I like to get piercings during important occasions or turning points in my life, and this summer my friend and I decided we should each get one done to commemorate the start of our first year of college in September. We wanted the piercings to be well on their way to healed before we left, so we agreed to get them done sometime in the middle of summer.
At A Glance Author Adeline Contact Adeline@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Toast Studio West Side Tattoo Location Colorado Springs, Colorado I originally just wanted to get a second set of holes in my lobes (I know, really exciting), but after stumbling over photos of inner and outer conches on bmezine and tribalectic, I changed my mind. I loved the way it was positioned in the ear. It seemed easier to manage and was smaller than my last piercing (14g industrial). Plus, it was different enough to stand out while not being too in-your-face. I read first-hand accounts from people who had got a conch piercing, watched videos of it getting done on YouTube, and was thoroughly convinced that it was the right one for me.
I called West Side Tattoo and talked to Toast, the piercer who did my industrial. I asked how much it cost (it was $40 – I don't know if this is typical but it's about what I was expecting) and when I could come in. My friend and I met beforehand and got something to eat, then drove to West Side. I wasn't really nervous beforehand; this time around I was a little more familiar with the process, and I was comforted by the fact that I'd only be getting one hole punched (and with a smaller gauge) instead of two. I filled out all the standard forms and told Toast what I wanted. He stood with me at the mirror and I showed him exactly where it should go. We looked through his jewelry and agreed on a 16.5g barbell.
After piercing my friend, Toast wiped down the seat and laid out all of the tools he would need for me on a metal tray. I sat down and he placed a folded paper towel behind my ear and pinned it in place. My ear was wiped clean a couple times and a dot was placed where I had originally said I wanted it. I looked in the mirror and decided I wanted it a little lower, so Toast made a second ink dot in the new location. He then made sure that it was close enough to the edge of my ear that a ring could be placed in the hole later on, and wiped down my ear again with the cleaning solution. A light was shined on the back of my ear to make sure the needle would go through clean. Toast asked if I was ready and I told him I was.
He told me take a deep breath in, and I did, then exhaled. I wasn't sure if he would have me take more breaths or not, but it turned out just the one was good enough. At the end of my exhale, Toast pushed the needle through. It stung sharply, but only for a second and that was all. A dull throbbing was left while he prepared to put the jewelry in place. I took another deep breath in and he pushed the jewelry through. This hurt more than the actual piercing, but not for much longer. I had been expecting the pain to be much worse and for an extended period of time, so I was relieved. The part that was more surprising was the sound – kind of like spongy popcorn popping. My friend made sure to snap a picture of my expression when the needle went through and when the jewelry was inserted.
There was a little bit of bleeding, but it stopped almost as soon as it had started. Toast cleaned up the area and handed me in the mirror. He asked me what I thought, and when I saw it, I was overjoyed; it looked even better than the pictures I had seen. I told him it looked great. I couldn't even feel it anymore; there was no "burning" or "fire" that I had heard other people describe. I thanked Toast, paid (and tipped) him, and my friend and I were on our way. While driving home it felt a little sore, but that disappeared a few hours after.
I didn't have much trouble sleeping; I just had to keep reminding myself not to turn over onto my right side as I dozed off. Cleaning is easy to do and it only hurts if I accidentally brush up against something or if my hair gets caught in it (which has only happened twice so far; plus I can put my hair up and remove the risk completely). There is no redness, swelling, or discharge, but I suspect that will show up as the days go by. The healing time is predicted to be 6-12 months, but I think that this might be unusually long for conch piercings since I got a larger gauge than most of the ones I had seen. Either way, I'm just as pleased as I was when I saw it for the first time.