At A Glance
Author	lusid
Contact	lusid@bme.anon
IAM	lusid
When	A year ago
Location	portland, OR

Because the studio I went to no longer exists, I've left the name of the studio and piercer off this experience.

Background:

I had my left nipple pierced at a 12 gauge on a whim after spring break my freshman year of college. I was picked up by friends from the airport and told that we'd be making a detour on the way home- to the piercing studio. So I quickly made a decision to get my first non-lobe piercing- my nipple. I only did one, and as I was totally uneducated, I let the piercer choose between a 12 and 10 gauge. He was surprised I'd only wanted one nipple, but I did, and I can't really explain why. I suppose I figured that if something went wrong, I'd still have one good nipple. The studio was clean, the procedure went well, and was hardly painful at all. Later, though, I became dissatisfied with the piercing. It was deeper on one side than the other, developed some hypertrophic scarring, and never really healed. After nearly a year of reading BME, I decided I wanted a larger gauge, but I was terrified of stretching. I'd found a new studio and developed a good relationship with the people w orking there. After looking through tons of pictures, I discovered that I actually liked the vertical placement, which previously I didn't like at all. I'd wanted to wear rings, but due to the horror of healing my horizontal piercing, I'd never been able to do so, and I gave up. I decided I wanted to re-do the procedure- I wanted to go bigger, do both, and go vertical. My piercer was thrilled (being a fan of both the vertical placement and larger gauges).

Process:

One of the worst parts was taking the old one out to let it heal over. I was told I'd have to wait at least three weeks after removal to re-do them, and I felt naked without the jewelry. I'd grown attached to it. I waited exactly three weeks and showed up at the studio. "I want do both my nipples at an 8," I said. I signed all the forms and the girl at the counter went to dig through the jewelry. "We don't have anything in an 8," she said. I was horribly disappointed. The piercer, somebody I had grown to trust completely with a needle, came out holding a packet. "We do have these 7/8" barbells in a 6, though." I took a look and they seemed HUGE. No way, I thought. Not one to mince words, he told me about the advantages of a bigger gauge. Noticing my hesitation, he said, "I'm not here to talk you into this. Either I put them in you or I don't." And somehow, that did it. "Okay," I said, "Let's do this."

We went into the back room and I took my shirt off and stood for the marking, which seemed good to me. He set up a tray, changing gloves several times. I took a look at the needles, commenting on how the last thing I'd had done was 6ga in my earlobes, and here I was about to put that through my nipples... he told me not to look, thinking that I'd get scared, but once I've made a decision I don't back out. No matter what I felt as I looked at that tray, I was going through with this. The girl who worked the counter asked to watch, and I said that was fine. I laid down on the table and began my breathing pattern as I tried to relax and put out of my mind what was about to happen. I trusted this man's hands entirely and I was ready for this. He lined me up, touching the needle to skin on the left side, and I took a deep breath. On the exhale, he pierced.

And it felt good.

It didn't hurt. I felt the flesh give way to metal and it felt RIGHT. He inserted the jewelry and I hardly felt a thing. I opened my eyes and said something along the lines of "That wasn't so bad." He smiled at me and asked if I'd like him to do the second one before I ran out of endorphins. I answered in the affirmative and he leaned over me to do the right side. I closed my eyes and began to breathe.

And it hurt like HELL.

It burned, it felt like stabbing, twisting, shearing pain. I wanted it over, NOW. I don't know how I stayed silent. I was swearing like I didn't know I was capable of in my head. Remembering it makes me shudder. He inserted the jewelry and I think O mumbled something like "That was a little sharper..."

He cleaned me off and I sat up.

He asked me how it had felt, considering that I'd had my left nipple pierced before. It was a very different experience from the first time, and it felt the way i think a piercing should- right, somehow. I think he went right behind the scar tissue, because I really felt none of the pain that I've heard associated with going through that kind of tissue. The right side, which hadn't been pierced before, was the painful one. I think we missed the endorphin window or something.

And then I looked in the mirror. They seemed HUGE. "Holy shit," I thought, "What have I done?" But I was grinning. I sat for a moment to collect myself, and the right nipple continued to bleed. They gave me a box of juice, which I drank even though I didn't really want it. Eventually I gingerly put my clothes back on, took my aftercare sheet and complimentary sea salt, thanked everybody, paid and tipped, and made my way home. Walking like an old lady.

The Morning After:

I woke up and looked in the mirror. "Holy shit," I thought, "They're perfect." And I've been in love with them ever since. The size is great, I think they work very well with the proportions of my body (I'm not big; 5'7/120lbs, B-cup breasts).

Aftercare:

I did sea-salt soaks a couple times a day. I slept in a bra for a week, and I still don't like to sleep topless. They bled for several days, though not too much. They were much easier to manage than the 12 gauge, though the one on the right has still not healed (I've noticed the right side of my body has far more problems than the left). I wash in the shower with Dr.Bronner's soap, which is gentle enough for them. A week after having them done I went in for a checkup. I was told they looked great, and the piercer even asked if I'd mind showing a couple other people. I was so happy with them that I didn't mind at all. I don't know why I didn't do this years ago; I don't know why more people don't go for the larger gauges. They are to this day my favorite piece of work.

Notes:

They are nearly impossible to hide without padded bras. I've gotten used to this. I'd rather not wear padded bras, so I save them for family and job interviews. I was told that at 6g and up, the metal can be heavy, and if I noticed the top bead sinking into my skin they'd change me to glass, but I never had this problem. I also really like the look of the steel. My nipples became a LOT more sensitive after this procedure, and I can sometimes find a seatbelt rubbing against my chest uncomfortable. Overall, though, I am ecstatic with the results.