This is the second time I've gotten my navel pierced. So I have to tell about the first time a bit to understand the second time.
At A Glance Author alegna Contact alegna@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Jay Studio Black Hole Location Beaverton, Oregon The first was about a year ago (2003) in a studio outside of Boise, Idaho. This was a typical "I'm on vacation so let's do it" stunt. Don't recall the person, or the shop, but the gal who did it was nice and made me feel comfortable. Since I'm heavy, it was a big shy factor to overcome, showing my belly to someone other then my husband.
That piercing was done with a standard 14ga ring. After just a week, I noticed the ring was laying to the side. Worried about that healing that way, I stopped in on a lunch break to the local mall piercer... you know the one. The guy was helpful, and decided to replace the ring with a curved barbel. Again, standard size. That was a problem.
Since I'm large, I needed a larger (1 inch) barbel. After awhile, the bottom hole started forming a keloid. The standard size meant the top ball was sort of "burrowing" down into the healing piercing. At the time I didn't know what it was, it just looked like the "tube" was forming outside.. like it was coming out of the piercing. So I went back to the mall shop and was told it was just fine. But I went home, waited a day, and decided I didn't care for that, and took it out. End of story one... here starts the new experience.
I still really wanted this done, so I watched patiently over a year while the piercing healed. At first I didn't think it would, the outside scar wasn't too bad, but the hard scarring I could feel under the surface had me worried. At about 6 or 8 months, I noticed it had gotten a lot softer.. by a year it was completely gone. So I got my courage up and went in on a Saturday afternoon to the Black Hole shop in Beaverton. Jay (who I was later told is the owner) was so extremely awesome. He listened to my story, and consulted with me for about 20 minutes before we agreed to go for it. He mentioned that the keloid could have formed because the curved barbell that the mall shop put in had outside threads and irritated or cut the skin. He made me sit like normal, and watched how the naval area moved. Basically, since my belly fat stays out, and it doesn't roll, I'm an OK candidate for the piercing. He used a longer curved barbell and pierced me behind and above the original piercing. So this way the top ball almost covered the scar from the previous piercing.
Ask questions! When I first got this done by Jay, and took home and read the aftercare, I wasn't cleaning the piercing correctly. I was only doing the soaks. I didn't pay attention the the fact I should have been using a light soap like Satin Soap and cleansing the piercing, moving the jewelry to work the soap in. They tell you not to twist or rotate the jewlery, and in my mind that even meant when you cleanse. All I did was wash lightly outside the piercing.
Now it's been about 2 weeks, and all is well. Jay recommended sleeping on my back and using a snug white tee-shirt during the healing process to keep it clean at night. I'm doing all the usual things, salt water soaks and cleaning with Satin soap. It's not forming any keloids and I went to the shop yesterday and the piercer on duty said it looked great for 2 weeks.
One thing.. .everyone says "don't wear tight clothes" etc etc., but it's more than that. I notice just even loose jeans bother the piercing, and the waist doesn't sit on the piercing, just the fly does. It's that rubbing friction motion. So I started wearing a clean snug shirt underneath my regular top to tuck into my jeans, protecting the healing. That's been a nice help in making the piercing not be sensative and irritated.
Lastly...and I totally blame myself, not Jay in any way. When they mark you, if you look at it and think it needs to be moved, say something. I did, and yet I kept my mouth shut thinking, it was the angle, or something, and he was looking right at my navel and wouldn't miss. Well, the piercing is just the tiniest bit crooked. It comes out the top just a bit to my right. I think long term, once it's healed, this is not going to be any issue, but I keep thinking.. shoulda said something about that dot!
Thank you!