DIY Tongue Web Piercing
At A Glance Author Kat Contact Kat@bme.anon IAM Celtic_Dolly When It just happened Artist Me Studio My Bathroom Location Alexandria, VA
REMEMBER: If you plan on doing a piercing yourself, always follow disinfectant procedures, KNOW what you are doing, and please don't do what I did... it was stupid.
The Beginning
To preface my experience, I have always been interested in body modification, but my parents do not endorse or allow me to express myself through piercings. I have always been interested in unique and rare piercings. I started out with a single piercing in each ear lobe, progressed to two in each, then stretched my first holes to 5/8" and pierced my own third lobe piercings. My parents did not endorse this; they only allowed me to have two lobe piercings per ear. Living with terribly conservative parents who refer to body modification as "body mutilation" has been an experience that I'd prefer not to have had. Anyway, to continue, I'd been highly interested in Tongue Web piercing after I'd seen them on the BME. I thought they were odd at first, but they grew on me. I'd dabbled with doing the piercing myself, but my boyfriend did not approve. I finally decided that I had the itch for a new piercing, and that I'd have to go ahead with it, despite not having his approval. I gathered up all of my supplies, as I was going to do it last night, but decided to wait. I woke up this morning, both of my parents were at work, and my sister was dead asleep.
The Piercing
I sterilized my needle, the 5/16" CBR that I was to use, and my workspace. I used ACT alcohol free mouthwash to clean my mouth out, and then took a look in the mirror. I decided on a placement, since my tongue web is not terribly big. I aimed for the middle, about ½ way back from the front; with about ½ way left until it hit my tongue. Height wise, I aimed for the middle, again. I took my needle and the piece of cork I would be using, and lined myself up in front of the mirror.
The Aftermath
As I lined the needle up, and began to use force to push it, I realized just how stretchy a tongue webbing is. It took force, but it did not hurt at all. I was taken aback when I encountered the amount of give that a tongue web has, but I successfully pierced it. I left the needle in for about 9 or 10 minutes, drooling all over the place in the meantime. I ended up not being able to follow the needle through, but I did not lose the hole and successfully place a 14 gauge 5/16" CBR in the piercing. It has taken some time to get used to, but only during eating. When I am not eating, it is barely noticeable and feels like a healed piercing. I am using ACT Alcohol Free mouthwash for cleaning, and by the recommendation of a piercer/tattoo artist friend, I am not cutting it with water because it does not provide enough cleaning action. I am rinsing with it after I eat or drink anything, and will begin rinsing once a day with sea salt water. I then showed a picture to a friend, who is a piercer, and he commented on the placement. It turned out extremely straight, and very nice looking... especially for a freehand, first-time piercing.
The Pointers
+ A very painless piercing, not a bad one to do yourself, although it will take some getting used to in regards to eating.
+ Easy to hide from people, they'll really only know you have it if you show it to them
+ someone seeing it could easily be passed off as spit, and if that doesn't work, you can argue that a piercing underneath your tongue is pointless. (advice from another friend)
Ze End!
I really think this is a piercing I want to keep for a while. It's easy to do. Although, I ran into problems with my boyfriend in regards to keeping my word, as I'd previously said I would not do the piercing. I have also come to realize, that despite this piercing having no real purpose, some people strongly dislike it and will stop speaking to you if you have one. One of my friends, who will remain unnamed, decided to take this action. Also, if, like me, you decide to remove the piercing after a short time, still follow all the proper healing procedures, as it is still an open wound in your mouth, and will be even more susceptible to infection if left uncared for. I have since decided I am taking the web out, perhaps to have it redone at a later date, by a professional. Have fun, and make sure you follow aftercare instructions!
REMEMBER: If you are going to do a DIY piercing, KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.