The two questions I have been getting most often for the last two months have been "How bad did it hurt?" and "Why in the world?" It took me quite a while to come up with answers that are acceptable to those two questions. Here is my story:
At A Glance Author Gwen_Noy Contact Gwen_Noy@bme.anon When Three months ago Artist Kim Studio RawViolet Location Santa Maria, CA It basically started out with my friend Kelly telling me she was getting a tattoo in about a week, she showed me the design and I was extremely jealous. I had just turned 18 and had literally done nothing that proved my existence as a legal and consenting adult. I've always been the good kid with a fairly high GPA and with two conservative parents. I was a fairly liberal person, but I had strong reasons not to be too liberal-looking. I had always wanted a piercing but my mother had always said "No facial piercings until you are out of the house, and living on your own buck."
So with that fact in mind, I started thinking about what I could get done. I was totally against a tattoo, as I change my mind as often as the weather changes; a tat was just too permanent. I had also ruled out genital piercings, figuring it was too painful. I couldn't have a piercing that would show without first a long discussion with my parents, and I didn't want to face that. That essentially left nipple piercings.
Now the idea of nipple piercings just didn't pop into my head, I had been interested by them for several years. Every time I saw guy or girl with nipple piercings I always thought they looked really good. It would be an understatement to say that I was interested in them. There were also two other private reasons for wanting to get my nipples pierced. I recently undertook a weight-loss program which has caused me to lose about 80 lbs. I had about thirty more pounds to go until I reached my goal weight and I figured this was the perfect reward/encouragement for the weight loss. I figured that if I got my nipples done, I would be further inspired to lose the weight, so I could show them off.
I was a cutter for several years throughout high school and junior high. In my senior year I made a concentrated effort to stop this self-mutilation; I was extremely successful and did not self-mutilate for over a year. Mind you, I went from cutting every day to stopping for an entire year. I figured that these nipple piercings were a reward for two jobs well done.
The original date set for Wednesday March 31. We drove a half-hour to the studio we thought we both wanted, but unfortunately when we got there it was packed and we were informed that we would have to wait at least a day, and get an appointment. I walked away, both relieved and saddened by the news of the delayed piercing. I was relieved because this gave me a chance to research the piercing more. I had looked at it before but, I now began to look into the stories in depth and read as much as possible. I read several stories that said the pain was unbearable and several others who said the pain was nothing. I read where some piercings healed in a week, while others took almost a half a year to heal. With these mixed reviews I called my local piercing studio, RawViolet, and got an appointment. It was fairly expensive, seventy dollars but I figured for the service I would be getting it would definitely be worth it.
A week and one day after I had originally gone to get pierced, I headed to RawViolet. I entered the studio, and my mind was swarming. The guy behind the counter immediately greeted me warmly, and I asked if they had any photos of piercings. He asked "What piercings are you specifically interested in?" and I told him about the piercing I wanted. He handed me a book and said "Good luck, people who get those done are pretty brave!" I sat down and started looking through the book. There were a lot of photos of pierced nipples and all of the piercings looked to be good. I called my friend Josh, who was going to get his nipples done the night before. I figured I wanted one more experience before I got mine done.
Josh's story certainly wasn't encouraging. He broke two needles trying to get through one nipple and he described the pain as being the type "where you can't even breathe." Also, he said that he almost cried and that he would never go back to get them pierced again for anything in the world. These were pretty strong statements coming from a friend, and I certainly got a little afraid.
After a little careful thought, I decided it was now or never. I paid the guy behind the counter for the full fee, and he took my I.D. I filled out a questionnaire that asked fairly basic questions just seeing if I was at full mental capacity, etc. They checked my ID very carefully, which certainly made me feel more comfortable. A guy in a wheelchair wandered in as Kelly and I continued to look through the books. Also, her friend (her name is also Kelly) wandered in for emotional support. The guy in the wheelchair rolled around a little bit until he called out to Kim (my piercer) "Hey, you got any tit clamps?!" This made me highly uncomfortable and I was closing to just getting up and leaving. He continued to ask questions looking for rather perverted items, but after a while I just started concentrating on my own experience.
A few minutes later, Kim called me into the piercing room. It was exactly as I expected, looking as much like a dentist's office as it possibly could. Kim autoclaved my needles and jewelry and put on two pairs of gloves. She shook my hand, with the elbow handshake. As she wiped disinfectant on my nipple, I nervously asked her if she did these often. Her reply was "Not very, most people can't handle the pain, and are too afraid to even try." My nerves shot up about twenty percent, until Kelly (the new one) asked Kim if she could have some candy, from the jar that was about two feet away. This certainly broke the tension in the room, and relaxed me. I was still extremely nervous and not really paying attention to anything that was going on. Remembering this now, it seems as if everything is now sort of fuzzy.
She clamped my right nipple first. I guess I must have been extremely nervous, because I didn't even feel the clamp at all. Kelly (the old one) held my left hand as Kim explained to me that I was going to breathe in; she was going to ask "Ok?" I was to nod and exhale. As I was exhaling, she would pierce.
I took a deep breath in and nodded. As I breathed out, she pushed the needle through and I felt very little of anything. The only way I can describe it was, a needle going through my nipple. At the time, I described it as feeling like a noodle went through my nipple, but I believe I was more than high on the endorphins.
Kim turned around and said "Damn! You got some tough nipples! I don't think I've ever had to push that hard before!" I elicited a very uncomfortable laugh that sounded something like "Heejjjjjh." After another deep breath I elicited a higher-than-normal pitched "Thanks." Kim asked if I was ok, and told me she was going to move onto the next nipple. She switched places with Kelly and told me this side was going to be the same. She clamped the nipple and I didn't feel it again. I breathed in and nodded as she asked.
If there is one truth in almost all the stories I read, this is true: the second one hurts so much worse than the first. I squeezed Kelly's hand as hard as I could, gritted my teeth, moaned and accidentally kicked Kim in the shin. She said "It was OK. I've had way worse happen to me." I didn't really kick her that hard, but it was a natural reaction to the person who was causing me pain. When she pierced the nipple, it felt something like time stopped. I could feel everything that was going on in that room. I felt every breath that was inhaled in that room and I was totally aware. I understand the sentiment that piercing connects you to the universe. I have never felt as alive than at that one moment.
I stood up slowly; Kim wanted to make sure I was OK. I walked around a little bit and felt fine. I couldn't believe it had gone so fast. Kim went over aftercare with me, and it seemed simple enough. Wash daily, clean the "crusties", and soak in sea salt. If you want to put a little aloe on them that's ok, the usual stuff you hear.
Aftercare has been extremely easy. I washed twice a day for the first month and a half. I also soaked at least once a day for that time. I recently cut back to washing once a day, after making sure that there was no extra build up when I cut back on the washings. I also cut back my soaking to every other day, as Kim told me that was OK. I recommend you check with your personal piercer for their own opinion, they are experts. The hardest part has been some things hitting my nipples, and it does hurt like a mofo, but after a few days, you definitely learn to work around it.
After piercing, you will notice a very significant rise in sensitivity in your nipples. I'll never forget when my friend leaned over and sort of gently nibbled on my nipple. I just let out a little scream, and felt the weirdest experience in my life. Countless friends have rubbed my nipples and the sensation is truly indescribable. My nipples are probably about ten times as sensitive as they once were.
If you're thinking about getting this done, I would say "Go for it!" Does it hurt? Yes, it does hurt. That is why I also recommend that you never get a piercing unless you have some very specific reasons for it. While piercings are not permanent, they do become a big aspect of your life, so make sure you get what you really want. This piercing was definitely worth it for me, and I think the same would be true for anyone who seriously considers this piercing.
So, in conclusion, this piercing is totally worth any difficulties involved, and is a truly awesome piercing. In fact, I'm now tempted to get a double nipple piercing. If you do decided to get a nipple piercing, I wish you the best of luck with it.