Browsing through BME photo galleries had put a slightly diagonal right nipple piercing on my 'WANT' list. Diagonal so that it would be parallel to my collarbone (in anticipation of future collarbone surface piercings), and on the right side to counterbalance the first collarbone surface which would be on the left.
At A Glance Author Fairina Cheng Contact fairina@student.usyd.edu.au IAM fairina When Six months ago Artist Baldwin Studio Visual Orgasm Location Singapore After a few IMs to IAM:Ba|dwin I went down to Visual Orgasm for a bit of a chat and decided to get my nipple done at 12ga. The jewelry was ordered in – an internally threaded 12mm barbell from Cold Steel – and after a few date changes I went in on the 4th of January to get pierced. I was pretty excited at the idea but as tends to happen with me, the excitement disappeared on the day and I felt pretty neutral about the whole occasion. I guess this was a good thing because I didn't feel too nervous before or during the procedure, but at the same time it took away half the fun. Either way, there was always the other half.
In the chair, the area was cleaned with iodine and marked parallel to my collarbone. Gloves were changed several times. When the marks were done I checked them in a mirror and had them double-checked by a friend. At the time they looked a little too slanted but I figured 'piercer knows best!' and okayed them, which I'm glad of because I do like the placement now.
Alright, time to be impaled. My nipple was clamped and the needle lined up with the marks. Baldwin asked if I was ready and I, staring intently down at myself said that I was. Entry to exit took less than a second, and was accompanied by an intensely sharp pinch that lasted just as long. After that I sat there with a needle through my nipple in absolutely no pain whatsoever. Jewelry transfer felt like an almost equally sharp pinch that faded as quickly as the pain of the piercing. However I started bleeding a little and had to be cleaned off about five times, which was pretty unpleasant each time. I asked for some gauze because although there was only a little blood, it didn't look like it was about to stop anytime soon, so Baldwin taped some on and told me to remove it after two hours to allow the piercing to breathe.
Piercing done. Part two – incredible soreness. Small talk and $80 later, we left the studio with me looking like I'd dislocated my right arm. My nipple was aching and burning, and I refused to move my arm normally due to an unjustified fear of damaging my new piercing. Basically I was walking around looking like an idiot for half an hour. Looking back now, the memory of the pain isn't so bad but at the time I remember wondering how the hell people can get BOTH nipples done in one sitting.
We went out for a few drinks afterwards but I didn't have very many because I didn't want to bleed any more than I had to. Two hours later in the bathroom of a Hooters I tried to remove the gauze. However the small patch of blood had congealed around the bar so I left it on until I got home. At home, I removed the gauze by letting water run over it in the shower till it came off by itself, then did a fifteen minute salt soak in lukewarm water to loosen the small amounts of blood attached to the holes.
The next day I woke up expecting at least a little pain and was pleasantly surprised when I found none (unless of course I accidentally got it caught on things). It never really did swell either. I was expecting it to swell up a few days after the piercing as my other piercings have tended to do (although the period between piercing and swelling has gotten progressively longer with every piercing I have gotten), but it never did. It did initially bleed tiny amounts while soaking, and there was a little bruising around the exit hole but that faded within about four days. For aftercare I did two salt soaks a day for over one and a half months, one in the morning and one at night, remembering to add only a small amount of seasalt – too much salt really fucked with my dermal punch. Apart from a little sensitivity while drying with Q-tips after a shower or soak, there was no pain whatsoever during the healing period.
Strangely, I have only recently discovered that the bar I originally thought was 14mm is only 12mm long! However, this turned out to be a good thing as it now fits perfectly and doesn't require a downsize. Now, over 6 months later the piercing is still doing great and I'm really happy with the placement. It's one of my favorites and easily hidden, although it does show through some tops if you don't wear a bra. I still flash my mom by accident every now and then.