On my 18th birthday I awoke to my best friend knocking on my door saying "Get ready we're getting pierced!" I showered, got dressed, connected to the internet and immediately started browsing BME. My friend had no idea what this site was, or what it did, and I simply informed her of the just of things and told her this is where I got the idea for my vertical lobe that I had gotten done two years earlier. We decided to get facial piercings, lip piercings to be exact. I was afraid of gum erosion and "destroying my teeth" so I chose to get my vertical labret done.
At A Glance Author Kelsy Contact Kelsy@bme.anon IAM xDEVIANT When Six months ago Artist Sandy Studio Milennium Location Fort Collins, CO We drove up to the shop, which is about half an hour away, both feeling nervous; neither of us had anything other than cartilage piercings. We parked and walked into the shop. The counter staff and the apprentice greeted us and I told them what I wanted. They chatted with me, answered my questions, and asked a couple of their own. I asked them of course, if it did complicate anything inside of my mouth and if anything, what it was. The apprentice told me if I did play with it a lot it could potentially damage my front teeth, I knew I could refrain so it was all systems go. I chose the plain curved barbell, silver just seems so much better to me and it is not overpowering to look at. I filled out my paper work, I carelessly read through it at first, initialing where it told me, signing off the right to any pictures taken of me and signed it. Thankfully my piercer reviewed the forms with me, making sure I did not lie about anything. When she had copied my ID, my friend and I followed her back to the private piercing room. My friend insisted that she go first, if she saw blood she would most likely chicken out so I stepped off to the side and watched her swish the mouthwash. I watched my piercer open the needle from its packaging. She changed her gloves after she got everything set up and marked my friends lip. She pierced my friends lip, cleaned it up, threw everything away in a biohazard disposal container and sanitized the chair, the counter, the sink and the tray.
She instructed me to take the mouthwash and swish it for as long as she spoke. I took it, poured it in my mouth and immediately felt like I was doing a Listerine commercial. She went over the aftercare procedures briefly to kill time while she set up for my piercing and when I was told to spit, I did. I sat up on the chair and it felt like she molested my lips with Technicare, it was everywhere! It smelled horribly, too clean, in my opinion and I complained about the horrid smell. My piercer laughed and I asked if it was Satin, which I used to clean my other piercings, since they smelled similar. She just smiled and told me it was like Satin on steroids and clarified that it was just stronger. She marked my lip perfectly the first time, and told me she preferred to pierce freehand because the clamps just got in her way. I shrugged trying to tell her I didn't care about the clamps but I couldn't clarify my shrug because her hands were still on my lips. I watched her put the lubrication on the needle and she told me she wanted me to breathe deeply and exhale when I felt the needle poke through the first layer of skin. I thought it was simple enough and I took a deep breath. She applied pressure to the needle and I exhaled slowly through my nose, it hurt, not too badly but enough to register in my mind and trigger the eye watering technique that always seems to happen when anything harms your face. She slid the jewelry in no problem and fiddled with the balls until they were tight. My lip immediately began swelling and felt sore but there was no blood.
She went over the after care with me, told me to use NON-ALCOHOLIC mouthwash and were to get some if we didn't buy it there. I was also informed that I had to clean it with Satin twice a day as well. She went over the basics, no kissing, no oral sex, avoid contact with body fluids, try not to smoke cigarettes or weed for a few days and avoid dairy products, alcohol and spicy food. We paid, thanked her, and left to continue our journeys for the day. (We also had to go to a sex shop, it was my "coming of age" I could legally buy porn now so of course I had to scope these places out) When we got to the shop, my lip was so swollen it was difficult to smile and look somewhat normal. I purchased a slurpee at the 7/11 next door before we got back in the car to head back to our town.
Over the next few days it started leaking lymph and it was really disgusting; I tasted it a few times and it was disturbing. The swelling didn't go down for about a week or two and it was awkward trying to eat for the first couple of days. I did get in trouble with my boss, but I pointed out to him that many other people I work with have facial piercings, we compromised and it came out that if I was interacting with customers on register I would have to put a retainer in when it healed.
It is a good piercing, I love it. I do get glares and winces by the non modded public but all I do is smile back politely and wink, which makes them a little more angry at me but oh well. I blame this piercing experience for the rest of what I have gotten in the past 7 months and so does my boss. When I come into work with new things, he just rolls his eyes and sighs now, but he's slowly getting used to it.