At A Glance
Author	Asurfael
Contact	asurfael@asurfael.net
When	It just happened
Artist	Pate
Studio	His Master's Tattoo
Location	Mikkeli, Finland

Yesterday I got my second proper piercing done, a month after getting my lip pierced (and five years after I tried to pierce my navel myself with bad results). This is (a slightly modified version of) what I wrote in my journal for that day: I'm hoping that despite maybe being boring it'll offer someone a bit more information about getting the piercing done, or at least entertain somebody for a bit.

"I got out of bed at noon. I went upstairs, ate a couple of sandwiches and drank a cup of hot chocolate. I had gotten my first piercing done exactly four weeks ago, and back then I was too nervous to eat (I was afraid I'd vomit when getting the piercing done, which is totally unacceptable when getting a labret). I didn't want to faint this time. My body has the habit of failing on me when I most need it, which is partially the reason I enjoy getting piercings done now that I finally have the guts to. To teach it some manners, in a way.

After eating I took a peek outside and decided to take an umbrella with me. I set out on my quest to get the niebuhr, or at least ask questions about it.

So at around 1 pm I was at His Master's again, soaked. I asked a bit more about the niebuhr. (Apparently in Finland the doctors have recommended that no piercings are done in the area between eyebrows due to a risk of weakening of eyesight.) They couldn't give me any odds for how often niebuhr damages nerves and causes the weakening of eyesight. Seeing that I didn't even find a mentioning of that from the net, and the base for them was "apparently there has been a few cases" I decided to get it. Not that I'd think that can't happen to me, but because the odds seem low. This time they asked about my age, too. They didn't ask for an ID, me telling them I was 19 was good enough it seems. I'm not sure if they would have done the piercing with risks like that to a minor. Probably not, seeing that genital piercings also require you to be 18 (others require the age of 16, or the parent's consent). His Master's is a nice place - they take care of the necessary things , but don't make it all too official and boring.

After waiting for the previous client to get her labret done that it was my turn. Pate did my piercing again. First he marked the spots for the piercing with a marker. I took a look, and asked if it could be moved just a tiny bit more up. The skin was again cleaned with alcohol, and the spot was moved a tiny bit more up. I didn't ask if it could be broadened even if I thought it'd look better broader - when he marked the spots he was already using the clamps to see if it could be done, and seeing where the spots were drawn on my face I figured that there's no way in hell to make it broader. I simply don't have enough loose skin around that area. It would be impossible to get a good grip of the skin with the clamps if it was any broader, and that would make doing the piercing hard or impossible.

This time it didn't hurt much at all, unlike with the labret when I was really nervous. It stinged a bit when the needle went in, which gave me a slight tingly sensation (like you get before you faint). After the needle was through, I warned them about the possibility of me fainting (even if it was just a slight tingly sensation, not proper one). The needle was clipped, and it was there for a while. They asked if it's okay to put the stud in - I asked them to wait for a moment. After a minute or so I told them it's okay to put it in. The stud went in a lot easier this time, since they just put it against the clipped part of the needle. That of course wouldn't have been possible with the labret, the stud would have ended up being the wrong way around. So this time the stud didn't have to push way being next to the thin part of the needle, it just followed the needle seamlessly. The jewel was screwed on, and it was done. Come to think of it, wonder if they clipped the ne edlepoint when doing the labret? Probably. Oh well, I wasn't feeling too good back then, so I don't know.

I paid for the piercing, chatted a while with Hantta getting a bit of briefing about the care instructions as well (Hantta's Pate's girlfriend, usually in charge of piercings), and left after she checked I had saved my aftercare instructions from the last time.

And there it is. My eyes felt a bit weird for the day, probably partly because of paranoia, and mostly because the area was swollen up. In effect, I got punched really hard on the nose. Or not really, but got a bit similar tissue damage anyway. And it didn't hurt as much, of course. I also had to visit an optician to readjust the position of my glasses - they were positioned a bit too high up for the piercing. I went in to the same optician I always visit, telling that I had just gotten the piercing, and I was told to get the position of the glasses readjusted. The girl working there quickly bent them so they'd fit, and asked a few questions about piercings as well, apparently being pretty interested in them herself (she didn't have any, but I wouldn't have wondered if she'd take one one day).

I left the store, and walked to the library. I passed an ice-cream stand. There were two old ladies standing next to it, and I overheard the other one saying "Would you look at that, that's horrible! It looks just like horns..." Didn't hear the rest of it, but it was pretty certain they were talking about me. I grinned, and walked to the library. I got a couple of CDs, mostly movie soundtracks, and called my boyfriend. It had apparently been some way to wake up for him, getting a message from me going "Hey I'm getting the niebuhr done in a few minutes." I had told him I'd get it done, but he hadn't realized I'd get it done so soon. I chatted with him about the piercing and some other stuff for a while, and went back home. I was back home at 2.30 pm or so.

I sneaked my way past my folks - I just really didn't want to start a fight about it, already knowing my mum's attitude towards the piercing. The fight would have inevitably happened. I hate fighting in general, and I loathe it if either a) I can't win or (associated) b) nobody wins. This one would have resulted in a useless fight with nobody winning (I'm not taking it off, and I don't think I can force my mum to like it). They left in 10 minutes anyway, and got back shortly after 6 pm. My mum even visited my room, but I just looked at the computer screen. I took a quick glance at her, but at that moment she noticed my soaked jeans were just drying on my bed, and decided to leave the room to put them to dry in some proper place. So now it's almost 7.30 and she hasn't seen it yet. Maybe it'll be a softer blow if she sees it when she comes back next Saturday or so. Maybe then I'll feel like arguing about it, too, and maybe then she won't think I got it only to annoy her. I already wrote in my journal yesterday that I'll get the piercing done as soon as I can afford it. Before going to bed yesterday I realized that I can actually afford it now (barely, but even so). Sooo... I went ahead and got it, after wanting one for months.

It isn't exactly like I planned it to be, but it doesn't look bad with the skin in between being only half an inch broad either. At least if I keep a tiny bit longish stud on it (not as long as the one I've got now because of the swelling up, but a tiny bit longish one). I think my eyebrow area is kind of... Feminine enough for me to wear that without looking like a grunt. A lot of people start looking like cavemen when wearing it. Maybe I do to some people as well, but I still think it suits me. I'm pretty damn happy with it, can't wait until it heals up and I get to change the stud to a bit shorter one. For once I'm happy with having a potato nose instead of a pointy one - a bigger pointier nose would probably make that look worse.

The problem is, now that I was looking at the photos I took of myself today, I actually realized that I'd probably look pretty nice with one cheek piercing on each side, too. But I made a decision of only two piercings on the face, and I intend to keep it. At least for a while, anyway (like a year, or two months, or forever, I don't know). Cheek piercings are a bit difficult because they actually go through thick muscles and such, and I'd once again be afraid of damaging my teeth. We'll see."

Some people say that you start craving for more piercings after you get one done. I've always wanted several piercings, only I didn't get them done before, first because I was underage, and after that because my ex-boyfriend objected any form of body modification (even including shaving some of my hair off, because that kind of things aren't ladylike).

The first piercing I got done was still quite ladylike. This bridge piercing isn't about getting something barely noticeable done anymore, it's about doing what I want, regardless of the possible migrating and resulting scars and such. At the age of 19 I'm finally starting to know my body, its limits, its good and bad sides, and most of all I'm starting to feel completely comfortable with myself. I don't feel the need to modify my body as such, rather I feel the need to express who I am with my body. I feel the need to get to know my body and its reactions, and yes, make it a bit more beautiful with a bit of jewellery (either piercings or just necklaces or bracelets). I want my body to represent what I feel like I am inside. And it's never been the plain boring look the society wants me to wear. I feel like I'm finally expressing myself. The piercings don't feel like I'm modifying my body - both of them have felt more like attaching a part of me that was supposed to be th ere back. They've always been a part of me, only now I've got the guts to show it.