said the piercer was ready for me.
My piercer, a man with a curious Australian accent, was very sweet. He had me disrobe, cleaned my nips and marked me. He had me give my o.k. on the placement. I said it looked good, though I was so nervous by that point I couldn't have noticed if the marks were crooked (they weren't). The Aussie joked with me to calm me down and answered my naïve I'm-just-trying-to-buy-some-time-before-the-pain questions. He had me lie down on the table. At that point I noticed some pretty designs on the ceiling, so I concentrated on those instead of my nerves. The Aussie pinched my right nipple in his fingers (he pierces free hand) and told me to take a deep breath. When I exhaled, he pierced me. The pain wasn't bad, I hardly even noticed it, I was so high on endorphins. The first nipple took just a second, he put the jewelry in and my chest felt a little warm. I instantly felt calm... then came the dreaded second nipple. He had me breathe again, but this time when he stabbed me I felt searing pain. I tensed up, and he had to wait a second for me to settle down. I could feel the needle as he pushed it through my nipple, and I felt it pause as it tried to exit through the other side. I couldn't help but let a quiet "ouuuuuch!" slip from my clenched teeth as he put the jewelry in. But before I knew it, he had cleaned me up, went over aftercare and gave me some gauze to put in my bra.
I paid at the front counter (100 bucks flat after aftercare supplies) and tipped the Aussie, said goodbye to beautiful Tony and was on my way.
High Priestess Piercing was such a wonderful place to have my first true piercing experience. The people were incredible friendly and put me at ease. They were ridiculously knowledgeable and obviously enjoyed their jobs. In addition, my piercer (like all of my piercers at HPP)was both professional and cordial. He changed his gloves a billion times during the procedure, explained what he was doing, and used sterile, disposable tools. If anyone is in Eugene, Oregon (what are the chances of that) I would highly recommend HPP, it's the best piercing parlor I've ever been to, and I've gotten quite a few piercings done at various shops in Boston since my nips. I haven't found a place I love quite as much as HPP, and I've decided to get the rest of my piercings done at HPP (even though it means waiting 5 months between semesters).
2: post-procedure
Reading through experiences on BME, I've noticed that not too many people actually talk about the after part of the piercing experience. So, here goes.
Healing: The first few days after I got my nips done, they were sore. I'd feel a slight throbbing every now and then, mostly in the left nipple (the second one to get pierced). They bled at night for a couple days, but after about a week, they didn't hurt at all unless I accidentally hit them (which I did...A LOT). I stuck to the aftercare instructions, wash 2 times a day with Satin, cleanse with saline daily, and sea salt soaks every couple days. I tried not to touch my fresh piercings with my dirty, grubby fingers, and tried (key work: tried) not to bump or catch my piercings on anything.
After about a month, I had no trouble whatsoever with the piercings. The crusties basically disappeared and I could touch them (and even bump them) without pain. I kept up the aftercare though, because I knew they weren't healed yet. I weaned myself off the salt soaks, but stuck with Satin washes as needed, and saline daily.
After 2 1/2 months I went back to HPP and had my jewelry shortened. I realized right away that I wasn't fully healed because my holes tightened up when Jared (my second piercer, who also did my nostril) put the bars in. My left piercing was shortened up successfully, but my right one couldn't be shortened because it was pierced a little deeper than the left one.
Now my piercings are healed. I love them. My nips are, by far, my favorite piercings. It hurt to get them pierced, I'm not going to lie, but they healed nicely and feel wonderful.
3: Tips and pointers
Deciding on a piercer:
* Do your research. Learn about what's proper and improper for your desired piercing, i.e. what jewelry should be used, how the procedure should be performed. Know what's going on so you can tell if your piercer is qualified,
* Pick a place that feels right to you. If you walk into a place and the staff creep you out, or the place has hairballs/bugs moving around on the floor, leave immediately.
* Explore your options. Ask around, or call a few places in your area. Not all parlors are qualified to do every piercing, and shopping around won't hurt. Don't go bargain hunting with your body.
Taking care of the piercing:
* Follow the aftercare and learn the proper aftercare before you go in to get pierced. If you pick a qualified piercer who does the piercing well, and you follow proper aftercare, your piercing (depending on the type) shouldn't get infected or reject. You shouldn't lose your piercing if you treat a well done piercing well.
* With nipples, wear a sports bra or tight shirt to sleep in/ work in. This keeps your jewelry in place and prevents unnecessary trauma. Umm, and wear a clean sports bra. Thank you.
* Don't use alcohol, or Neosporin, or regular soap to clean your piercing. This should be common sense, but way too many people use improper products and get infections. Even dial antibacterial can dry out piercings and irritate them (if you're washing 2 times a day) I recommend Satin because it moisturizes while it cleanses.
* If you have a hard shower, don't let the water hit your fresh piercings directly. Use your hands to direct the water and soak your piercings. And do all your shaving/shampooing before you clean your piercings. There's no point in using a sterile anti-bacterial soap if you clog your piercings up with perfumed residue when you wash the rest of your body.
* Don't be anal and over-clean your piercings.
* Don't buy cheap-ass jewelry off ebay or some other wack website for 5 bucks... nuff said.
Just enjoy your piercings and treat your body like you care about it. It's not hard to take care of fresh piercings. So do it right, and your holes can enjoy happy, long lives. One last tip: get more piercings. They are wonderful. I know I'm addicted, and maybe someday, if things go right, you'll be addicted too.