My navel piercing was the start of a series of body piercings, and is the one that's taken the most work and deliberation thus far. My current navel piercing is actually my second; I've had one that had to be removed, and a repierce (the current piercing) done to take its place.
At A Glance Author shiarah Contact shiarah@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Leo Studio Jaded Angel Location Ankeny, Iowa My love of piercing started out as a fear. I was thirteen before I managed even single standard lobe piercings, which were a major production for me, but once I set my mind on getting them, there was no turning me back. I made the decision one night, and by the next morning I had pierced lobes. I was the same way with my navel – once I decided I had to have it, I wanted it now. I grabbed my best friend and scoured the city for piercing studios. Everywhere I went was either closed or completely gross, so I was so desperate and/or determined by the time I found an operating studio that I disregarded all its nastiness. I actually watched the counter girl open my barbell and take it back into a curtained room, where I suppose she cleaned it with alcohol and called that "good enough." Yuck. Needless to say, my piercing was crap – a maximum of a fourth-inch of skin (6mm) pierced, way too shallow for my anatomy. The jewelry actually leaned forward and faced the floor, inst ead of out like I wanted it to. After two months, that jewelry came out, and I let it heal to be repierced.
Finally, another two months later, I was healed and equipped with far more knowledge about piercings than I had previously been. Furthermore, I'd found a piercer I trusted, who used sterile conditions and was willing to work with me to create for me the piercing I longed for.
Because of other piercings I'd gotten meanwhile, I decided I was going to have a 12 gauge navel piercing. I decided this mostly for comfort's sake, but also because larger gauges tend to have less chance of migrating or rejecting, from my research. I also wanted a half-inch depth pierced this time, so there'd be no chance of shallowness as I'd had before. I really prefer the look of deeper, more substantial navel piercings, and I figured ½" was perfect for me.
I spoke to my piercer, and he was totally willing to do the piercing as I wanted. He also allowed me to bring in jewelry I'd purchased on my own, as I'd hoped, because I had my heart set on a particular piece. I chose a high-polish titanium curved barbell, 12g, 9/16" in length to accommodate swelling, with double pink gems. Gorgeous.
On the day of my piercing, I went to drop off the jewelry at the studio, then popped over to visit with my best friend while the barbell was being autoclaved. Once enough time had passed, she accompanied me back to the studio, where the piercing commenced. The marking took the longest, of course... Leo knew exactly what I wanted in this piercing, and so he took incredible care to make sure it would suit my anatomy and my preferences perfectly. He actually measured with calipers to make sure it was as deep as I wanted, and moved the marks three or four times before we were both satisfied with the placement and depth. Then it was time to pierce.
Once I had laid back on the table, he began placing the clamps, which seemed to take quite a long time. I assumed it was because of the depth of the piercing, although I had plenty of skin to pierce. He never mentioned any trouble, though, so I didn't worry – I was too busy trying to control my nervousness, which always comes during a piercing, no matter how confident I am in it. Instead, I concentrated on my breathing and talked to my best friend, who was watching the procedure with interest.
Once he had the clamps in place, Leo told me to take a deep breath in and let it out slowly, and before I knew what had happened, the needle was through. He's very quick about doing piercings, which I must say is wonderful. Before I knew it, my gorgeous jewelry was in place and the top bead tightened, and he was cleaning me up to leave. I looked in the mirror, and of course it was perfect – it even took attention away from the pink scar I have left from my horrible first navel piercing.
Since piercing, my navel has been completely comfortable, unlike the first time around. I have only a tiny bit of soreness when I clean and move the jewelry. I accidentally knocked my piercing around several times one week after having it done, in the course of a busy day at work, and it hasn't been bothered a bit. I attribute this to the 12g, though of course I could be wrong. Either way, my navel is nothing but a joy to me now.
The day after my piercing, I helped my best friend choose her wedding dress, which was the perfect end to my piercing weekend. I'll always associate this particular piercing with the look on my friend's face as she saw herself in the perfect dress for the first time, and that makes it far more special than any gemmed barbell could do alone. What's more, her wedding date is set for the six-month anniversary of my piercing, which I think is perfect. I couldn't have planned it better.