This story is about how for a year, I had tried to keep a top standard navel piercing, in which, in the end, it had to be retired, unfortunately.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact Buiietcaiiedlife@aol.com When It just happened
-In addition: a portion of this story involves self-piercing. Do not attempt for it can be very dangerous, unless you are a skilled professional. Don't retrace my mistakes; it's not worth it. Get it done professionally. -
In the week of my 16th birthday, October 5th, 2004, as a gift, my aunt decided to take me to a piercing parlor to get my navel pierced. I already had my nipples pierced and 6 lobes. We went to Silver on the mount in Hollywood Circle in Hollywood, Fl. I proceeded in the required necessities (paperwork, billing, standard procedure, etc.) and then 10 minutes later I was called to the back to be poked.
She carefully marked the area to be pierced, and I waited in anticipation for the needle. The piercer, who was by the way, the owner of the store, gave me a blow pop and was talking to me. He was asking me questions about my day and in the middle of my sentence, it went it. I didn't feel it. The thoughts that ran through my head was,"that was it?" I set myself up for way too much, and got back very little. He placed in a 14 g CBR and gave me Betadine and a follow-up date to change the jewelry.
I got home and I was so happy with my new piercing. I cleaned it religiously with the diluted Betadine, and took extra care of it, because I wanted to have it as a permanent piercing. The lower exit hole became a little swollen. But nothing I should have worried about, it was normal. 2 weeks later, I went to get my jewelry changed, and then that's when the problems started.
I didn't know, but I was allergic to Iodine (a main ingredient in betadine, since, that's all it really is, with other medicated ingredients.) My navel began to swell, and ache, and I had to take a daily dose of Tylenol to ease my pain. I did bi-weekly salt soaks, which helped, but my integrated use of the Betadine, literally "murdered" my navel. I took vitamins to keep me healthy, and fight the infection, but no progress commenced.
When I found it got too painful, I went to my piercer for suggestions. She gave me some medicated q-tips, which helped a lot. With trips to the bathroom in-between classes, I cleaned my navel from crust and any excess fluid that came. It started to finally heal.
Weeks passed, and there was no signs of infection, but slowly it started to migrate outwards, and the skin left around it, was no less that 1/2 an inch wide.
I decided to take it out. I'd rather have to get it re-pierced, than have an ugly piercing.
But I couldn't wait that long. I had a friend of mine, who was a skilled piercer, re do it 2 months later. It was fine, until problems started and I had to take it out. My dance classes and all the movement from it prevented me from having one. It shifted it, causing my piercing to reject severely.
Over and over, throughout the summer, I got new piercings, which swelled, healed, and are fine. But, my navel acted up from many different elements, and a large amount of scar tissue (which originally I had thought just to be transdermal scarring) developed, and caused it to be hard, and well, un-aesthetically pleasing.
Now, months and weeks later, it's October 2005.
I had recently just got arrested and was forced to take it out, amongst all my other piercings. The Officers found it funny that it took me an hour to take out all of my piercings, since at that point I had (8 lobes, 1 16 g snug, 1 16 g rook, 3 14g inverse navels, 2 14g labia, 114g Christina, 4 14g horizontal and vertical nipple piercings, 1 16g scrumpter, 1 16g frowny, 1 16 g tongue web, 1 14g tongue piercing, 1 18g nostril piercing, 1 16g septum, 3 16 g cartilage piercings, 1 14g industrial, 1 14g inner conch, and 218g tragii.
When I left, I couldn't put my top navel in, it had already closed. I guess it was a sign that it was time for it to be retired. It was a sad loss, but I'm going to wait for another opportune moment in which I can have it, but done professionally, and better placement.
In addition, during the summer, I re pierced my navel, on my own. I know that self-piercing is dangerous, and just downright unsafe, But it was worth a try in my case. I had pierced my own ears, and re pierced my own nipple piercing, so it wasn't that big of a step. I had a 14 g needle from my own inverse navels. I had asked my piercer if I could keep it, in which he hesitantly agreed to let me have it, for sentimental purposes I guess.
It's always important to talk to skilled professionals on healing, and aftercare for piercings. Not doing so, can lead to serious consiquences, and a loss of a piercing(s)
Get your Body modifications done professionally, and there will be peace and fulfillment in your modifications.
Have a good time getting poked, and remember: be safe.