I've never loved medusa piercings. Madonnas I've had many, and I've had my labret pierced more times than people have had their hair cut. But I never really bothered with a medusa piercing because I thought it would have looked odd on me. Things changed this summer, though, when I saw a girl with a medusa and it didn't look odd at all, but very cute and feminine instead. I still don't know what made this glance different from any other medusa piercing I'd seen, but I was hooked. I wanted one, and pretty badly, too.
At A Glance Author strawberry Contact strawberry@bme.anon IAM strawberry When A month ago Artist Julie Studio Cold Steel Location London, UK After a relatively gross experience with an 8 ga labret piercing, I wanted to be on the safe side. That piercing (which has scarred a great deal and hurt even more) was still quite healthy, but its memory very vivid, and I wanted to make sure this very experience was going to be fun, pleasant and as problem-free as possible.
I thought about the medusa for a while, discussed it with some friends who had it, talked to Julie, my piercer at Cold Steel in London (where I get pierced when I'm in town and can't recommend enough) and everybody was very positive and excited and said it would look okay, hurt a little but be worth it. Pain is not something that puts me off getting modified, but I like to know what to expect -Julie said it would feel quite a bit sharper than a standard labret and more or less like a madonna, and that, as with every piercing, the pain would soon wear off. She also added that that was her favourite piercing of all and that she was happy to pierce me anytime I wanted. I had to pick the right day, walk in and walk out with a new medusa.
I like my piercers to be positive and confident. For some reason that really helps, and Julie knows how to make me feel good. About one week after the initial "consultation", I rang Cold Steel and booked an appointment for the medusa. To be honest I was still trying to decide between that and a pair of cheek piercings, but with school about to start, me travelling a lot and a general amount of stress in my life I thought it would have been better to have only one piercing to cope with, not two and, beside, curiousity always has the better of me -I've had my cheek pierced before but not my medusa and wanted to know what it felt like. The "sharp" pain wasn't appealing, but I figured I could cope with it, after all.
The afternoon of my appointment, a sunny, warm Sunday, I walked in at Cold Steel 30 minutes before the time I was booked, paid a small fee in advance (their policy), confirmed that I was going for the medusa, took some time off to grab a sandwich and some chocolate and headed back to the studio. I was a bit worried, but some breathing exercises helped keep me calm, and at that stage I really wanted to go through the whole thing and get my new piercing.
Julie and I agreed on using a 13 mm labret stud -she said she usually goes for a shorter one, but I tend to swell a lot, and I was flying home the next day, and didn't want to have to worry about a tight piercing, of all things. I was left downstairs talking to the other piercers while Julie prepared everything for my medusa. Ten minutes later I followed her upstairs and we were ready to pierce me. We chatted a bit while she marked and checked the placement and her jokes helped me relax. She changed her gloves quite a few times during this.
When we were both convinced about the placement, I was asked to lay down and relax a bit more, or as much as I could. I know it sounds a bit strange, given that it's difficult to relax on demand, but I was feeling okay then. The clamp wasn't tight and didn't bother me at all, and the needle that followed immediately after (no "1-2-3 I'll pierce you", which usually makes me feel very nervous) hurt, and more than I expected, but I only had time to say "ouch", and the pain was over. Julie inserted the jewelry really fast and in less than a minute my medusa was done. I looked at myself in the mirror and was really happy with what I saw -a perfectly centered piercing that did look good! I was so happy, partly because I'd had a new mod, and partly because I'd tried something new and overcome my usual fear of new things. I was both excited a proud.
After making sure that I was okay to stand up and walk downstairs Julie let me go. I tipped her, bought a pair of plugs for my ears (just because) and walked out of Cold Steel to celebrate. I expected eating to be awkward, but it wasn't too bad. I had a massive ice-cream on the way home, followed by a big dinner of pasta and cake and it never hurt a bit. The stud was a bit on the long side, and it took me a while to get used to it, but I can't say it was painful.
For two weeks I kept the piercing clean with sea salt soaks and a religious regime of toothbrushing and mouthwash after eating or drinking anything other than water. The medusa was swollen for about 5 days, and smiling was a bit uncomfortable, and my boyfriend wasn't allowed to kiss me just in case, but after that (I should have probably waited a little longer, though) life was back to normal.
After the two weeks had passed I returned to Cold Steel to change the stud and they were happy and cheerful as usual. We all agreed that the piercing was healing well and that it looked good.
That was two weeks ago. I'm now so used to seeing the medusa that I can't imagine my face without it. It's healed a bit more, and it oozes less and less lymp every day. I make sure I always wipe it off with a q-tip and warm water, and I have kept up the slightly obsessive oral hygene. I'm very happy with this piercing and although I nervous about it, I'm really glad I did it. I cannot recommend Cold Steel and Julie enough and if you are in London do take a look. They do care about giving you a safe, enjoyable piercing experience and you won't look back. A medusa is still a relatively uncommon piercing and if you're planning to get it done, do go for it! It hurts a little more than a labret but the results are worth it -now I can confirm it from experience!
Play safe,
Claudia