I'm a 46 year old male who retired from the military, and after years of being told how I had to look decided to be rebellious and get something pierced. I had always been afraid of the pain, and what people would think, but I decided to just say screw it, and have something pierced.
At A Glance Author diverkev9 Contact diverkev9@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Sandy Studio Liquid Metal Location Pearl Kai Shopping Center Oahu Hawaii I had worked as a nurse in a local military hospital and had taken care of numerous veterans who had a variety of tattoos and piercing, and they had always fascinated me. I guess because of the pain involved and the fact that they were unusual, and forbidden, especially in the military. I choose my nipples because it is a piercing that I could hide, and besides I thought it looked cool.
I went to Liquid Metal Tattoo and Piercing because it was right beside the gym that I worked out at. I was nervous when I went into the shop; I thought that it would be dirty with hookers and other types hanging around. What I did find was a clean, well lit establishment. This is when I met Sandy, who would be performing the piercing. Sandy was friendly and professional as she explained the procedures and what to expect as far as pain. Now I'm the type of person who tries to get the dentist to put them to sleep to clean their teeth, so I was a little paranoid about the pain. Sandy put me at ease and the shop itself was clean and comfortable and as a nurse I was comfortable with the way Sandy performed the procedure.
She had me remove my shirt and she inspected my nipples to determine what gauge piercing to use. She told me that she would use a 16 gauge piercing, which was fine with me because they didn't look as thick as the 14 gauge piercing. To be honest with you I cannot really explain exactly what happened next.
She did do one nipple at a time. She marked them, put a solution on them, clamped, and then pierced them. She told me to take a deep breath and to focus on something. I closed my eyes and let out my breath as she performed the piercing. After she was done with the right one, she asked if I was ready for the left one. Since the pain wasn't as severe as I thought it would be. I told her to go for it.
Sure it was painful, but not for long. I looked down at my new 16 gauge horseshoe piercing and felt a rush of euphoria. I felt that I had finally separated myself from all of those years in the military, and had started a new chapter in my life where I could choose to be what I wanted to be. I had entered the forbidden world of body piercing.
Sandy went over the after care with me, and gave me a solution to spray on my nipples to prevent infection. She also gave me written instructions with the shops phone number. She also suggested that I wear a tight T-shirt to bed for the next few days.
After she made sure that I was recovered from the piercing, I left the shop and headed home. I had some bleeding from the left nipple latter on that night, but no other complications. I did use Hydrogen peroxide to clean the nipples with three times a day. I also used the spray on them afterwards. I also moved the metal around to keep them loose.
I never did have a problem with any type of discharge, but they were definitely sensitive for a couple of weeks. I read a suggestion to place 2x2 gauze over then while working out in the gym, or if they rubbed against clothing. That turned out to be a good idea. The only other problem I had was losing the tip to the barbell. This happened twice, and I just put a piece of surgical tape on the tip to keep it from falling out. I now make it a point to check all of my piercing through out the day and before bed to make sure I'm not going to lose anything.
I went back after a month and having my ears and tongue pierced, I went in to get nipple rings put in. They are healing great and the pain wasn't as bad as I thought. My friends think that I'm crazy for doing it, but it has really helped my self esteem. I feel like I'm apart of a special group of people who have the courage to be different.
Looking back this was a great first experience, and has gone back and had my ears and tongue pierced. Each time the staff at Liquid Metal has been great, and would recommend them to anyone interested in getting a tattoo or piercing.