Body Piercing!

N.B.:

I am not, or am claiming to be an expert on this subject! It is just something which interests me, and may be of interest to you!!

What I have pierced!

At the moment I have 3 piercings, a nose ring in my right nostril (done February 1995), January 1996 I got my left nipple pierced, and more recently ( November 1996) I got my right nipple pierced.

Why?

Hmnn, I dunno to be quite honest! I got my nose done 'cos for some time I had thought they looked good on other people,and I fancied a bit of an image change! I got it done in Davey Ross tattoo and body piercing shop, Colchester.

As for the left nipple, it sounds weird, but immediately after having my nose pierced I had the urge to get more things pierced! For some reason unknown to myself it took a year for me to get round to getting my left nipple pierced. There was just something which interested me about having my nipple pierced, what is weird is that it was my left one I wanted pierced. Why? I have absolutely no idea!
November 1996 I got my right nipple pierced with a vertical barbell. I chose that 'cos I thought it would contrast nicely with the more "normal" ring in the other one.
I guess that is a disappointment for anyone who was hoping to read some bizarre sexually orientated reason, or some deep and meaningful ritual reason ( not that there's anything wrong with those reasons) The truth is I got them done 'cos I thought they would look good.

How It's Done

Nose Piercing

The nose ring was done in the same way as an earring is usually done, i.e. first my nose was wiped with an antiseptic wipe, then a gun was used to push a small gold stud in. Incidentally, I don't have my ear(s) pierced, and I don't intend to. Since this experience I have learned (from various other people and sources that no piercing (not even ear lobes) should be carried out with a gun, but a new needle should be used every time.

Nipple piercing Number 1 (left)

This was a tad more complicated! I guess I should mention that the piercing is not actually done through the nipple but just behind it. First the piercer examined my nipple and put a line where the ring would be,then an antiseptic was put on my nipple, before it was numbed using a freeze spray. While the spray was taking effect the woman explained to me what was going to happen. First she took some tong/ pliers type things to stretch my nipple as much as possible. When it was stretched far enough, she clipped them in place and got a brand new needle from a packet. This is when I stopped looking, and felt a sharp prick as the needle entered (not as painful as an injection!), and a pulling as the needle went through. The next time I looked there was the curved bit of the ring in place, and she just had to put the ball into the ring! The only thing I can compare the feeling to is when you put a sewing needle under 1 layer of skin in your finger!

Nipple Piercing Number 2 (right)

This was done by Steve at Adrenaline in Southampton (England). The address for Adrenaline is:
118 Shirley Road,
Southampton.
Tel: 02380 235234
His is situated above Tattoo Magic, but he himself just does body piercing in his little "operating theatre".

I must say he was a much more "professional" piercer than the one who did the other nipple. First he made sure that I understood what he was gonna do to me (i.e. put a needle just behind my nipple), before he marked my nipple with where the bar bell would go (after putting on gloves), and asked then me a few questions about my health, e.g. "Are you on any medication at the moment?", " Have you been drinking alcohol, or are you on any recreational drugs at the moment?" "Do you have heart condition?", "Do you have any allergies to (Can't remember what he said here, sorry.)" Then I had to read a little contract and sign a consent form which I hadn't had to do before.

Now was the big moment when he checked the line he had drawn earlier, I lied down to get ready. This is when I was very glad that in the background he had some ambient music playing (F.S.O.L) I think it was. And then he gave me some breathing exercise to do relax myself, reminded me of watching TV programs when a woman is giving birth!!!

He did the good old (but more than welcome speech) showing me the unopened packet from where he was going to take the needle, and explained how apart from the tongs which get resterilized, nothing that was about to be used on me had not been used on another person, and that after the needle had been used on me it would be put in the little box (which he showed me) which had some sort of label saying "Warning medical equipment to be disposed of properly".

When he asked me if I was ready and if I remembered what it was like last time, I was like "yeah I'm cool", but the moment the needle went through the slow controlled breathing stopped and I realised I had blatantly forgotten how painful it is. But then I realised this piercer hadn't used a freeze spray like the previous one. When I mentioned this to him, he said that's because he doesn't like to use them since he thinks it is best if there are as little number of foreign bodies around the piercing as possible when it is executed, which made sense to me! That would explain why I experienced a short pain this time, but it also meant that now I understand and appreciate why people say that the pain is part of being pierced. Indeed any future pierces will be done like this one, (and more than likely by the same person at the same studio)

After the piercing he told me which end of the barbell was the one to unscrew when I wanted through, he went through his recommended cleaning regime(salt water twice a day for a week, then once a day). This was another good thing he did, first he told me to sit up in the chair, then asked if I felt giddy/light headed or anything, since I replied no he said OK then stand up, then asked the questions again. Then he asked me if I had any more questions, before asking for the 20 pound I now owed him.

So I paid the man and left(after looking in the mirror), feeling a bit disappointed that I didn't get the rush I had got before, but all that changed the moment I got outside, the endorphins and whatever else kicked in and I got a nice rush as all the pain(well nearly) disappeared.

I would strongly recommend this piercer, he did a top job, and made me feel very comfortable about the whole thing. In this little review I may have missed out some details since I had the piercing done a few weeks ago, and I have a memory like a sieve!

Also if any of you ever go to the Joiners in Southampton on a Saturday night for Neurology or Chemical Beats you are more than likely to see Steve, well you couldn't really miss him, since he's quite a big bloke, and has lots of piercings in his face which light up under the UVs, and look pretty smart! Also, he's a top bloke.

My Body Jewellery

Nose

This has got a small surgical stainless steel ball closure ring in it.

Left Nipple (horizontal pierce)

Usually a 1.6mm titanium barbell, sometimes a titanium ball closure ring.

Right Nipple (vertical pierce)

This has got a 2.0mm titanium bar bell in it, after "upgrading" from a 1.6mm barbell.

I made the switch from surgical stainless steel to titanium because I found they didn't seem to be healing properly.
From reading uk.people.bodyart and other resources it seemed like trying titanium and/or upsizing may fix my problems, and it did!

Conversions from US gauges to European millimetres, and vice-versa.

Body Piercing links

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