Had To Do It Twice

At A Glance Author Placebo Contact ispy@0-0-7.co.uk Artist Rick Studio 14g 1/2 Location 7661 Melrose Ave Los Angeles

I was pierced at Thirteen B.C. Body Piercing Studio in Los Angeles. A friend of mine who desperately wanted me to get pierced found it for me. She found them on the internet...their address is http://www.thirteenbc.com. I would recommend them to anyone who is looking for a studio to go to.

My first navel piercing, which only lasted 3 days due to bleeding, was a 14g CBR. I was very sad to see it go, but I had no choice because it started to bleed the next day, and just woudn't stop. I waited 10 months to get it pierced again. The second time went much better than the first!

I went back to the same studio because they had offered me a free piercing to make up for the bad experience I had the first time. Rick, my second piercer was great. He used clamps, unlike the first guy, and was quick and relatively painless. I was REALLY nervous about bleeding but was very happy to see it heal very well. The only blood I saw was a "microscopic" spec the next day. That was it...boy was I glad! He told me that it was really rare, but sometimes a tiny blood vessel can be severed, and that that was probably what had happened the first time.

I was very careful with my second piercing because I didn't want to lose it like the first one. I washed it daily with Provon medicated soap that I bought at the studio. (I love the smell...it reminds me of the piercing studio. They use it, and there's a strong smell of it throughout the studio.) I took Zinc tablets too. My first night, I slept on my back and hardly moved for feat that it would start to bleed like my first piercing did! It was still sore to the touch up until 10 months after it was pierced. It will be a year old next week and only hurts if it gets tugged really hard.

The first time I was pierced, I was REALLY nervous. It was my first-ever piercing, and I didn't know what to expect. I HATE needles, but the piercing doesn't hurt too much. It's pretty much quick and painless. I wasn't as nervous the second time because I knew what to expect, but I WAS paranoid about bleeding.

I was at work the day my first piercing started to bleed. I remember it well because I felt really stupid because I had to leave in the middle of the day and I could't tell everyone why. My boss was cool though, I showed her the big blood stain on my pants, and she quickly said, "Go home now!" I was really embarrassed though, because it was her first day on the job, and I had only just met her hours before. I was worried she would think I was a freak, but now we laugh at how exciting her first day was, dealing with a bleeding employee!

Rick, my second piercer, was VERY nice. He used clamps, (the other guy didn't.), and did a great job relaxing me. The piercing area was very much like a doctor's office. I took three deep breaths and was pierced on the third. I felt the tugging when the jewelry was put in, it was a little uncomfortable but not too bad. I must've looked really scared because he asked me to lie there for a few minutes before I stood up! He pierced me exactly where he had drawn the dots around my navel. The first guy had missed the exit point, and Rick said that that was why he used clamps. It's more accurate. I wonder if that was another reason my first piercing didn't keep...

I only had to pay for the jewelry the second time, and chose a barbell instead of a ring like the first time because I thought it would stand a better chance of healing than the ring. It doesn't seem to get in the way of clothing as much as my ring did, and I still could move it enough to be able to clean it well. I stopped cleaning it daily 2 months ago. I only used sea-salt soaks a few times.

Not too many guys get their navels pierced. Most of my friends were shocked to see my piercing, but they all think it looks great and are more open to guys getting pierced there, now that they've seen mine. I think everyone should get navel piercings!

I'm really happy with my piercing, especially since I went through such a hassle to have one! I wanted it so badly, and was really depressed about having to take the first one out, so I can't tell you how happy I am that my second navel piercing is here to stay.