My nipple piercing was one I had thought about for quite a long time before going through with it. Most of my other piercings were very spontaneous decisions, but not this one. I had done a lot of research here at BME, so I felt really prepared once I made the decision to do it. My boyfriend & I were making a trip up to Virginia to see HIM. It was going to be a very big deal because we had backstage laminates & were going to get to meet & hang out with the band members. We left late at night so we could get there early in the morning, but just our luck, we ended up getting a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, which put us back about 3 hours. So we ended up getting to my uncles house in Virginia around 10 in the morning...& we were supposed to be at the venue around 4 or 5, because the boyfriend had some business to take care of there before the show. (he does music promotion) I had decided I was going to go ahead with the nipple piercing the day of the concert, so I was a bit spastic worrying that there wasnt enough time. Neither of us had gotten any sleep, & add that to the anxiety of the concert & the piercing, I was a bit crazy. :D I looked up the local piercing shop in the phonebook, asked about prices, & set an appointment. I had never gotten any piercings done there before, but I had shopped there quite a lot on my other trips to VA, & I had a couple friends who had gotten pierced there, so I felt comfortable with them.
At A Glance Author disposedstar Contact disposedstar@bme.anon When A year ago Studio Urban Xchange. Location Newport News, Virginia. After (quickly) showering, getting dressed, & having a knee-high boots crisis, we were out of the house & on our way to the mall for my appointment at Urban Xchange . Turns out we were a bit early, which I was happy about, because it gave me time to walk around the mall, grab a bit to eat, & psych myself up for it. I dont know why I insist on torturing myself like this, I do it everytime I get a piercing. I have to prolong the waiting. For some reason I always think its going to help with nervousness, but it generally actually makes it worse. :D So we split a piece of pizza, & when I decided I was ready, we went back to the shop. I talked to the guy who was going to be doing it (which my boyfriend didnt seem to thrilled about...but whatcha gonna do?) He was very professional about it which I really appreciated, & we looked over ring options for a few minutes. I had wanted to get it done with a straight barbell, but I was told that its harder for a piercing to heal with a straight barbell, because it cant be moved around to allow soap to get it, etc. So I settled on a small silver horseshoe. I was asked if my nipple was small, medium, or large, which I thought was kinda funny at the time because I wasnt really sure. I dont generally compare my nipples to other ones. :D So I just said medium, & took the middle road. He asked if I wanted both done, or just one. I only wanted my right nipple done, not both.
I was led to the piercing room, & David came with me because I asked him to. I was laid back in a doctors-type chair, & watched as the piercer cleaned everything up & made sure everything was autoclaved, etc. Everything was perfect. He asked me to go ahead & unbutton my dress (I wore a black & red striped Dickies dress to make it easier, that way I wouldnt have to take my entire shirt off, I could just pull the side over), & upon doing this, I noticed an icky/jealous look on Davids face. hehe. So, it turns out my nipples are small. Yay. He cleaned my nipple up. :D My heart was beating pretty fast at this point but I was trying to will myself to just chill out. I decided watching David would be the best way to do that, cause he kept making funny faces at me, to relax me & divert my attention. The piercer told me to take a few deep breaths, & on the third exhale he was going to pierce. I just stared at David. I was originally going to watch the piercing being done, because Ive done this with all my others, but I just didnt want to this time. So on the third exhale, the needle went through. No pain. I actually about died laughing because like I said, I was staring at my boyfriend the entire time, & when the needle went through, he looked like he was going to either pass out or throw up.Then I could feel him putting the jewelry through, which felt pretty weird. Bahaha...So I was laughing at Davids reaction & the piercer was like "Wow, thats not a reaction I generally get." :D He told me how good I did, & then I looked down to see a horseshoe right through my right nipple. No blood or anything. The end balls werent on yet, so it looked kinda funny, especially since my nipple was super-erect. (Eventually my nipple chilled out, & thank god, isnt permanently erect.) He screwed the balls on tight, cleaned it up again, & voila, I was done!! He told me to sit up slow in case I got faintish, but I wasnt feeling faint at all. I felt energized & excited. I buttoned my dress back up, & just couldnt stop smiling. David looked "\Ãw€ë so shocked I just couldnt stop laughing about it. So the piercer went through all the aftercare with me very carefully, which I really appreciated, & gave me lots of little tips to keep it clean & healing fast. We came back out into the main area of the shop, & waited to pay & buy my aftercare stuff. I bought Satin soap to wash with, & also some sea salt spray called H20cean. When they rang me up & said "90" something dollars, I gasped. I was like..."WHAT! They told me on the phone it was 40 something!" Turns out they had rang me up for TWO nipple piercings when I had only gotten one done. Ahaha...with a sigh of relief I handed over the money (50 something dollars total), got my little bag of aftercare & aftercare intructions, & walked out with a big grin on my face. I had finally gotten the piercing Id been dying for. I hadnt put my bra back on because I wanted to let it have air & not be constricted. My dress rubbing up against it felt very very odd...but in a good way. I kept telling David how my dress was turning me on. Haha...& its true, when your nipple is pierced, just about everything that touches it sends you into la-la land. :D
Just a little word of advice, though...its probably not the BEST idea to get your nipple pierced on the night of a concert, if you know at some point youre going to be in the pit. :D We had been backstage & met the boys, & hung out for awhile, but at some point we decided we wanted to see the show from up front in the pit, atleast for awhile. My piercing kept getting bumped & it was definitely not pleasant, because it was sore to the touch. That night when we came home I had a little trouble sleeping, because I normally sleep on my stomach but doing that hurt a bit.
But I got my nipple pierced on the day I met Ville Valo, & its kinda dorky, but everytime I see my piercing thats what I think about. Talk about a souvenir. ;D
The soreness subsided very quickly, Id say about 2 days. Wearing a bra didnt bother me after a couple days, & neither did sleeping on my tummy. I have small breasts (36B), so I dont know if that has anything to do with it. But it was very easy, & it healed very quickly, too. They told me itd be about 9 months before it healed 100%, but I know it was much sooner than that, because its about 10 months now & its been healed for much longer than that, from what I can tell.
I cleaned it twice everyday with Satin, & moved the horseshoe around to allow the soap to get inside & clean it out. I did the sea salt spray twice a day, also. Other than that, I left it alone. I didnt play with it, & I went braless as often as possible to allow it to have air. After a few weeks, my nipple started to get a little dry from all the washing, so I started putting tiny dabs of vaseline on the tip of my nipple to keep it moist, because the nipples dont naturally have pores so they get dry very easily. I was very careful not to let any of the vaseline get too close to the piercing.
Ive had no problems at all with my piercing. No scar tissue, no bleeding, no pus, no crusties even. Its like the piercing from heaven. & It makes my booby very, very happy. ;D You never even realize how your body reacts to the slightest temperature change until youve had your nipple pierced. :D
I changed it out into a straight barbell about 2 months ago, I wouldve done it sooner but I wanted to be absolutely sure it was healed so Id have no problems changing it. I did it when I got out of the bath & it went in like butter.
I adore my piercing. Its definitely one of my favourites, & its definitely got the best story. Whenever anyone asks me about it, I get to tell them all about the HIM show & meeting the boys. Its lovely. & It looks absolutely perfect with my small breasts. If you have perky boobs, & I definitely recommend you getting this piercing if you want to. It looks great, & really accentuates perkiness. ;] & If youre worried about pain, well...you see how easy mine went! I would recommend Urban Xchange to anyone, they are extremely friendly & professional.
Happy Piercing & Viva La BMEzine!!