I never thought I would get any other piercing than my ears. However, I came to like the look of pierced belly buttons. I had known several friends who had had it done, and they all looked great! I was sure I wanted mine done, too. Now came the time to persuade the 'rents. When I brought up the topic, my mom surprisingly agreed to allow me to do it. My dad wasn't convinced; he just wanted me to "really think this through."
At A Glance Author Elle When A week ago Studio 3rd Dimension Location Appleton, Wisconsin And I did. I spent hours researching the actual process, aftercare, jewelry, and such. I was positive this was something I wanted to do. I not only wanted to do it for me, but to something a little unexpected. I am considered a "good girl," getting good grades, being involved in organizations, and making smart choices. And this was one choice I wasn't going to back down from.
I stopped in the studio, 3rd Dimension, a few days before I would get the piercing. I asked how much it would cost and was told it was $40, but $60 with a jeweled barbell (which is what I wanted. A few of my friends have CBR's and they get in the way quite a lot.) I took a look at the rest of jewelry which I anticipated wearing after the healing process which is about 3-8 months. I set-up an appointment and left.
The night before the piercing I was beginning to get that nervousness feeling in my stomach. But I reassured myself with the information my friends had told me about. One said that her navel piercing hurt a lot less than her ear piercings. Even so, the only thing I could think about was the needle piercing through my skin...
Now came the day of the piercing. I was actually quite relaxed! My mom and I went to the studio where we had to fill out some paperwork and show our ID's. I wanted a jeweled barbell because I am active and was told barbells are better for athletes. Plus, I didn't want a plain barbell because you will have to wear the jewelry for awhile – so why not just pay the extra $20 to get a sparkly, jeweled one? The jewelry was then sterilized and I had to wait for about 15 minutes. In the mean time, I looked at all of the tattoo designs that were posted up on the wall. Pretty impressive! but not for me.
My name was called and I went into a smaller room with poster covered walls and piercing equipment. By this time I was beginning to shake. My piercer had me lift up my shirt so she could mark me, after of course cleaning my stomach. She used a toothpick to mark where she would pierce me. My piercer took about five minutes to mark me, but I was glad she was taking her time to get the placement correct.
Now for the piercing part! I sat in the typical dentist chair you would find at a dentist's office. I had asked my mom earlier to come in the room with me, and I held her hand the entire time! I suggest you have someone come in the room with you for a little extra support! I concentrated on the ceiling while my piercer put the clamps on my stomach. Truly, the clamps don't hurt. Rather it just feels awkward to have something pulling on your belly button. Trust me, it doesn't hurt that bad! My piercer had me concentrate on my breathing: inhaling, and exhaling. By about the third time I exhaled, I was pierced. It didn't feel anything like I thought it would. It just felt like someone was tugging on your skin. When the barbell was put in, it felt similar to the piercing part. I said, "That was easy."
When I was still laying in the chair, my piercer cleaned up my piercing and showed my how to rotate it during cleaning. She explained the details of aftercare, but luckily she repeated the instructions AND gave me written directions to take home with me, because I was too shocked that I actually had my belly button pierced! I stood up and looked at my new belly button in the mirror. I was so excited!
We went to the front desk where we paid and received cleaning instructions once again. I was then given some written instructions to take home which was very helpful! I was told to come back if there were any problems with the piercing in the future.
Now I have to clean my piercing twice a day, but no more than three times a day. I guess many infections are caused by over cleaning. First, I wash my hands and then take a Q-Tip with saline solution to remove any crusties are around the piercing. Then I use Dial soap to clean the piercing, and finish by using the saline solution once again. The cleaning isn't hard to do, especially if you set up times when you know you'll clean your piercing. I was told to avoid swimming pools and hot tubs for a month because all of the bacteria in them. And of course the number one rule: do not touch your piercing with dirty hands!
I love my new piercing. I would recommend it for anyone who is considering a navel piercing. If you are worried about the pain, reassure yourself something great will come out of the pain and you'll get through it! It won't be as bad as you'll work yourself up to be. Before getting your piercing go through the who, what, when, where, and why's: have you heard of any piercer who is recommended by others? What kind of navel piercing is right for you? What time of the year do you want the piercing done? What studio is clean and makes you feel comfortable? And why do you want a navel piercing?
I had a great experience at the 3rd Dimension. They made my first body piercing a great experience. I would recommend the 3rd Dimension to anyone in the Appleton/Green Bay area!