I've liked body modifications since I was young. I got my lobes pierced when I was four, a second piercing in the lobes when I was eight, and in the heyday of my cartilage piercing obsession, I had fifteen rings between the ears, so it didn't take a clairvoyant to know I'd soon progress to other parts of the body when I came of age, since the parental units didn't really share the love.
At A Glance Author anonymous When A month ago Artist Rich Studio Adornment Deluxe Location Berkley MI For a long time I wanted a tongue piercing, but several factors held that from becoming a reality - first off, I play rugby half the year, and having a bar of metal through my tongue which could possibly break off half my teeth didn't seem like a hot idea from a dentistry standpoint. (Rugby is also why I had to get rid of all my cartilage piercings... the "take 'em all out, then put 'em all back in" every day was a bit much.) Once I complete my degree, I hope to work in the (US) government, which is possibly one of the most conservative work environments I could have picked, and they probably wouldn't look too kindly on a lip or an eyebrow adornment. So, nothing in the mouth, and nothing on the face.
Which really, short of piercing a highly unusual area of my body like my armpit, left two viable options. Nipples, or genital. Mad props to those hardcore enough to get a bar of metal through their clitoris or labia. Not for me, at least not at this point in my life. Nipple it was.
So I did scads of research, as I'm wont to do with anything that interests me. BME was incredibly helpful with testimonials and pictures, and I also did research of a slightly more scholarly tilt with the American Medical Association, checking the possible effects on piercings and breastfeeding. (Not planning on kids at the moment, but hey, things change.)
Satisfied that I actually did want the nipple piercing, I scouted the local piercing shops. I ended up at Adornment Deluxe in Berkley, Michigan. I felt the most at ease there - the surroundings were comfortable, yet sterile, and the lady running the front room answered all of my questions about procedure and aftercare, and was more than patient enough with my "do you have an autoclave?" set of is-this-a-sterile-place questions. Plus, Adornment Deluxe is solely a piercing studio. Not a piercing-and-tattoo place, which made me feel more comfortable because this is a place that's *really* dedicated to piercing. I made an appointment for both me and a friend (who was getting her nose done) on the following Thursday.
I met Rich that day, who put my rising nerves to ease with a professional manner only brought on by years of experience. While my friend went out for a smoke, we discussed me having the piercing while playing contact sports - he recommended a barbell as opposed to a ring as it would be closer to my body and less likely to get, er, pulled not of my wanting. I selected two beautiful red stones to go at the ends of the barbell, and my friend came back from her smoke. We went into the piercing room.
The piercing room was very clean and quiet - the only thing that differentiated it from a doctor's office was the fact that the table to lay down on was dressed in a funky leopard print rather than the usual boring brown. My friend went first, and Rich talked her through the procedure, marking her nose, changing his gloves at least twenty times (every time he touched a surface that wasn't sterile), and her piercing was completed in less than ten minutes.
I was starting to get a little nervous at this point - I knew I was going to get the nipple piercing, but now I was actually *doing* it - and the part that actually took the longest was the marking of where the needle was going to go through. I'm not a modest person, so having my shirt unbuttoned wasn't a big deal, but nipples are nipples and tend to harden and relax on their own accord. Again, Rich's professional, knowledgeable attitude really helped. The clamps went on - which really weren't so bad - and then in went the needle.
It certainly didn't tickle, but it didn't *hurt* either. Rich said that most people who get nipple piercings done tend to describe the feeling as "intense," and I'm liable to agree. I think my body was in shock. Then, the needle was out the other side, and he quickly threaded the jewelry on with the taper, and boom, I had a gorgeous little bauble in my left nipple. I was absolutely awed. In all honesty, I still am. It's beautiful.
I only got one nipple done that day, because, as stated before, rugby season starts soon, and I wanted my body to concentrate healing the one piercing. Plus, I was expecting it to be more *sore* than it is. When I got my cartilage piercings done, they actively *hurt* for at least a month after piercing. The nipple piercing really hasn't been sore. I clean it and soak it twice a day (which is fine with me because it gives me a reason to look at it), and the healing time is three to six months.
I couldn't be happier with my new piercing. I really like the way it draws attention to my chest, because I'm a firm believer in the beauty of breasts and the piercing only accentuates which, for me, is probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing areas of the body. I also wholeheartedly recommend Rich at Adornment Deluxe for all your piercing needs - and be sure to tip like the upstanding pierce-ees we are, because fine piercers are certainly worth their weight in, well, gold jewelry.
Go get your nipples pierced, ladies. ;) I'll probably be getting my other one done very soon.