Let me start out by saying that I have a fair amount of piercing experience. I've self-done one lobe, my left nostril, my standard navel, and now my nipple. On friends (I know, don't shun me, I did this just to prevent the tragic safety pin piercing!) I've done a nostril, an inverse navel, a tragus, lobes, and a helix.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Myself Studio Colleen's bedroom Location Ohio So, a while ago, I was craving a new piercing. But, seeing as I have highly conservative parents, it had to be something I could hide. When I did my nostril a few months ago, they were so pissed. I felt a little badly, but I feel that anyone who is mature enough to safely and cleanly pierce themselves deserves the piercing.
I was talking to a friend, and she mentioned wanting another piercing as well. Jokingly, I suggested a nipple piercing. She thought for a second and said, "Well, actually..." It was a little shocking, but the more I thought about it, the more appealing it became. I went home and put in an order to MsPiercing, where I always get my needles and such. Standard 14ga, and then I set out to do my research. When I say research, I mean hours upon hours of poring through BME, checking photos, experiences, risks, QOD, everything. I am really neurotic about how well I do piercings, as I think everyone should be.
Last night, another friend, her boyfriend and I all went to my other friend's house for a little piercing party, if you will. Earlier, we had gone jewelry shopping, looking for the perfect size barbells. I couldn't find any that I felt would suit my nipples (I'm relatively small-chested), so I found a nice pair of CBRs that I thought would work nicely. Later we'll see that this was probably not the best choice.
I had all my things laid out, washed up, cleaned everything, put on my gloves, and set to work. First I marked my friend, after making sure the nipple was erect, and checking the placement with her in the mirror. She wanted a vertical left nipple piercing. After okaying the placement, I prepared the jewelry and the needle. I used the clamps, but held them with one hand as to not cause too much discomfort. With my free hand, I slid the needle through and quickly followed it with the 14ga gold barbell that we had purchased earlier that evening. I removed the clamps, twisted the balls on, and voila! A pierced nipple. It came out straight, and looked quite nice. She said it hurt more than the inverse navel, but once the jewelry was out, it was not so painful, and there was only a slight ache.
Next, I set up to do my own. I planned to do a horizontal right nipple piercing. I spent forever making sure the marks were absolutely perfect. I set up everything, and tried placing the clamps, which was a little awkward but I finally got it right. I had to take a while to get the courage to do it, because my friend sort of psyched me out by saying it hurt - I'm not terribly fond of pain. I love piercings, but the pain isn't quite the best part. Finally, while everyone was talking and not paying much attention, I just shoved it through. It was odd - it took about 3 seconds, but felt longer. Painful? Yes. Unbearable? Definitely not. It hurt on a similar level to the navel, but it was just a different sort of pain.
Anyway, the next step was to get the CBR in. This was where I experienced a bit of trouble. The curvature of the ring made it nearly impossible for me to slide it in after the needle. After about 15 seconds of frustration, I remembered that I had a spare, clean 14ga barbell in my piercing kit (I've got a lovely collection of tools). I walked over and grabbed it, slid it in, and I was done. It was sore, and my whole breast was fairly achy, but it looked fantastic.
Later, I realized that the barbell was off center, because I slid one side over farther than the other, but once I fixed the positioning, the piercing looked straight. I am completely in love with this piercing. And, I'm pretty proud of my work. I went home and did a sea salt soak - word to the wise, make sure you use warm water!! The cold water will make your nipple become harder, and it will hurt! That night, I wore a fairly tight tank top that kept the barbell in place, but wasn't too restricting. Because I only had one side pierced, I could comfortably sleep on the other side. This morning I woke up and could barely feel the piercing - all the aches and pains from the night before were completely gone. It still looks very nice, and sensitivity is greatly increased. It's nice that I'm not seeing anyone right now, because I'm just dying for someone to play with it!
I do not recommend self piercing to people. I understand that it seems easier, but I honestly wish I could have gone to a professional. It would have been quicker and easier for me. Yes, self piercing is cheaper, but I put myself and my friend at a serious risk.
Also, I don't recommend piercing your friends - it can easily come back and haunt you, should their piercings get infected. No one wants to get sued. My situation was a little easier, because we're seriously close friends and our families are friends, so the worst thing that could happen to us is grounding or something.
Basically, be careful. If you want to ignore all the warnings and pierce yourself, I can't stop you, but please! Get clamps. Get sterilized, autoclaved needles. Be as safe as you can possibly be.
Thanks for reading, and happy piercing!