I got my first real piercing eight months ago. I say real, because I already had my lobes pierced when I was 11, with a piercing gun, and they are uneven (natch!). I got a little 16G poke in my cartilage and didn't believe anyone when they said it was addictive.
At A Glance Author Lindsey When It just happened Artist Cannon Studio Acme Piercing Company Location Cincinnati, Ohio Until now....
I got "the itch" again about 2 months ago, and I needed more piercings. I not only come from a conservative family, but I also work for a national coffee company (guess who?) and they don't allow any facial piercings. I recently got a second job at a very highly rated salon where many of the stylists have some sort of small piercing, but no heavy mods.
Back to the itch...I started doing research and using the process of elimination: no facial piercings because of the company policy (also I just don't want to deal with eyebrow scars or mess up my teeth), I never show my navel to the world, and I didn't want to jump into anything too painful for at least another year, although I have really been eyeing collarbone piercings. I really didn't want a fad piercing (the septum rush has just faded into the anti-eyebrow around here). I also wanted to keep my lobes at a 22G because frankly I like a lot of the earrings I already have. Finally I decided on second holes in my lobes. Boring I know. But I wanted instant gratification. I really like the idea of some simple little earlets letting the air and light through my lobes.
I saw a lot of articles and pictures on BME about dermal punches and thought that that would have to be the way to go if I didn't want to work my way up. So I called my favorite piercers down at Acme to see if they would do it.
I asked the woman who answered if they did punches, and she immediately said no. For a split second I though, "Oh no, I really don't want to go anywhere else," and then she launched into an explanation. She went on to tell me that they didn't do that procedure because there is no way to reverse the damage. When you dermal punch, you are removing skin from your body, and it won't grow back. They like to give everyone the option to undo any piercings they have done should the need ever arise, and they want to do it the right way. She did however, mention that they had piercing needles at up to a 6 gauge, something I didn't know. I was only planning on 10 gauges at the time, and asked her if they could autoclave a needle for me and if they had any plugs in stock. They did. I made an appointment.
And then my car broke down. And then I had no money. And then I canceled. And then I got very sad.
And then two months later I had money! And apparently more courage, because this time I made reservations for an 8 gauge piercing. Now I kind of wish I had sprung for 6, but I am so happy with what I have. I came in and Cannon was piercing, which was wonderful news, because he pierced both my sisters and my cartilage on her 18th birthday, and she is terrified of needles, and he is very soothing, for lack of a better term, and all around a man who enjoys his job and excels at it.
Cannon sat me down and went through all the steps and the gloves and the sterile packaging and the marking. We decided to make the holes match with each other and not with each of my crooked lobe piercings, because I plan on getting the lower one fixed in the future. I asked him not to show me the needle until after the piercing. He asked me which ear I wanted to start on.
He clamped my right ear and I automatically closed my eyes and started breathing really deeply. He just told me to keep doing what I was doing and then said "You have really thin earlobes." I hoped that would help. And then I heard the most disgusting sound I have heard in a long time. It was a crunchy, fibrous crackling sound. It was the needle going through. My cartilage didn't even make a noise when I had that done. It stung and then it just felt nice and warm. He asked if I'd drunk caffeine in the last 48 hours, which I had, because I work at a coffee shop,and then said, "This is bleeding a lot more than I want it to." He used two more gauze pads and waited for it to stop before asking if I was ready for the second one. Just enough blood dripped on the shoulder of my shirt to make me feel like a hardass. I was ready for it. Cannon clamped and finished the other ear in no time and walked me out. I gave him the huge tip he deserved and went to find some grapefruit juice.
My ears stung for about an hour after I left, and then I felt nothing for the rest of the night. I tried to sleep on my back, then I rolled over and propped my forehead on my pillow and slept that way. In the morning I found I was actually laying on one of my ears but I hadn't felt anything. The towel I was smart enough to put over my pillow was dried to the bottom of my lobe with a little bit of blood but came right off when I raised my head. I worked 9-5 today with no incidents at all and I salt-soaked them on my lunch break. One did start bleeding for no reason on the way home with the windows down. It also bled again while I was starting this story, but no pain at all. I just washed them in the shower with some softsoap for the first time and they hurt a lot less than I was expecting them too, and I think it was mostly from the bruising. The guys at Acme told me it would be almost impossible to mess up a lobe piercing, and that it would take something ridiculously dumb to do so. After the first day of aftercare I believe them.
I plan on replacing the jewelry as soon as they're healed because the standard plug length is about twice as long as my thin lobes need and I have about half of them sticking out the back with the o-rings snug against my ear. I also want to return and have them gauged up to a 6 and maybe even a 4 so that the holes are a lot more evident. Cannon let me know on my way out that I'd have to buy the jewelry there, but "installation is free."
All in all, I love these piercings. They were so easy and painless (not hard on my wallet either) that I'm already getting the itch again......when will it end?!?!