I've probably wanted my tragus pierced for four or five years, but had always gone and got something else done instead. People always said that they hurt, which deterred me from jumping in and getting it done. I finally bucked up and got it done a few weeks ago, along with my daith.
At A Glance Author alyssa Contact alyssa@bme.anon IAM drama-kills-xx When A month ago Artist Wayde Dunn Studio Infinite Body Location Philadelphia, PA The whole disclaimer procedure went as it always has: don't throw this pamphlet away, what gauge did you want and what style jewelry, please sign here and initial these boxes. However, this time, there was a new name on my pamphlet, Wayde. I'd never seen Wayde in the shop before and wondered if it was because I usually came during the day and not at night. As it turned out, it was Wayde Dunn, the internationally-known and very talented scarification artist. Wayde said he'd set everything up and be right with me, so I sat down and looked at the stone plugs in their case.
Wayde came and got me, and I accidentally left my friend outside instead of waiting so she could come in with me. Wayde was still setting some stuff up, and he talked to me about what I was getting done. He looked at my ear and decided that the smallest diameter would be needed for my ear because it is so small. He started working on marking my ear, taking his time to make sure everything would fit and be in the best spot possible. While he did this, we talked about his travels in Japan and the Japanese language and culture. He was probably the first piercer I've ever had that I was able to hold a full conversation with.
Talking about Japan is how I found out that he was only a guest piercer and that it was his first day in this shop, which is why he looked like an "incompetent fool". His words, not mine! I was completely okay with it, because I actually hadn't noticed any true incompetence in him. He told me to lean forward so he could adjust the chair for me, and I leaned back into it.
The actual piercings themselves were the worst part for me. I'd told Wayde that I'm not one to usually feel pain because my nerve endings are severely damaged, but when he pierced through my tragus, it hurt like hell. He cracked a few jokes that the pain was a good thing because we now knew my nerves were okay in that area. The actual exit of the needle hurt more than the entrance, which I'd never felt before. Even though it hurt more than I expected, I was ready and waiting to go on to the next piercing: my daith.
I was hoping that my daith wouldn't hurt, but that one did as well. It wasn't as bad as the tragus was, but there was some pain. Because Wayde's hands were bigger than my ear by so much, he had some trouble getting the ring into the needle to thread it through. He pulled out a few different tools to help him out, and finally got it through. After that, it was a piece of cake getting the bead in and I was done.
By now, all my adrenaline was gone. I sat up, turned my head to look in the mirror and exclaimed "Oh, I love them!" I stood up, a bit shaky. Wayde asked me how I felt and if I wanted to sit a bit to recover. Knowing that I had apple juice waiting for me once I walked out of the shop, I said I was okay and handed him his tip. I always feel like I'm on Cloud 9 when I get a new piercing, but that day, it felt like I was on Cloud Pure Amazing, even with all the hassle.
Overall, getting my tragus pierced by Wayde Dunn has been my most amazing experience since getting into body modification. The healing has been going fine since that day. For a few days I was a bit worried because my tragus bleed a bit, but it has since stopped and now it is lymphing like normal. It is still swollen, however, even after a few weeks. I do knock it every now and then because the ring is large compared to the size of my tragus, but it hasn't caused much of an issue, other than a few "ouch" moments. The area where it bled and scabbed is still pretty ugly looking, but it still looks nicer than the original scabbing. It has only been a few weeks since the initial piercing, so a few minor issues are expected. Other than that, the actual piercing feels great. My daith has been nothing but sweet to me, not causing a single issue.
These piercings are fast becoming my new favorites. I have a good feeling about them, and if all goes well, I'll be back at Infinite to have my other ear done the same way. Scratching my ear canal has become slightly more difficult because the two rings leave a very small space to maneuver around, so I carry q-tips with me to get through them. I never realized how often I would bend my tragus into that area to scratch an inner itch until I could no longer do it. However, it's a small price to pay for having something I love.