In four days, it will have been three weeks since I had my lip pierced.
At A Glance Author Zerstoerte Contact Zerstoerte@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Mike Studio Iron Legends Location Smiths Falls, Ontario As cliché as it may seem, I have been fascinated with piercings for as long as I can remember, and I have always been especially drawn to lip piercings. Everyone has a different definition of beauty. For me, lip piercings represent a form of aesthetic perfection. I think that, with the multitude of types available, anyone can find a lip piercing that suits their particular facial features. In my case, it was a vertical labret. Also, aesthetics aside, it has many other benefits: it can be easily masked with a retainer, no jewelery inside my mouth to damage my teeth or gums, and relatively fast and simple healing (as the last four piercings I've had have all been cartilage).
As I live with my parents (I'm old enough to be legally pierced, but I wanted to do it with their consent), they were my first - and I thought, only - obstacle. My dad liked the pictures of vertical labrets I showed him, while my mom was disgusted. However, after getting them both truckloads of information, and describing again and again what body modification means to me and why I wanted this particular piercing, they agreed that I could have it done without worrying about their reaction.
Unfortunately, getting the piercing wasn't as simple as I had predicted. When my parents gave their consent, I had recently had my wisdom teeth removed. I had intended to wait a month, and then have my lip pierced. Thanks to a lovely rampaging infection and a wonderfully pleasant dry socket (can you tell how thrilled I am?), and then a vacation on the part of my potential piercer, it ended up being closer to three months.
Eventually, though, I got my oral surgeon's and my piercer's okays, and Friday, the first of September, found me in my boyfriend Justin, his little sister in the back seat, on the way to Smiths' Falls, where Iron Legends is located. Our plan was to go to the studio in the early evening, go out to dinner (which promised to be an interesting experience), and then drive over to Perth, where the Perth Fair was taking place that weekend.
When I got off work on Friday afternoon, I started to feel really sick. As much as I wanted to attribute it to nerves, it's very unusual for me to get nervous before a piercing. The emotions I most commonly experience are excitement, happiness, and decadence. I love to savour every moment leading up to, during, and after, the piercing. I know it probably wasn't the best idea to go ahead with the piercing, but after having had to put it off for so long, I wasn't about to be deterred. My boyfriend picked me up around six, and we quickly reached Smiths Falls. Happily, I started feeling better as soon as I got in the car.
This was going to be my first time being pierced at Iron Legends, although I'd already had jewelery changed there before. (I was looking for a new piercer after two negative experiences at another studio.) Mike, the piercer, greeted us warmly. After a quick examination of my lips, he proclaimed with a grin, "You've got lips, girl!" and asked if I was sixteen or older. I said yes, of course, and began to pull my ID out of my wallet, but he said it wasn't necessary; he believed me since I was with Justin, who had been coming to Iron Legends for years. Yet another reason why I love being pierced in a small town.
Mike told me to head over to the counters (they have an enormous selection of jewelery) and pick out whatever beads I wanted for the 16g 316LVM curved barbell he'd be using. While I spent a good twenty minutes looking through a myriad of beads, I ended up settling on small (but definitely still visible) plain steel beads. I had a coupon for free jewelery that I'd been given when we stopped by the studio while Mike was away (not for any particular piercing; we're always in there when we're in the area), so Mike briefly tried to find me a seamless ring for my nostril, as I'm having a second piercing done in it soon and I won't have room with the bead in my CBR right now. All their 14g rings were slightly too big, however, so I held off.
With my jewelery selected, it was time to move into the piercing room. I could have chosen to be pierced in private, but I decided to be pierced in their more "public" room - with a huge window out onto the main street of Smiths' Falls for the benefit of the many passers-by. Whenever anyone's getting a piercing or a tattoo at Iron Legends, there always seem to be about ten or fifteen people standing outside, watching in fascination.
After Mike cleaned my lip, marking it took what felt like an eternity. When almost everyone in the room (Mike, me, Justin, his sister Amber) agreed that it was straight, someone would inevitably notice a slight imperfection. Mike was incredibly patient, and spent a good half hour measuring, marking, removing, and re-marking. Once we finally all agreed, it was time for me to climb into the "piercing throne."
Mike very gently clamped my lip. I've always been pierced freehand, so I was curious to find out what's so horrible about clamps - but I guess I'm with the 10% or so of experience-writers that aren't in any discomfort at all. In all honesty, I barely even felt them. Then Mike told me to close my eyes. I wasn't thrilled with this idea - I love to watch myself being pierced and I like to know exactly what's happening and when - but he explained that he as he would be piercing my lip from top to bottom, he would be working very close to my face, my eyes especially, and he didn't want me to jump if he made any quick motion. I complied, with one request: that he would tell me just before he put the needle through. That's the only thing that really scares me about piercing; if I didn't know when it was coming, I'd be terrified. Mike seemed surprised, but agreed.
After adjusting the clamps a bit more, telling me how wonderfully I was doing all the while (probably because of where the shop is located, the majority of his clientele is made up of nervous people who have little to no experience with piercing) he informed me that he was going to pierce me, and then I felt the needle.
I've heard this piercing described as anywhere from extremely painful to no more painful than a lobe piercing, and for me it was somewhere in the middle. It was quite intense and sharp, and I imagine it could have become unpleasant very quickly, but Mike was very fast, (still constantly reassuring me that everything was great) and as soon as he got through the top of my lip, the pain lessened to the point of being barely noticeable. As soon as the needle was through, I found that I was really enjoying the feeling. I'd say it's comparable to the lovely burning feeling you get after someone bites your lip hard. It felt deliciously warm and tingly.
Mike put the jewelery in easily. Other than a kamikaze bead, the only event worth noting is the way everyone was laughing at me because of the enormous smile on my face. It felt so good, physically and emotionally. When I got up and looked in the mirror, I knew exactly how justified my smile was. I don't think that I myself am attractive, but right away the piercing looked incredibly beautiful to me. Justin, Amber, and Mike all agreed.
We briefly discussed aftercare; Mike was worried that sea salt soaks (my usual method) might dry out my lip. Though I wasn't sure I believed him, I agreed to try the free aftercare solution he offered me. It's called Dragon Mist, and the ingredients seem fine. We talked for a bit longer, I paid the $50, and we left.
I had been worried about eating, but I had no problems at all, once I had a straw to drink from. The night at the fair was wonderful, and a lot of people commented on my lip. We also ran into my mom; she still didn't like it, but she seems to have resigned herself to the fact that I really do feel a genuine need to modify my body.
The Monday afterward, I was in Iron Legends again having the jewelery in my conch changed, and I brought Mike the peanut butter cookies I had baked as a tip. He seemed thrilled, and professed his love for me. Of course, he also checked up on my lip, and said it looked great.
So far, this piercing has been a pleasure to heal. It isn't at all painful, and, to my surprise, almost never gets in the way. I've been using mild antibacterial soap once a day, and Dragon Mist twice a day. The piercing itself and the healing (so far) have been so comfortable and easy, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone.
The best part, however, has been the way it makes me feel about myself. I have very low self-esteem, especially about my appearance. Only a few months ago, there was no way I'd leave the house without an inch of makeup. Now, though, I'm seeing my boyfriend and going to school with no makeup at all. When I look in the mirror, I smile instead of looking away. In place of all the flaws I used to notice, what I see now is the beautiful piercing in my lip, and how nicely it compliments my nostril piercing. When someone compliments me, I don't automatically deny it anymore. Best of all, it makes me feel - as odd as it may sound - more like myself. Every new piercing for me feels like a homecoming of sorts, and this one definitely feels even more inherently right than any other. I feel beautiful, natural, and comfortable with my body. This piercing has been a milestone on my journey home, to myself.