I am obsessed.
At A Glance Author Aaron Contact hatch@fordham.edu When Three months ago Artist Jamie Studio New York Adorned Location New York, NY It seems silly; everybody thinks I'm crazy and probably really annoying because of it. Even my girlfriend, who worked at a tattoo and piercing shop and has an interest in body modification thinks I'm a little bit over the top, often telling me that I'm "sick" and that I am "such a geek." I'm sorry, baby, but being obsessed to the point of being considered sick and a geek is the stuff that love is made of! Learn it!
As it is, I'm just totally crazy about body modification. I scour the tomes of BMEzine nearly every day, looking at picture after picture, reading experiences on nearly everything. The silliest part about this whole obsession is that up until only recently, my only modification, aside from haircuts, orthodonture, and other more socially acceptable forms of altering my appearance, was a solitary earlobe piercing. It was self-done, even, and horribly placed, far too low and off center. That was nearly five years ago now, and I have trouble just taking it out and hoping for it to heal up so that I can finally do something of aesthetic value instead. The sentimental value I have for that piercing outweighs any aesthetic element, I think.
At any rate, given that I grew up in a fairly traditional household with a mother who was anti anything that may be perceived as rebellious or unconventional, getting away with even that piercing proved difficult. So as I left to the ever experimental, not to mention drunken, world of college living I found myself completely ready to make some huge mistakes. Fortunately for me, I didn't rush into anything too permanent and instead decided to really concentrate on what I wanted and what would mean the most to me, given that any kind of piercing or tattoo should be considered permanent. Even thinking back to a few years ago and considering how stupid my ideas for tattoos were back then gave me reason enough to make sure to be damn convinced on anything I wanted.
After some deliberation, which amazingly took longer that even that entire introduction, I determined that nipple piercings were to be my first piercing. This had several reasons: 1) I had seen somebody with them on TV years and years ago and from that moment onward thought they were totally cool dude, 2) I always had very small nipples and while I did not think this was a bad thing, thought that adding some jewelry to them might make them stand out a little bit more, 3) after my girlfriend introduced me to the incredible sensation a guy can actually experience through nipple play I was entirely turned on to the idea of increased sensation through piercing, and finally, 4) having something semi-private would both eliminate the possibility of my mom finding out about them and appropriately freaking out and would be something special to both me and my girlfriend being that not many people would now about them.
Being that I live in New York City now most of the year, I had a whole slew of options as to where to get these piercings done; however, I know that many of the piercing shops in New York aren't that reputable and I was definitely not interested in devoting myself to something like this only to find out that it's crooked or migrated out due to poor placement. My girlfriend worked at a tattoo shop in Maryland over the summer as I mentioned before, and the artists there said that one of the most reputable shops in NYC was New York Adorned. I then searched on BME for experiences involving this place and found them all to be quite positive. I was sold.
At this point I was wholly committed. It wasn't a matter of wanting them anymore; I just plain needed to have my nipples pierced. Once I get an image of myself in my mind, I simply have to reconcile that with my actual physical appearance or else I'll obsess over it for weeks, even months. I decided on a day when I would be mostly free, two days before classes started first semester sophomore year, and went down to the village with my girlfriend to New York Adorned, adrenaline already pumping in anticipation.
I burst in the door and Jamie (the man who would end up piercing me) and the girl behind the desk looked up, to which I proclaimed, "I want to have my nipples pierced!" before they could even ask. I filled out the following paperwork, paid, and within several minutes Jamie took me back to one of the piercing rooms, which I was extremely impressed with. I was expecting sanitary, but this was just like a doctor's office. This immediately put me at ease. He walked me through the procedure, and then it commenced. At this point my heart was nearly beating through my chest. I was seriously psyched. He took out all his supplies, changed his gloves more often than I could count, and then warned me that it would pinch a little bit. I expected more than pinching. I expected correctly.
Jamie told me to take three breaths and on the third breath he would pierce. This was possibly the most nerve-wracking part of the whole experience. Knowing that on the third breath it would happen made me take my breaths really slowly in order to prepare myself mentally for what was to come. On the third breath the needle went through and I must say, that was some pinch indeed. I'm an avid skateboarder and have become accustomed to getting hurt and being in pain, but this tested even my tolerance, if only for a second. I gripped the bench and clenched my teeth, and then the shiny barbell was inserted. This procedure was repeated for the second nipple and I nearly jumped off the bench to look at them in the mirror. It was perfect, exactly as I had pictured it in my imagination.
Smiling from ear to ear, I tipped Jamie and thanked him profusely. He explained aftercare to me and handed me a pamphlet on caring for my new piercings but I think I was experiencing such a fantastic endorphin rush I barely retained any of it. Fortunately, I already had memorized the entire aftercare regimen.
The nipples were quite sore the rest of that day, and continued to be a little sore for three or four days after this. I also experienced some bruising for a couple days. In addition to this, they bled on and off for several days as well, although I attribute this to the fact that I somewhat carelessly consumed mass quantities of alcohol the night I got my piercings, so I imagine my blood was fairly thin.
I washed using antibacterial, unscented soap once a day and made sure to remove any crusties. Things were going quite well for two months or so, just about perfect I'd say, when suddenly I noticed a bump coming up on my right nipple right next to one of the exit holes. This was cause for some concern. I was fairly certain it was hypertrophic scarring, and as I searched BME this assumption was confirmed. I read up on ways to treat this, and opted first for the leave it the hell alone method, assuming I had just over cleaned it and it was irritated. This worked for a while, but after a week or so with the bump going down, it came back in full force and remained for weeks. It wasn't sore or hot, so I figured it wasn't infected. I just kept cleaning, hoping for the best, but mostly hoping it wasn't a reaction to the jewelry, as I did not want to pony up the cash for titanium.
Unfortunately, my left nipple started developing a bump as well, and this one was much worse. At this time, both nipples started getting sore as well again, and I experienced pain in my chest, underneath the nipples it felt, on and off all day for several days. I decided that something needed to be done. I was going home for Thanksgiving at this same time and decided I would buy some different soap to use during that time, hoping that maybe it was just a reaction to the soap I was using.
It seems as though this was the case. Several years ago my dad got on this "alternative healing" kick and invested in all kinds of different salves and washes, one of them including Dr. Bronner's magic soap, which is all natural and made out of eucalyptus extract. I was all for trying this out, mostly because I knew this was the shit that koalas got high off of so I was expecting a truly sensory experience. This turned out to be somewhat true as the soap tingled quite uniquely and smelled absolutely fantastic. It was altogether very soothing.
I washed my nipples thoroughly and then cleaned off any crusties, as my nipples were doing more so than usual lately, and went on my way. When I awoke the next day I thought to check on my piercings and amazingly enough, both bumps were nearly gone, just small remnants of what they were but a day ago, with no soreness, and literally no crusting at all. I was convinced it was Dr. Bronner's magic at work. I used this soap that night as well and the next day the results continued. Both bumps were now completely gone and my nipples are looking better than they have in weeks!
Now, these are my results at the time of writing this. I am fairly convinced it was only a reaction to the soap I was using and am extremely pleased with Dr. Bronner's soap, as it appears to be working wonders for my piercings so far. I will continue to be diligent though, as I am very committed to making sure these piercings stay healthy. I've become very attached to them and admittedly was sad and afraid when the trouble started and continued to worsen as the idea of having to remove them was terrible to think about. I love them to be quite honest and am very happy with my decision to go through with it.
Any more mods on the horizon? Of course. I'm always planning, the gears in my head turning constantly with a constant slew of ideas. I've got numerous tattoo ideas, always increasing, and several more piercings on my agenda, although I'm in no rush. I've got a lifetime to enjoy the benefits of any mod I decide to get, so I'm making sure I make the right choice for myself, and at this moment, nipple piercings turned out to be just that.