Before last October, I never even considered getting my nipples pierced. I had various ear piercings and a nostril stud for a while, but my nipples? No way. My older brother had his done at a party while he was drunk...not the best idea, I know. He said it hurt like crazy, and that's a big deal for my brother. So needless to say, I wasn't too keen on the idea. That is, until I actually watched my best friend get her nipples pierced, and saw how adorable they turned out. After her good experience, I was set on getting my own nipples pierced.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Penelope Studio Lucky's Tattoo & Piercing Emporium Location Northampton, MA Since October, I've been reading up on the entire nipple piercing experience and looking at pictures on BME. I'm not one to rush into a piercing - - I have to know everything about the procedure, aftercare, healing process, and jewelry for a piercing before I feel ready enough to go under the needle, so to speak. In my research, I've read a balance of good and bad experiences. I learned enough about jewelry to decide on simple straight barbells, since they're supposed to heal easier than rings. Last week, I finally decided that the good experiences outweigh the bad ones, and headed up to Northampton to see my favorite piercer, Penelope, with $120 in hand. It so happened that my friend wanted to get a nostril piercing, so we made the trip together.
My friend was called into the piercing room first, leaving me to wander around the shop and talk to the friendly girls behind the counter. Before I knew it, my friend was all done and in love with her nostril piercing. Penelope kindly announced, "It's booby time!" And off I went. At this point, I was relatively nervous, but strangely not as worked up as I was about my snug piercing. I had a general idea of what to expect, and I was comforted knowing that I'd be ridiculously happy with my new piercings once they were done. I thought I'd be uncomfortable taking my shirt off in front of someone I barely know, but Penelope made me feel at ease by cracking jokes and telling me stories about other nipple piercing experiences. Once I had pushed my tank top down and stood up straight, she measured my nipples and determined that she'd go with 14g, 1/2 inch barbells.
When she had retrieved my jewelry, I watched her open the packages of needles, gauze, and a brand new sharpie. She had me stand straight up again and marked the horizontal dots on both nipples. I checked them out, approved, and lay down on the sterilized chair. She led me through a few deep breaths, and I felt the needle touch the first nipple (my left). On the third deep inhalation, she pushed the needle through. I'm not going to lie and say it didn't hurt, because there was a certain amount of pain. However, it was over a second after the needle was pushed through. Now, I understand that there's a bit of debate over whether the second nipple hurts more than the first. In my case, no. I think it's really all psychological, so I tried to control my expectations. The second nipple produced the same amount of discomfort as the first. I'm a bit of a bleeder, so Penelope had me stay lying down for a few minutes while she wiped away the blood on the second one. The first nipple didn't bleed much, if at all, but the second was a bit dramatic, as Penelope put it. Once the bleeding had slowed a little, she let me take a look in the mirror, and I fell in love with my latest additions. They're perfectly placed and adorable.
My experience since then has had it's ups and downs, as with any piercing. I chose to wear a bra right after the piercings, to reduce movement and catching on clothes. I highly recommend this, as it made the ride home A LOT easier. About ten minutes afterward, I felt a growing pressure on the center of my chest. The pressure wasn't unbearable in the least bit – it was just annoying. Unfortunately, it lasted for a few days, but I learned to ignore it. My breasts were a tad tender as well, but I think that's to be expected. Anyway, the bleeding hadn't stopped completely by the time I got home, so I changed the bandages every time I cleaned the piercings for about a week, just to be on the safe side. For aftercare, I do sea salt soaks twice a day – in the morning before showering, and at night before bed – for five minutes each time. I just use little plastic cups held over my nipples, and q-tips to wipe away crusties. I rinse them off with clean water, dry them with a paper towel, and put on a comfortable, supportive bra. No push-ups, because I don't want to increase the chances of rejection. I wear a bra to bed, and sleeping is pretty much normal. Right now, the salt water seems to be drying out my nipples and the skin around them. I'm going to try putting a small amount of vitamin E or olive oil on them, as suggested in a couple of the BME QOD questions.
Overall, my new piercings are healing well and I absolutely love them. I strongly recommend that if you're considering getting nipple piercings, go for it. Don't worry about the pain, because it's very bearable.