This is the story of my awesome side-navel surface piercings. And I would also like to coin a term for this piercing, "navel wings". I think it has a nice ring to it!
At A Glance Author Erin Contact Erin@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Pauly Studio Axis Tattoo Location Corpus Christi, TX It's been about 2 years since I got my last piercing so I was getting the cravings, most of you know what I'm talking about. I got my first true piercing, my lebret, a month after I turned 18 and there was no stopping me after that! Over the years I've had 16-18 piercings, it's getting hard to remember the actual number. My upper navel was the last one I had done until yesterday. I was kind of reluctant to get the normal, every day, run of the mill navel piercing because I like getting more "alternative" piercings. I have the webbing of my tongue and 2 high gauge holes in each earlobe. I also had my septum, vertical nipples, tragus, and one in my rook area that the piercer named a mini industrial, along with many others, but those are all stories for another time. I had an emergency surgery earlier this year and they removed and lost half of my jewelry at the hospital. After a week there I went home and found a few of my holes had closed up on me. I knew I needed more work done, and soon!
I knew when I woke up yesterday that I was going to get something done but all the way to the studio I was blank on what I should get. I walked in and instantly it came to me, two barbells coming up diagonally from either side of my top navel piercing. Pauly, the artist, went to set up the room. When he was ready he called me in. I asked if my brother could come in to watch and he said it was fine as long as he stayed out of the way in the corner and didn't touch anything. We walked in and he had me stand up to mark the angles. This process took about a half an hour, he kept calling someone in every once in a while to check the placement. You know, I never realized how asymmetrical my navel was until I saw the lines there. I decided diagonal was not the best placement so we started over, this time with side placement framing my navel. I felt kind of bad considering all the work he had just done on those lines but I just couldn't stand the thought of enhancing the asymmetry of my navel. Then he got started with the task of marking the lines on the side of my navel, more like two surface piercings on the outside of my navel than two side nave piercings. One try with the ink and toothpick and he had it perfect, like it was meant to be. I looked at the marks in the mirror and showed them to my brother. He said they were going to look really good and I agreed with him. I really don't think there is any better place than what we had chosen.
I lay down on the freshly sanitized table and then I started getting the flutters of excitement. It seems like I never really get nervous until I'm actually on the table with gloved hands and needles working above me. He called in another artist to assist him and got started. He held the skin above the marking and had the other guy hold the skin below the line. I got myself in the "zone", then without any warning or "breathe in, now breathe out" (I like it better this way) I feel a pinch, poke, pop, slide, and release of fingers. The right needle was through. I always prepare for a lot more pain than what I end up feeling, and this was no exception. Then came the unnerving part, the part that makes me the most uncomfortable, jewelry was inserted into the end of the needle and pushed through. This is always, without fail, the only part of the process that actually makes me cringe. Next! The process started on the other side; pinch, poke, pop, slide, and release. Jewelry insertion was a bit more uncomfortable on this side because I knew it was coming. The balls were threaded on and Pauly stepped back to admire his work. They both said it looked perfect. I stood up and they took a couple of pictures then I turned and had a look in the mirror. Perfect! I fell instantly in love with them! My brother had a look and smiled. I think they are the perfect additions to my growing collection.
It's the next day now and there is no redness and hardly any soreness. I am using a mixture of healing techniques with these. Anti bacterial soap diluted in the shower and that fast drying anti bacterial sanitizing hand gel around the area 4 times a day, not near the holes, just to keep the area clean. I hope to enjoy these for many years.