So far I have gotten my ear cartilage, my tongue and my hood pierced... so those are the types of piercing pain I have to compare to. This time I decided I would get my nipple pierced. No real rhyme or reason just woke up one day and thought it might be a nice addition to the pictures and holes I've collected on my body.
At A Glance Author Hafbrim Contact oceanaudrey@msn.com When It just happened Studio Húðflúr og götun Location Keflavik, Iceland I did a ton of research, mainly on BME, but also did the usual google thing to try and get as much information as possible. I only know of one of my friends that has a nipple piercing, she said it wasn't too bad and she's had it for a while now and still loves it.
I had all the normal fears of being desensitized or maybe one day not being able to breast feed, but as far as I can tell, the risks are minor as long as you are sure to really take care of piercing, especially during the healing process.
So I have just moved to Iceland and wanted to find a QUALITY piercing place, I decided the only way to do so is to visit a few places. There's two in Reykjavik that I checked out, one by the renowned Jon Pall, who is a well known tattoo artist, when I went in they told me they didn't have the jewelry and I could just go to the mall and buy the jewelry and bring it there and they would do it. For some reason I didn't like that approach, I feel like my piercer should look at my nipple to be sure he has the right gauge. Plus I like seeing the bar in those little surgical bags, makes it feel cleaner, than going into a Goth store and picking from numerous multi-colored bars. So that place was scratched off the list. My next stop was a place called Tattoo 69, I asked how much and looked at the jewelry, but nothing gave me a real CLEAN vibe, so I figured that would be scratched off the list.
Before I went to my final shop, I asked about it. Its in the same town I live in so I figured word of mouth would have caught on quick if they were not a well established shop. I found out the guy who owns the shop is the piercer and is currently beginning tattooing but has a foundation on piercing. He's also a regular at the restaurant I work at so I have gotten the chance to talk with him in casual conversation and he has previously asked me about my tattoos. So I felt pretty comfortable about going to him. Also he always comes in with his girlfriend, which for some reason made me feel a little more comfortable. Knowing that someone that will be playing around with my nipple is going to be focused on the job and not the object of male fascination.
So I went into Húðflúr og götun and asked the owner how much and if I needed to make an appointment. Secretly I was hoping he would say yes, so I could delay it, but he told me he could do it right now. So I followed him into the back section where all tattoos and piercings are done. He told me to take a seat, so I sat in the dentist chair contraption. We were chitchatting and I asked if I ought to take my top layers off and he casually said yes, all the while I was feeling totally comfortable. So I am sitting there topless and he is cleaning his workstation and putting on his gloves. My adrenaline at this point was RACING.
I let him know I was nervous, and I asked if he could give me an idea of the pain level I should expect. I told him I have had my hood done so he said that this would be totally bearable in comparison. He said it is worst for guys than girls and he has both nipples done. I felt a bit better about the whole situation knowing he has been through the exact procedure. As I am sitting there talking small talk he shows me the little surgical baggie with the bar inside. Nice and clean never been opened. Perfect.
He then lays down the chair so I am lying flat. This is when my hands begin to twitch and my heart really races. He asks which one I would like it pierced in, I tell him my right one (my theory was that my right breast is smaller so maybe it will compensate for the size difference, especially if it swells a little) He was on my right side so it was easy for him to get close and line everything up. He took a pen and first wrote on himself to make sure it would write clearly. Then he squeezed and flicked my nipple to get it hard, then measured out where would be best to mark the piercing. Once my nipple was pierced he started getting the clamps out. He wrapped a rubber band around the claps, but not too too tight, he said this would be the most painful part, when the clamp goes on.
No joke, the clamp is by far the worst part, its like someone is squeezing your nipple really hard in the same position. Nearly as soon as he put the clamp on he got right onto piercing, he gave me a short warning and then just went for it. I could feel the needle go through, but it really wasn't painful. It was more the awkward feeling of a needle through your nipple. After the needle was through he put the jewelry in and FINALLY let go of the clamps. I bled a little bit but nothing major, he said that was pretty normal.
He told me to clean it twice a day and that I don't need to twist it around or anything like other piercings. Just make sure it's clean and ALWAYS use clean hands. He also told me not to change the jewelry for at least 6 weeks. I haven't decided yet if I want a ring yet but it's a possibility.
I was a bit shaky afterward. He told me to get some propanol at the apotek and use that to clean it once a day. I thanked him and then paid and was on my way. It was about 10 minutes after I left that the pain set in. every move I made, made me aware of how much your breasts move with you. I would get random shooting pains through my breasts. But it only lasted for the first 5 or 6 hours. After that it was merely just sore.
I am now on day 3, and it's still sore, but doing well. I can lay on my stomach now with no problem, but I can't move around too much when I sleep, so I stick to laying on my back or my side.
The best past of the piercing is that it's a little secret all my own. I don't have to tell anyone if I don't want to. And no one will know about it unless they see me naked.. Or at least topless. I definitely recommend getting this piercing if its something your interested it. Just be aware the first day you may want to set aside for random yelps of "oww" during the first few hours. After that I would say yours good to do. I work as a waitress and plan to work a regular 12-hour shift tomorrow and I don't expect there to be any problems. The only time I feel any pain is if I bump into it, but being that it's new I try to steer clear of all possibilities of knocking my breast into anything.