It was about a week before my 18th birthday, I had already gotten *almost* everything else pierced that I wanted to, and my 15 year old sister didn't know what to get me for my birthday... so she decided to pay for my eyebrow piercing. Yes! She had me choose the studio, she figured out the cost with tax and all that good stuff, and made me a cool certificate with pictures of pierced eyebrows on it to put in a card. January 8th, my birthday, finally came and we took off from school a couple hours early to find the studio in downtown Bellingham.
At A Glance Author wendy Contact maiden_usa@comcast.net When A year ago Artist Megan Studio Camden Cameleon Location Bellingham, WA We found it without incident, fed the parking meter, and went in to meet Megan, the piercer with short purple hair. After looking at my eyebrow, she said that the piercing would eventually be forced forward until the holes were close enough together to push the barbell out of the skin... but I was comforted by the fact that I'd probably have it for a year or more, which is much longer than the length of time she said my sister would get to have it should she opt to get that particular piercing. I was happy to think that I'd have it for even year, so I filled out the paperwork, and we headed back to the piercing room. I was definitely impressed. It isn't easily accessible to the public, and so it was very sanitary, untouched by those with gloveless, unwashed hands. Before getting to the matter at hand, I asked Megan a few questions about becoming a piercer, such as what's involved, are there classes, apprentice fees, do YOU get paid, ect. I was very happy to find out that in order to become a piercing apprentice in her shop, you had to complete a blood born pathogen class. It's nice to hear that a shop is so worried about cleanliness. Then we were back on the subject of the piercing I was about to get. Before beginning, Megan explained the piercing, the healing times, the aftercare, and of course, the pain. She told me about a breathing exercise she has all of her clients do before, during, and for a few moments after the piercing. She said that it opens up the energy circuits (or something to that effect), making the pain less and more tolerable. She wanted me to practice for a minute, which I did... although I felt pretty dumb. Satisfied that I understood the way to breathe, she washed her hands, put on gloves, and started putting dots where the needle would go in and come out. Again I was impressed, this time by how long she spent studying it and making sure it was in the just the right spot and at the perfect angle. She had me look when she was done, and upon my approval removed the gloves, re-washed her hands, "\Ãw"ë put on a fresh pair of gloves, and got the equipment ready. She even made sure she had a few extra balls for the end of the barbell in case she dropped one. With everything ready, she had me lay down. She explained everything she was doing, even letting me know that her hand was going to be resting on my face. I began the breathing exercise, then one, two, THREE! And the needle was through. Still explaining every step of the way, she put the jewelry in and wiped off the bit of blood. Then she handed me a mirror and... I loved it! I wasn't sure yet if it really looked good on ME, but I liked it just the same. The piercing was quick and not too painful. Megan then handed me some literature on aftercare and reiterated what she had explained earlier. Then we headed to the front counter where I paid, tipped, and bought some anti-bacterial soap. After that, I was on my way to go show off my new piercing.
I've known a few people with bad eyebrow piercing experiences including my boyfriend, but I've had the piercing for a year now with no problems. I've come to believe that my friends' bad experiences came from un-careful choosing of studios and possibly slacking on aftercare. The best thing you can do for your new piercing is to clean it as often as they tell you too, and most importantly for as long as they tell you to! My piercer definitely knew what she was doing, did a great job, and I followed the aftercare instructions very carefully. Anti-bacterial soap and Bactine are wonderful things!
My piercing is starting to move forward a bit as she told me it would eventually do due to lack of eyebrow skin, but I'll leave it in for as long as my body will let me :) If you live in that area, I would recommend Camden Cameleon, and Megan, to anyone wanting to get pierced! Or tattooed, her portfolio looked awesome! One more piece of advice, ALWAYS tip your piercer! Unless of course the royally screw you up or something, they work very hard to make sure you're happy, they deserve a couple extra bucks.
Feel free to contact me with any questions!