I wanted to get the left side of my lower lip pierced for my 17th birthday. So, we looked through the phone book and found this place called Ricky G's. We decided to get it done there because I had heard about it from some of my friends and it had a good reputation. My initial reaction when I first walked in was that it was a very calming atmosphere. There was music playing in some speakers in the corners of the ceiling and some couches to sit and wait. Also, there was a well-lit gallery of pictures to look at for tattoo ideas. A man came out and told me that since I was underage I had to get a form notarized and come back. The process was very simple as there was a Fed-Ex store down the street.
At A Glance Author Amber Contact Amber@bme.anon When A month ago Studio Ricky G's Emporium Location Lake City, FLA. We came back with it and there was only a short wait as he had to scan my mother's driver's license and make a copy of the form. As I was waiting, a 13-year old girl came out that had just gotten her belly-button pierced. She had been crying, so her face was all red. Her nervousness only made me more nervous. When he came back out, he directed me to a back room with him labeled "Piercing Area." It was very well-lit and very clean, so I lost some of my nervousness. He opened some drawers that were beneath a sink and pulled out some mouthwash and little paper cups. He then went to an autoclave on the counter and pulled out his tools. He instructed me to sit on the wooden stool and to rinse my mouth out with some mouthwash in a paper cup as he explained the procedure. He made me feel very comfortable and he showed me the needle and the jewelry he would be using. It was all pre-packaged and stored in the autoclave, so it was all sterilized and clean. After I spit in the sink, he pulled out a marker and asked me where I wanted the piercing. I pointed to the right side of my lower lip and he put a little dot and told me to look in the mirror to see if that was a good place. It was just where I wanted it so I sat back down and he told me poke out my lower lip so that he could clamp it. He told me he was going to do it gently to avoid bruising. He pulled out the needle which was sort of diamond shaped. He explained that the needle was hollow so it would punch a hole in my lip rather than just impale it. Therefore, it would heal faster. I shut my eyes tight as I felt the sharp tip touch the inside of my lip. He told me to relax and that he would tell me when he was going to do it. "One, two..." The two was barely out of his mouth when he pushed the needle through.
It didn't hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would. It was a sharp pain as the needle went through, but then it was more of a dull aching sort of pain. What actually hurt was when he pulled the needle out and put in the jewelry, which was a stud with a flat backing on the inside of my lip. It took him a while to do it, so that hurt. He tightened it with pliers and then made me rinse my mouth out once more. He told me that I shouldn't change the jewelry until I had had it for at least 3 weeks to 3 months.
It didn't bleed at all, and it didn't really hurt until I got into the car. Pain radiated from my mouth up into my jaw. I went home and took some pain medicine to make it tolerable. Eating with it was complicated. I wasn't used to the flat disk in my mouth, so I kept biting on it and howling in pain. But, the next day I was already used to it. It wasn't sore when I awoke, only a little bit swollen. It only swelled slightly for 3 days afterwards and the pain was only a slight discomfort. I had to clean it after every meal, though, and use anti-bacterial gel and stuff on it to keep it from getting infected. It had a slight discharge of pus during the second week, so it was a little crusty. It felt like I had had it forever, though. It looked great, and offered no problems. It never got infected and it healed a lot faster than was first anticipated.
I have now had it for 3 weeks and there is absolutely no pain, no redness, and no pus. It is perfect and I forget it's there a lot. I love the way it looks and it was completely worth it. Most people wouldn't get it done because they think it would scrape against their teeth, but it actually doesn't. It is completely comfortable while eating and it never gets in the way. I just can't wait until next week because then I can take out the stud and put in a ring, which is what I really want. I am looking forward to getting more piercings in the future.