I was just about to step out of the door when I glanced back at my black tank top with a built in bra. It is the comfiest shirt I own. 'Well, maybe I'll grab it, just incase I DO decide to get pierced tomorrow. It would be good to have something clean and comfy to wear afterward.' I put my shirt into my bag, and dashed off to my friend Lindsey's house to catch up with her (I lived in Mexico for a few months and hadn't seen any friends since the end of August).
At A Glance Author katy Contact katy@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Christine Studio Area 51 Location San Rafael, CA
I got to Lindsey's, and we hung out for a bit with her brother. At one point I mentioned that I was thinking of getting my nipples pierced, but that I was not 100% on it. I did however, feel that this was a good time in my life to get it. When I turned 18, I vowed to get them done, but then realized it was impractical and possibly dangerous at that time because I would be playing softball for 7 months of the year (three to six of them overlapping with my healing process). After softball season, I decided that I would wait until I returned from Mexico, because in the case that there were complications, I wanted to be somewhere I knew and was (more) comfortable with (I'm glad I waited, my lobe piercings which I have had for 8 years, stretched for 4 of those 8 years, got infected down there when I had never had previous problems with them). Now, I have 4 more weeks of time designated for myself, before I head off to college. I felt like I would be more likely to take care of my piercings if I had the time and the resources. I'm 19 years (+ some change) old and have lusted after nipple piercings since I was oh, 14 or 15. I don't remember exactly, but whenever I started gluing myself to the computer screen to explore bmezine.
Back then (not that it was that long ago...), there were just some piercings that I drooled over (OK, who am I kidding? It's the same now!) and I would make loooong lists of ideal modifications and then prioritize them. Nipple piercings were say maybe, 7th or so on my list of 24+. Not the top, but most definitely not the bottom. At first I hid my obsession with piercings from my parents (you know, it was like a forbidden love affair to me) but I grew more bold with age and started dropping hints like 'Oh! That person's eyebrow piercing is heeeella tight, don't you think Mom?', or 'Look at the cute nostril ring that that lady was wearing!'.
My mom would kind of grit her teeth and smile, but both she and my dad made it clear that a child is like... an 'ambassador' for his/her/their parents, you know? Whatever the kid does to carry themselves communicates to their school, their community, or a random person on the street some aspect of their parents (funny, I get that I guess, but I thought it was about representing yourself too, and not just worrying about your parents! C'mon parents, do for others and for yourself). Both my parents have hinted that they feel that even (plausibly) temporary things such as piercing or coloration of hair are merely signs of rebellion. Maybe they can't understand any other possibility because they don't think that sort of thing looks good.
On top of this (or maybe behind it all?) My father is a pediatrician, as well as a bit of an OCD worrywart and thinks that along with stigma, something bad could happen and I would end up with infections. Silly father! That's only if I don't do my part of taking care of the piercing...
OK, the point of this slight deviation from my immediate piercing story is that, aside from allowing me a tiny nostril screw for my 17th birthday (seriously, many people don't even realize I have my nose pierced, it's that tiny), my parents have not really consented to visible piercings. The nostril thing was a huge ordeal that started in arguments, and ended in silence. These sorts of reactions affected my choice of piercings (or rather, my priorities).
Now, technically I don't have to obey their rules because I am 19 and considered an 'adult' by US standards, but I do care about them and know that at this stage in our lives they (my father especially) would not see a new piercing as an expression of myself, but as an act of rebellion. He and I unfortunately in the past had the sort of relationship where we frequently interpreted/intended certain actions as an attack, and we're not totally out of that phase (though it's better). Basically right now I'm making the decision to not aggravate things between my father and I by doing something I could easily do later on in life without the repercussions. So, "non-visible piercings it is!" until he can understand that I make some decisions to benefit myself and not to hurt him.
Back to Lindsey's we go... So the settling point that made me decide that (for better or for worse) I was going to get my nipples pierced was that Lindsey's housemate had just gotten her nipples pierced the week before at the same studio I was planning on going to (Area 51, in San Rafael). I got my nose pierced there 2 years ago, and I am still completely satisfied with their work. I figured, what better way to show my appreciation than to go back for another piercing!? I had gone in a few days before to ask them about aftercare for the piercing anyway (just to make sure I wouldn't be required to do anything I 'shouldn't' within the healing process timeframe, to check the prices... OK also, just to see if I really wanted them). Lindsey's housemate said that the piercing was great, that it hurt like a bitch and that her piercings itched now, and she was really happy with their work. Overall, she was very encouraging of me to go do the same. I thought about it overnight, and the next morning Lindsey and I headed down to San Rafael to get it done.
I stopped at the bank to get money out (these things are expensive, but everything is expensive in the county that I come from), and then headed nervously over to the studio. God I was nervous. I told Lindsey, that if the wait was too long I wouldn't do it. The piercer wasn't even there when we came in, but she arrived minutes afterward, insisting that I could be in and out in 30 minutes.
I looked at Lindsey, walked up to the counter, and told her what I wanted: my nipples pierced with barbells (and a side of fries...okay, joke). I also told her that I might say "I've changed my mind" a few times throughout the procedure, but that she should just ignore me because ultimately I would still want them done. She smiled and told me that I should pay beforehand, so I couldn't back out. We all had a laugh about that, and I did it. Christine (the piercer) went off to go get things ready, and Lindsey and I flipped through images of piercings, as well as a piercing 'coffee table book' (basically a bunch of people and their mods and a little bio. I love those) while we waited. I was so nervous and jittery, and I started sweating buckets. I have passed out before while getting my ears pierced, and in general needles make me nervous as hell.
Well, overall it took a little longer than she promised (it's like when you go into a restaurant and ask how long the wait to be seated is, they will say "15 minutes!" no matter how long the wait is). Sometime within the first 10 minutes though she did ask me to come inside so she could check the width of my nipples to make sure the barbells were the right size. She also asked if I wanted horizontal or vertical (I said horizontal). I came back out and sat for another 30 minutes until she was ready for me. Lindsey had to leave for a haircut right before she called me in, so I was on my own...
Once inside the room, the first thing Christine had me do was remove my shirt and bra, and stand for her with the toes of my shoes lined up on the checkered pattern on the floor. She told me to relax my shoulders and stand normally so she could mark me. She put on latex gloves (and a little face mask thingy) and cleaned me off (I forgot to ask what she cleaned with, I was pretty nervous still with anticipation), then she picked up a toothpick like thing and made her first marks using purple/blue ink that was in a tiny plastic cup. I did take the time to notice that her equipment was lined up on a nice little tray.
After making her first set of marks, she cleaned one side off and tried again. And again. She finally told me that she was happy with how my right nipple looked, but that she still wasn't happy with my left one, so she had me go check it out in the mirror and put in my advice. She also informed me that my nipples were different sizes. We corrected the angle of the left one two or three times before we were both satisfied. That ended up being the longest part of the piercing process actually (which is good -- I mean, why get them pierced with an angle I won't be satisfied with?).
I then went to sit on the little padded thing that looked like the sort of seat/bench you have when you go to the gynecologist (makes sense, it's for genital piercings I guess?). It was covered in a sheet of white paper. She asked me if I wanted to hold 'the bunny', and I said sure. She went to get this hard plastic-like bunny whose round ball head cupped perfectly in my hand for squeezing. She apologized that it wasn't soft, but explained it was easy to sterilize.
She asked me which side I wanted pierced first while changing gloves again, and I told her to do my left side, because I could imagine myself with my right side more, and wanted to get the one I was unsure of done first so I wouldn't wimp out. She placed the clamp on my left nipple. Actually I liked this part a lot. I've heard other people say this part hurt the most (the implication being 'hurt in a bad way'), so I wanted to emphasize that it can feel good too... She reminded me to keep breathing, and to stay as still as possible. I asked her if I could swear, and she told me "As long as you stay still". I could feel the tip of the needle poking against my skin, and it tickled. I breathed out, and she pushed through. I stayed perfectly still, staring at the light fixture but I yelled "F**k!" several times over. It burned more than anything else; it was definitely a burning pain. The threading of the jewelry hurt as much as the piercing, but felt more uncomfortable and awkward. She screwed on the ball and tried to soothe me a bit. She asked me if I wanted to wait to do the next one, and I told her better to do it now.
She clamped the right nipple, and I breathed some more. This one hurt a little more, but I think it was because my body was already in pain from the first one (which could've been distracting, but wasn't really) and also it seemed like she took longer to thread the jewelry though. But after that, it was done! I kind of moaned and swore a bit (okay, a bunch), but it was done!
Christine told me to stay laying down for a bit, and she told me several times what a good job I had done. It was cute, it was like going to the doctors when i was little to get a shot and being told what a brave girl I was. I guess the fact that I look really young influenced her to do that (haha, joke). My right nipple bled a fair bit, while my left barely bled at all. She told me to take as much time as I needed to get up and go. She asked me if I was a vegetarian, and I told her yes, so she offered me a Pepsi instead of gelatin (for blood sugar I believe...?). I lay down for a minute or two more, and she stuck with me until I was at least sitting up.
I looked back at the bench/seat I was sitting on and noticed that I had sweat so much I left wet marks on the paper (talk about nerves). I laughed at myself. I was so high on adrenaline, geez. Christine left me to give me some time to pull together. I sat for a bit to recuperate. I finally stood, felt a little dizzy, sat back down for a minute more. The next time I tried, I could stand and I walked carefully over to the mirror to see my new little pretties... I was very happy to have done it; very proud. I will say that at first I thought the balls on the barbells were too big, but I decided it didn't matter because I could always change the jewelry later on down the road (now that I'm used to them, I love them just as they are though). I put my clothes back on (along with a little gauze inside my bra to catch any blood and protect my fresh piercings) and walked out to the waiting room again, beaming.
I went to get my cell phone from my car outside, and called Lindsey and told her that I needed to sit for a bit. She said she'd come pick me up in 30 minutes or so. So I sat around inside, drank my Pepsi, and talked with the piercers and the customers. Christine came over and sat down next to me to read me through the aftercare. She gave me a pamphlet put out by the APP, and wrote my specific care instructions on the front, as well as circling the ones that applied to my piercing inside. She also mentioned that it would be beneficial to me to avoid smoking and drinking during as much of the healing process as possible, because my body had to heal itself from those toxins too, along with my piercings (busy body, eh?) She was very helpful, and very concerned with my well being, asking several times if I was feeling all right, and insisting that I didn't drive anywhere for a bit until I was sure I was ok.
I felt fine, and when Lindsey came to pick me up, we headed towards a coffeehouse. After walking about a block I realized I hadn't picked up my soap, so we went back to Area 51. I grabbed my soaps, we went off again to have chai tea and talk for a bit. I was still so giddy (I'm sure the sugar from the Pepsi was at work with the adrenaline -- neither of which I'm used to having in my system). I was very aware of my nipples and they burned/stung quite a bit for the first few hours. Lindsey walked me back to me car about an hour later. I carefully buckled my seat belt, successfully did not bump my fresh 'beauty marks', and went on my way home.
By the time my first cleaning came around (that evening) my nipples were only sore when I bumped them on something. I washed my hands with this soap called "Provon", did a sea salt soak on each side, and washed away crusties (and blood -- there was lots of dried blood on my right one) with some cotton swabs. Then I washed my hands again, and washed my piercings with Provon, making sure to rinse thoroughly after I did. I dried them with more cotton swabs, and threw them away. I also let them air dry a bit before putting my bra back on.
This has been my routine every morning and every night for the last week. Sometimes I'll do it in the shower (about one in every four cleanings). My nipples have not been sore since the first two days. When I clean them, there is a little blood dried around the edges, but so far the discharge has been minimal to none. It takes me a damn long time to clean them though, something like 30 minutes, because I'm busy trying to get them thoroughly cleaned. Hopefully once I get more comfortable with working with them, it will go more quickly.
I wore two bras to sleep at night for the first few days (one "lined" bra for a bit of padding, one sports bra for support), but now I wear one or the other, depending on what I feel like. I have also taken to wearing cotton disposable pads inside my bra in-between cleanings for a little extra padding, and to protect my piercings from my bra (and vice versa). I strongly recommend bras. I have small breasts (small to medium B cup), but shirts rub a lot more than bras do (or my bras tend to stay in place). It's just more comfortable for me. Also, when you bounce/do exercise: the more you move the more they rub. I have been careful NOT to touch them with dirty hands... even though it has been a bit tough since they periodically get itchy (I hope that's normal).
Getting my nipples pierced was a really big thing for me. I felt so proud, satisfied, happy, and well, complete after I got them done. I feel more comfortable with my body and myself. Infact, I feel more like myself (if that makes any sense). I have no regrets currently.
So far I have had no problems with my piercings, and I have been following the APP guide carefully. Hopefully if I continue to be careful, they will heal properly.
I was worried about hugging people at first, but that proved not to be a problem. Also, with a lined bra they are not visible through clothes, so I can hide them from my parents.
I am 110% happy with my new pierced nipples. Ha, you can ask my friends if you don't believe me -- I've been flashing them like crazy!
Oh, the one downside -- I am broke. But, it was so, so WORTH IT.