I decided to get my anti-tragus pierced because I was getting that itch to get another piercing... It's been about 4 months since I got my daith pierced in my left ear. I decided on my anti-tragus in my right ear (I got my tragus in my right ear pierced a year ago this month) because it's SO HOT! And I'm working on a piercing project in my right ear, and my tragus is healed beautifully. So I was ready to go!
At A Glance Author Anonymous Contact Anonymous@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Kati Studio Body Piercing by Bink Location Florida So I went into Body Piercing by Bink's in Tallahassee, Florida, and talked to Kati, who is a fuckin' PRO! She's very good, has all kinds of certifications, attains training seminars frequently, sterilizes everything, and only selects the finest quality jewelry for her piercees. She's done all my other piercings and I wouldn't trust anyone but her, or her boss (a registered nurse, among other things...)! I asked her what she thought about me getting my anti-tragus pierced, and she said it should be just fine, I seem to have good shape in my ear for it and all that jazz. I asked her if it would be OK to get it pierced with some existing jewelry I brought with me (14 gauge), and she suggested getting it pierced with a 16 gauge curved barbell. She stated that this particular kind of piercing already causes the cartilage to slightly enlarge around it, so the bigger gauge you use, the more cartilage gets pushed out, and it looks more swollen and may not heal as easy. I always trust her expertise, so I selected the 16g, and off we went!
Now just so you know: I'm a redhead, and extremely sensitive to EVERYTHING! My threshold for pain is very low, but I can't kill the need to get pierced, so the main thing I tell myself, with every piercing I get, is: obviously, it IS going to hurt, the real question is 1.) Can I handle it? and 2.) How long is it really going to end up hurting?
I decided that 1.) Obviously yes, it is going to hurt, but if I can't handle it, I can just remove the piercing or take Advil. 2.) It's only going to REALLY hurt when it's actually being done, and the process itself takes under 15 seconds usually. Piece of cake! You deal with it for however many seconds, and you're done! I never ask my piercers if it's going to hurt because I assume it's annoying (duh, it's going to hurt and everyone is different so they can't tell you exactly how much, plus you should go into the experience understanding it may hurt, it may feel like nothing--you go for the piercing so focus on that, not the pain aspect), so I just breathed deeply and started to get really excited!
So I was very excited. A little adrenaline pumping because I knew it was going to hurt like piss for a few seconds because the needle is going through significantly more cartilage than just a regular cartilage piercing. But I was so ready, it was going to be SO worth it, so I just told myself not to worry, I WILL get through it, and it will be awesome! I laid down on the chair and put my head to the side, and she cleaned the area very well.
Then it came! THE NEEDLE! She told me to just breathe, which I did (I find piercings are much easier to deal with when you try to focus on the needle coming through as little as possible—rather, just focus on you're breathing—"I am breathing in. I am breathing out."). Then I heard the needle come through, heard it tear all the way through the cartilage, and then pop out the other side. It hurt like absolute HELL, hands-down the most painful piercing I've ever had, but the worst part was definitely over within about 10 seconds. She slid the jewelry in, and I looked at it, and flipped out—I was SO THRILLED! I congratulated her on doing a freaking fabulous job; we thought it looked great, and then she told me she had only done maybe 3 of these kinds of piercings—that's how good she is. Mine is absolutely perfect and I am IN LOVE with it!
It's been about 2 weeks since I've had it, and so far, so good! I will admit that it hurt freely (dull, constant pain) for about a week after I got it done, so keep the Advil around (or generic Ibuprofen since it aids in keeping the swelling down). It's still a little swollen, but that might just be because as Kati stated, the cartilage is pushed out around it slightly.
Guys, seriously, it is SO worth the pain. What piercing isn't, really? The pain is a part of the process and it doesn't last as long as the beautiful piercing does. It's my absolute favorite piercing, and I've had my navel, lip, tragus, daith, and 15 ear piercings. It hurts like a bitch, but it's WORTH IT!
DO IT!!!