I have been interested in getting a piercing for at least the past three years, but I never was able to for various reasons, including age, money, parental consent, and trying to find time. I am currently 15, but my piercing experience happened when I was 14.
At A Glance Author Ginny Contact Ginny@bme.anon When A year ago Location Raleigh, NC I was deciding between an eyebrow, navel, or a labret piercing. I opted for the belly button because it was the most simple, painless, and commonly done out of the three options. Since I was 14, I had to have parental consent in order to get it done by a tattoo and body mod studio. After a bit of arguing, I finally convinced my dad to allow me to get it done. But there was another obstacle, money. I don't make much money at all considering I don't have a job, so it was hard to find somewhere I could afford. And for that reason I decided on having my friends dad, who was a plastic surgeon pierce it. He also had the access to numbing shots, which I want to use during the procedure. I'm a total whimp when it comes to any pain.
I was really nervous during the days counting up to the procedure, mainly because I have a pretty bad fear of needles. So, the day finally came. I got the area numbed, and decided on a standard gauge piercing. Obviously, when the actual needle went through I couldn't even feel any pain, due to the shots. It just felt like an odd bruising pain, some what hard to explain. I used a sterling silver bar that I had purchased earlier in the day instead of a ring. Mainly because, I just like the look of a curved bar better. Right after I got it done, it bled quite a bit. Much more than I had expected, and it continued to bleed through multiple band-aids through out the day. I just kind of figured this was normal, so I did not bother going back for a check up or whatever from my friends dad (the plastic surgeon who did my piercing). I twisted it around a lot to make sure it would heal right, but tried not to play with it too much, in order to keep as much bacteria out of it as I could. I cleaned it everyday with rubbing alcohol, twice a day, as directed, but still the bleeding did not stop for about five days. It also hurt a considerable amount for about a month. I'm talking like so bad it was had to sit down or do any ab work outs.
It finally healed properly about six months after I had had it done, but I still was not pleased with the outcome because it did not look like my friends. Apparently, not enough skin was pierced, so it looked a bit awkward just being held in my a thin strip of skin. Everything was fine as far as pain and healing go for the next two months. Then, I got the same bruising pain back that I had gotten in the first month of healing. It started scabbing up really bad, and the whole area around my belly button turned bright red. I assumed it was an infection, so I started cleaning it again and twisting it. The scabs started flaking off pretty bad, and the skin holding the bar in kept getting thinner and thinner. I was at boarding school at the time, so I could not see a doctor nor piercing artist about what I should do about it. I started to get considerably worried, but I was not sure what to do with it, so I just left it in hoping that it would some how magically just get better. Not a good idea. About a month after all this started happening, the bar totally ate through the skin and came out.
Now I have a pretty nasty scar there with a lot of scar tissue around that whole area, which never healed back quite right. I am going to get it re-pierced to try to cover up the scar, if that is possible. Next time I am going to go to a real piercing studio to make sure the job is done right. I would not suggest to anyone to ever get any piercings by anyone other than a pro piercing artist at a good, clean, and highly recommended studio. And if you run in to the same problem as me, make sure you do get it checked out to make sure it is not and infection. Also, next time I will be sure to take very good care of it, because I do not want to have to go through the same bad experience twice. If anyone has any comments, questions, or suggestions don't hesitate to ask.