There are tons of stories on here, but I hope my experience shows you one more aspect of the nipple-piercing ordeal.
At A Glance Author jacks Contact angelbaby121783@hotmail.com When Three months ago Artist Steve Studio Reigning Color tattoo Location Bloomington, IL I think I should give you a little bit of background on me to help you understand what I went through with this piercing. I grew up with a mother and father who threatened to kick me out of the house if I got my navel pierced. Once I went to college, they threatened my tuition. Because of this, and the fact I like shirts that show my abdomen, I decided I would never get my navel pierced.
I have also always thought that nipple piercing was very sexy. I had a short relationship with a person who had his done and I fell in love with them. Whenever I saw them, I imagined myself with them. But, of course, I could never tell my parents about it. I have never really defied my parents to any type of extreme disobedience (piercing included).
I brought it up to my boyfriend Kyle and he completely supported me. He told me about this site and how to look at the different pages. He showed me the confessionals and I spent a lot of time looking at how people reacted to the actual piercing and whether or not I could handle the pain of it. Kyle kept reminding me that it was about 10 seconds of pain for years of enjoyment. He handles pain much better than I do. I am terrified of twisting an ankle just because it might hurt. So of course, inflicting pain on my nipple (paying for it even) was almost too much. But I kept reading.
I read some stories that said that it did not hurt at all. Actually, it was more like a burning sensation. Well I work at a bar and grill. I can do burn; I have done that plenty of times. There were some that said that it hurt a lot. It literally felt like a needle being pushed through flesh. (Owwwww!) When I read these I was scared, very scared to even go look for a good shop. But always at the end was the person saying it wasn't something they would ever take back. Usually if given the chance, they would do it again! That really got me thinking. Why would they want to do it again if it hurt so much? I decided that it was because it wasn't that bad! It couldn't be. They wouldn't still want them if they were so bad!
So I looked at the sites rules for what I should look for in a good shop. That was hard. There were many things to look for. I went to a few shops and saw so many things wrong that I couldn't help but just walk out! At the beginning of the school year, a few of the girls on my floor (in the dorm at college) got their navels pierced and recommended me to the same piercer, Steve. So, I got his number and called him. I talked to him directly (which was nice instead of talking to a secretary).
I asked him about how he would do the actual piercing, what I should do before hand and what he recommended for aftercare. He went through the procedure with me and apparently heard the reprehension in my voice because he said that everything would be fine and that I could call him anytime. I defiantly did. I think I called another four times before I actually went to the shop. I brought a few of my friends with me to make sure I didn't back out. I really wanted this but I wasn't sure I could sit long enough for him to shove the needle through.
I entered into the room and checked everything out. I looked at the table and went toward it thinking I had to be on it. My mind flashed back to tons of pictures of women lying on a table as a piercer stood over her with a needle in one hand and clamps in the other. I went to it but he told me instead to sit in a chair. Then we chatted. He told me to just breathe a little bit and relax. We talked about what I would feel and how to breathe. He told me that I should breathe in for three counts then breathe out for three counts. I should count slowly and he would tell me when to start. He told me step by step what he was doing.
Steve took a purple marker and placed dots on either side of my nipple. He put on the clamps and showed me why he placed it there. (I had decided to only do one nipple and had chosen the left one to start with.) He then put some Vaseline on the needle and showed it to me. (I am a nursing major and so I want to see everything.) I watched as he told me to take a deep breath in. He pushed it in as I blew out the second breath. He pushed the needle in just far enough so that the bevel (the slanted part of a needle) came out the other side. That wasn't too bad at all! It burned and I moaned a little but it was ok! Now for the jewelry.
Steve slipped the CBR into the hole and it was over. One breath and that was it. I was done. Well, almost finished. He then had to use a pair of pliers to bring the two ends of the CBR together so that the ball stayed in. This part hurt a lot. He twisted and pulled a little. That part hurt. Then it was over. That was it. It didn't even hurt bad enough to not want to get the other one done. But not that day. On to aftercare!
Steve gave me a spray (x-pression) that I was supposed to spray on twice after my shower and then before bed. I took it still euphoric from the actual piercing and hardly heard anything else he told me. He said to take some Advil and if it started to bleed to put ice on it. If I needed anything to call him and not to wait if it was still really sore after 3 weeks. So I went back to the dorm and showed everyone! I didn't bruise and it was so cute! But did it stay that way in the weeks that followed?
Yes, spare one day. After about 4 days of wearing a bra to bed and nothing happening, I decided that I knew better than the piercer (note to self, I am not) and I went to bed without a bra on. I woke up the next morning with it turned all the way to the ball and on the opposite side was a large blood clot. I freaked out for a few seconds and called Kyle. I asked him what I should do. He told me to clean it and if I had any problems or other concerns to call Steve. So I cleaned it up with mild soap and water. Once it was clean I took a shower and sprayed the aftercare on it. It wouldn't stop bleeding though. I put a clean band-aid on the piercing (and cleaned it) once every 4-6 hours. Eventually after about a day and a half it stopped bleeding. It has been great ever since. It was only sore for about 2 weeks and I am sure it would have been less than that if I would quite bumping it on stuff (brushing up against people, taking off bras, taking corners too fast). You have no idea how often your nipple hits things until you have it pierced. I really don't have any advice for people. I am not really good at giving it out so I will let you read other's testimonies for the advice. I am just going to say, that it was an amazing experience. I am definitely going to get the other one done.
If you have any other questions just e-mail me at angelbaby121783@hotmail.com