Hello all!
At A Glance Author Tegan Contact Tegan@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Clinton Studio Punkered piercing studio Location Highpoint, Melb This is my first writing experience for bme, hope you guys get a lot out of it!
I first started toying with the idea of a new piercing a few months ago. It would have been just after Feb when I got my Industrial and I was itching for something new, different and slightly out there. I poured over the pages of Bme and found my beauty in the vertical labret. I went through page after page of pictures and read so many experiences that I was rally getting geared up to go out and have it pierced!
Though for the first time in a possibly forever I was hesitant about getting a piercing. Id had various mouth related things pierced, tongue twice, normal labret etc... but this was THROUGH my lip and I thought it was going to kill me with pain. Therefore, I waited it out and decided I would wait a little while until I thought I could handle the pain.
For the few weeks leading up to actually going and getting it, I was down at Off Ya Tree almost every weekend just thinking and thinking about it, then chickening out and going shopping instead. I kept bugging my friend Dev to go with me every time too, but nothing ever happened. Until last week...
It was a Wednesday just gone afternoon and I decided to go back to Highpoint yet again. I was somewhat going with the intention of having it pierced that day but mostly I was just going to get some new tapers for my ears. After wondering around the shopping centre pondering it I ended up at Hairhouse Warehouse. I'd been pierced there before but because this piercing seemed a lot more risky in my head I didn't know if I trusted them completely. I went in and looked around for a while before I finally asked if they do the piercing, they told me yes - $50! I thought that sounded a little cheap so I pondered it for a few more minutes. I decided I'd go have a chat with the piercer. I asked him if he'd done many he said yep of course! Then I double checked him because he seemed a little, hate it say t, but dumb... turns out I as right to do this because he thought I said normal labret.
After this a lady came up to us as well and she started questioning my choice and why would I want that and tried to talk me out of with it with risks such as: bleeding too much, tears easy, takes ages to heal. I was like ok but that's a risk every pierce is willing to take so I walked out pretty fast.
My walking led me back to Off Ya Tree once more... I looked around for a few minutes then went to have a look at their tapers. I found some and used the time looking at them to also think about it if today was going to be the day. The lady at the counter was really nice and we chatted for a while, mostly about what Hairhouse Warehouse said and how laughable it was really, but realised it was a good decision to leave there. I think I stood at the counter thinking for at least 20 mins to half an hour. Why I waited so long, I have no idea. Finally after what seemed like forever I said I'd stop being a chicken and do it.
I filled out my paperwork, bought my 2 tapers and paid for the piercing. She said Clinton would be doing it for me and that he'd be ready in a minute. Turns out a minute was right now because he walked out of the piercing studio at that moment. My stomach full of butterflies I walked towards him, he told me he loved doing verticals so my mind was put at ease for now.
I got to piercing studio and he got me to sit up on the bed. I decided to take my jumper off at this point because I get really hot when I'm nervous. He made a placement on my lip first and made a comment about my retired labret placement and that it was bad and too to the left. I'd never noticed this when I had it in but I'm glad he knew what he was talking about! I checked the placement and it seemed centred to me, he then dotted the underneath part and had me check again to make sure I thought they were straight. I looked for a bit but the more I looked the more I couldn't see anything so I just agreed with his positioning.
I then lay down on the bed and it was now he decided to tell me that this was going to hurt, and was based on what people had told him because he hadn't had one. It was also then that I told him to shut up, mucking around of course. He then clamped my lip and asked if I was ready. I replied with "Oh Jesus" as I felt the tip of the needle resting on the underneath of my lip. He told to take a big breath and to let it out when he pierced.
I breathed – he pierced.
I did feel it go all the way through but it didn't hurt and with the needle sitting in my lip just prior to putting the jewellery in I managed to utter "Oh is that it?" He said yep, worst is over! Best of all, I didn't even bleed a drop.
I couldn't believe how little it hurt and kept saying it over and over to him. His reply, "Aww everyone else has lied to me!" I left with a smile on my face and briefly spoke to the girl at the counter again saying how it didn't hurt and why did I waste so much time standing around? I left and went and bought straws from the supermarket because I figured drinking from a cup is going to be slightly painful and hard at the moment.
As for aftercare, he told me to use spray twice a day for two weeks and that it would take 3-6 months to be fully healed. I ignored this part of the program because I wanted to test something I'd read. I read on a piercing website that you shouldn't clean it that much because it hinders the body's natural healing process and that you should only clean it for the first two days to get the ball rolling. I didn't even do that, I cleaned it one day and then left it alone. And to be honest, best decision I have ever made, it has pretty much healed already only 2 weeks later and has had no lymph or any sign of anything but perfectness!
Everyone considering this piercing, definitely go through with it, it is so beautiful, painless, and looks just damn awesome! I highly recommend any Off Ya Tree in Melbourne as the piercer's seem to go from store to store depending on rosters. I was very pleased with the professionalism and preciseness of the piercing process. I love my piercing and hope it stays this happy forever!