I've wanted my lip pierced since I was about 14 but my parents were both dead against it then and would continue to be for the next four years. My Mum had told me that as long as she couldn't see the piercing she had no problem, so I considered two other options. Initially it was my tongue, but my tongue web was too long so I was told I could get that pierced. Unsure, I left the studio again only to return a week later determined to get my lip pierced. I phoned my Mum and told her I was getting it done and she finally said 'okay' but that I had to phone my Dad, which I did. He was less happy, but said he couldn't stop me. I was so happy, it'd taken me roughly four and a half years to get them to give me permission. See, at 18 in the UK you can get a piercing/tattoo without parental permission so I could have just gone in and got it done on my eighteenth. Unfortunately, my family is very close-knit and I have a deep respect for my parents' wishes so I didn't want to really upset them by just getting it done. Instead I chose to slowly get them used to the idea that sooner or later I would have a piercing.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When Three months ago Artist michelle Studio retro rebels Location aberdeen, UK The day I got it done I wasn't nervous about it, I'd been in the store/studio before and knew of its excellent reputation for piercing and other mods. I got told I'd have to wait though since the guy there, Daryl, who was initially going to do my piercing, has huge hands and I am but a tiny person. So she got back and took me through to the studio where I instantly felt at ease since the wallpaper border was the same one I'd had on my bedroom wall for about six years! I lay back on the bench and Michelle marked where I'd be getting pierced before deciding what size she'd need. Initially it was going to be an x8 since I have really small lips, but in case of swelling she went for x10. Then as she was getting needles down from a high shelf she broke a mirror....
Once that was tidied up, she anaesthetised my lip and left that to numb for a few minutes. The she got the clamps to hold my lip in place and I was told to close my eyes if I wanted, but it didn't work as a kid when I was getting my injections so I didn't reckon it'd work now. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it might, a slight nip as the needle went through but after that it just felt odd having the tubing there before she put the jewellery in. It didn't bleed much either which was good and it hardly swelled up at all! I paid my money (student discounts rock!) and left a satisfied customer. My girlfriend at the time liked it and all my friends said it suited me so all I had left was to show it off to the parents.
My Dad to this day still offers me ridiculous amounts of money to take it out and keep it out, but my Mum's just grown used to it. At first it was odd eating without it banging on my teeth but you get past that quickly. It was easy to clean; I just used my own salt water although for a while the skin around the piercing dried out because of the salt. It's been in for about 3 or 4 months now and it looks great! The only downside is that I have to take it out at work and wear a clear plastic retainer that, luckily, the managers haven't noticed. I was initially told to take it out or wear a blue plaster over it. So I tried taking it out for two hours, which is a BAD IDEA. A few days later I went back to Retro Rebels and bought a plastic retainer, which I wear when I'm working and has so far gone undetected.
I'm planning on getting more mods done, mostly tattoos although I wouldn't mind another piercing, it's just a matter of 'where' as opposed to anything else. If I got another facial piercing my Mum might actually snap so I'm trying to stay away form that. All in all, I love my lip piercing and was so happy that it didn't look stupid or swell up and get infected since that happened to a close friend of mine. I'd definitely say to anyone considering a labret piercing to go for it since it doesn't hurt, it's quick and easy to look after as long as you do it right!