As the title suggests, it's had been a year and a half between my last piercing and this one. After I got may ears done and the stretching of them went horribly wrong, after I had to take out my industrial which I loved, because it just wouldn't heal and was really really painful, I got nervous of piercing. Now I realise how daft of me it was, I have two lip piercings which have caused me no hassle, I think it's just my ears that aren't compatible with piercing, which is a bit odd really...
At A Glance Author Emma Contact dirtylittlewhores@hotmail.com When It just happened Artist Christene Studio Nirvana Location Glasgow, Scotland When I was sixteen I tried to get my nipples pierced, but broke after they asked me my age and backed out of it, admitted that I was only 16, and made the pretty pathetic excuse that I had "thought 16 was how old you had to be to get it done", but I had known fine well it wasn't, I'm just a really bad liar! In retrospect I am glad I didn't go ahead with it. If Id got away with pretending to be 18 and the studio had been caught there would have been repercussions for them, and if my parents had found out there would have been some fairly hefty repercussions for me too! Besides I was waay too shy to actually go through with it back then, my (then) boyfriend had even had to ask for it for me because I was just too embarrassed, so how I had intended to go in there and take off my top I'll never know!
So now I'm 19, I figure it's a better time for me. I live away from home as of 2 years ago at uni so my parents cant really comment on what mods I get, and although I don't mind their opinions they cant use the "you live under our roof you'll abide by my rules" on me any longer, and although they are lenient and let me get my lip and ear piercing whilst I still lived with them, my mother has always been opposed to nipple piercing as she's utterly convinced they cause cancer, and wont listen to me trying to explain otherwise, so I think keeping this from her may be a good idea, plus I don't want to cause her unnecessary worry.
Why did I want one of my nipples pierced? For me it wasn't about empowerment, or having a piercing nobody knows about unless I tell them (although admittedly its not a bad thought), I just like the way they look and that's it.
I live in Stirling, about half an hours train journey from Glasgow. I have tried two piercing studios where I live, and both caused me hassle, one put a glass plug in a fresh 3.2 ear piercing, and the other made a complete mess of a surface bar on my wrist, which I had to remove myself after 12 hours as it was so uncomfortable. Needless to say I felt no real desire to return to either. I've been put off other studios so much I think the only place Ill go to now is Nirvana, but as I live and go to uni in Stirling, and the only time I'm in Glasgow is at night to gig or go to the rehearsal studio with my band, the opportunity to go there doesn't come up very often.
However yesterday the opportunity arose as I had had a gig in Glasgow the night before and missed the last train home I had had to stay with one of my friends in Glasgow, along with my boyfriend Liam and one of my good friends. So the next morning, feeling a bit the worse for wear we got up and headed out Christmas shopping before going to Nirvana. We'd been down there earlier and had had to make an appointment as it was busy. I followed my piercing preparation routine the same as I have for all my other piercings, food from Greggs and lucozade, it hasn't failed me yet!
When it was finally time to head to nirvana I was surprised about how calm I was feeling about the whole thing, with my other piercings I've been really really nervous and quite literally shaking on the walk down there. I went to get cash out, and got the biggest surprise of my life. Liam turned round and said he might get a piercing too! He always swore he wouldn't, and although he liked mine he didn't want one himself and so on, no matter how much I tried to convince him otherwise. His only cause for not doing it was because he couldn't really afford to, so I offered to make it part of his Christmas present and he said ok! So off we headed for Nirvana. Halfway there my friend decided that she might get the belly button piercing she's wanted for the past ever done whist we were there, but she wasn't sure.
We got to Nirvana and explained that Liam wanted to get a piercing too. The said they could fit him in even though they were bogged under and running late, they are just so nice! Whilst we sat waiting on the backlog of piercing they had to clear to be finished, and filled out forms, Liam decided on an eyebrow piercing, and I suggested getting it done horizontally instead of vertically just so it was a bit different, and he agreed that it was a good idea. I paid for both whist we were waiting and we got a discount on the too so they were both £6 cheaper than they should have been which was great! In the end they were £21 each. By this time my friend had chickened out of getting her belly button done, she thought it would be far too painful, I tried talking her round but she was having none of it (and apparently next time I'm not allowed to take no for an answer and make her get it done).
I sat talking to the guy behind the counter whist we waited and we tried to come up with a solution as to why I can't put anything through my ears anymore (they used to be at 8mm till it all got messy), not even standard earrings, without them getting irritated and sore. We come up with a plan of action to get them back to their former glory, and that calmed any nerves I had been feeling.
Christine finally came out and asked me to go through to the studio as I had decided to go first. The nerves came back a bit as I ran back through all the experiences I had read up on, about how it was the most painful thing people had ever done and whatnot. But I'd wanted it done for so long, I thought to hell with backing out now. Oddly once I'd stepped into the piercing room I calmed down. Christine talked me though everything and even went so far as to explain the experience shed had with hers and how shed found her ear piercings much more painful and troublesome than any others. That calmed me down more as I have gone through the same kind of thing, and thought maybe the same would apply to me! There was only one way to find out. With the procedure thoroughly explained, Christine asked me to stand up and remove my top so she could mark me up. I thought I would be horribly embarrassed by this part, but then I remembered that Christine had probably done this 1001 times before, and she was nothing but professional, so I wasn't in the least bit embarrassed. She marked me up, checked I was happy with the placement, and then asked me to lie down.
Now came the fun bit! For a split second I thought of backing out but I stopped myself. She put the clamps on, but I didn't feel them, which seems a bit weird now really. She asked me to breathe deeply to which I replied "I'm trying!!!" and counted down...
3...
2...
1...
and "that was it? Your done, it's in?!?!" Christine replied that yes she was done; she'd told me it wouldn't be too bad! It really wasn't! There was slight discomfort but that was it, I barley even noticed it and I'm really not exaggerating! I guess different people just experience different levels of pain with this piercing. I sat up looked down and there it was! I was really pleased with it; I thanked Christine and walked out of the room feeling fantastic!
Next it was Liam's turn and lets just say he didn't find it as easy I had done! Once he got it it looked fantastic though.
I'd recommend this piercing to anyone thinking of getting it. Just go for it, you'll never know how much its going to hurt until you try!
A day later and there's still been no pain; it bled a bit last night but nothing too bad. I'm following all the normal cleaning procedures and all *touch wood* is well. I'm so glad I did it and am already planning what to get next; I'm not going to leave such a huge gap between them this time! Now all I have to do is hope my mother doesn't find out!