I started developing an interest in body modification in 2004, when I was fourteen. I was mostly intrigued by lip, eyebrow, and nose piercings, and since then have stretched my primary ear piercings to a 0 gauge, and have a secondary set of earlobe piercings that are currently 12 gauge, as well as my lovely 14 gauge nipple piercings.
At A Glance Author Lori L. Contact Lori L.@bme.anon When Three months ago Artist myself Studio in my bedroom Location Bainbridge Island, WA The inspiration for my self-pierced nipples (now 3 months old, the darlings) came from my now ex-boyfriend, who had rather stupidly pierced his nipple with a safety pin and decided to take it out because of its trailer-trashy look. I just kept thinking, "Hey. I could totally do that too, only actually KEEP the piercing." There was something incredibly exciting about the thought of stainless steel bars running through my nipples. And besides that, it was something I could do and not have my parents know about.
It was a few months before I got up the nerve to actually ask my a friend to order some piercing needles for me, but he did it without complaint, and one night he called me and told me that my order had come in, and that he was leaving it in my mailbox. I quickly went and fetched the supplies and then returned to my room, where I immediately started setting up for my task. No time better than the present, right?
At this point, I had spent a fair amount of time researching the dangers and risks of self-piercing, and especially such a sensitive area. I had read horror stories of self-pierced nipples getting horribly infected, and yet I was determined to go through with it.
I set up my supplies: a shallow dish of rubbing alcohol, two 14-gauge 1/2" stainless steel barbells, two sterilized 14-gauge hollow needles, a gauze pad for any blood that might occur, and a long mirror to watch the whole event in.
I pierced my left nipple first. I had no clamps to use as a guide, so I just took the flesh between my thumb and forefinger and squeezed it flat, before pushing one of my needles straight through, right to left. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt all that much. It was like a sharp bite, maybe, followed by that familiar heat that comes after a piercing. There was no blood, although the needle did go in a bit crookedly. After a few minutes, I unscrewed one end of a barbell and inserted it into the needle, pushing it through in the same direction I had pierced, and successfully pushing the needle out of the hole while inserting the jewelry. I screwed the ball back on, and voila! Nipple number one was finished!
It was the right nipple that became my problem. I began to dread the pain that I knew was coming, even though it hadn't been as bad as I'd originally thought. After a few more minutes of indecision, I figured that I might as well just pierce my other nipple, seeing as how I had no intention of walking around feeling lopsided. I used the same method as before, squeezing the nipple between my fingers, and pushing the needle through. It would have worked just as well as the first time, if not for the fact that the needle began to stray quite a bit from my intended path for it. Oops.
I panicked for one or two seconds, before simply pulling it out just a tad and redirecting the needle to where I had wanted it to go. Moments later, it had gone through, and after another five minutes had passed, I had screwed on the ball and was done with my piercings!
Afterward, I congratulated myself and liberally sprayed some H2Ocean on the new piercings, before putting on a comfy bra and heading to bed, feeling rather pleased with myself.
This was about three months ago, and since then, I've had to switch my jewelry to 3/4" barbells, since the original jewelry turned out to be too small, and would pinch the flesh. My nipples are healing quite nicely, although the left one (the one I had pierced first) has a tendency to develop more discharge than the right. If this continues for more than six months, I intend to see my doctor about it, but all in all, I adore my piercings. They feel like such a part of me now, that I couldn't being without them.
To summarize: I pierced my nipples myself, and overall it was a very rewarding experience. I don't recommend self-piercing for those who are not entirely serious about body modification, or those who are uninformed of the risks and hazards involved in engaging in such activity. If for some reason you don't want to or can't go to a professional piercer and you do decide to pierce yourself, remember to use sterilized tools and the correct type of jewelry for your specific piercing.