When I got my first labret done over a year ago I didn't know anything about piercing really. Luckily a friend recommended a good place and that sparked my real interest in piercings. I started looking at bme and forming ideas about what other piercings I might like.
At A Glance Author Sakura Contact Sakura@bme.anon When A week ago Artist some complete moron Studio Pro body Location Leeds I didn't notice the idea of a vertical labret until fairly recently, most piercers around here don't seem to advertise them in their price lists. I never really liked the position of my labret, because it was very low and I always wanted something nearer my lip. I also thought it might be better for my gums and teeth because there would be less contact or maybe none at all.
It took me a few months to work up to actually seriously deciding to go through with the piercing, I get terrible piercing anxiety, though none of mine have ever been unbareably painful or had any problems with healing.
I decided to go to Pro body because I thought the nice piercer with an anti-eyebrow would be in, who I'm told is really good at her job. I'd spoken to her before about bringing in a piece of ptfe for her to pierce it with and we'd agreed prices but this was a long time ago. The shops I went in to ask about the ptfe didn't have the right sizes in, but I went up to Pro body anyway.
As it happened the nice piercer wasn't in so I put it off for a bit and a couple of people told me this other piercer was ok. In retrospect I should have gone with my instinct, which was not to trust her based on her lack of facial piercings and the fact she was willing to pierce with heavier metal jewellery.
When I went back she didn't give me any forms to sign, alarm bells should have been ringing, but I tend to zone out before a piercing in preparation. She sat me down and used some numbing agent on my lip. I told her my bottom lip was not numbed properly but she insisted that I was just imagning this and that she was going to do a bit more numbing anyway. She asked me what size jewellery I wanted in and I picked 1.2 because I thought it'd look more delicate. I didn't look at the jewellery properly and when I got out I had no idea what She'd actually put in. Anyway, she showed me the single use needle in a sterile packet and shoved it quite slowly through my marked up lip, which was of course not fully numb, but the pain was only brief. She showed me it in the mirror, she had missed her top dot, but it never feels like you can complain about placement, and you're certainly in no state to after a piercing. I liked it anyway and left quite happy.
The next day my lip was quite swollen and it was becoming apparent to me that the jewellery was not long enough to cope with any swelling, but it was Sunday so there was nowhere I could go.
On the monday I went up and the place was shut, and the nice piercer was waiting outside. She said the jewellery was far too small because it was a 1.2x 10 bar, and that she didn't think they had the right jewellery to replace it, she only had 1.6x12, no 1.2x12. She said i could go buy some ptfe and she'd put it in for me or come back tomorrow to talk to the person who'd done it.
I was furious with the person who'd done it because it was so tight the swelling was moving over to my side lip piercing (which is now hugely swollen and infected)
I went back yesterday to see this woman, who's name I still don't know, and she tried to tell me that the jewellery had plenty of room. i pointed out this was only because she was compressing the swelling and pointed out the huge bruise where the top ball was. She said it wasn't a bruise and rolled her eyes, and then took the jewellery out. I had to ask her what she was doing because she hadn't told me, this woman cannot communicate with people. She said she was waiting for a piece of jewellery to be autoclaved. I was very tearful at this point and just sat there. She then shoved the jewellery through the hole without warning. It was really painful and when I got out my boyfriend thought I was going to pass out because I was so white. The shock and her total lack of sympathy left me crying on an off for about two hours. I also realised that she had put a larger gauge piece of jewellery through, no wonder it hurt so much, and the ball is far too big for my mouth (no innuendo intended)
It the day after that incident and though the jewellery is long enough I think the shock of having it effectivly stretched before it was healed is going to result in me taking this piercing out. I'm being encouraged to press for my money back but I don't think I'll be able to, though a number of people have threatened to come with me to make a huge fuss.
I must stress, NEVER get pierced by this blond woman. The only piercing I can remember her having is a tragus one. I also stress that the small woman with an anti-eyebrow piercing is a talented piercer, I can tell that just from the advice she has given me.