For about ten years, I'd thought about getting my nipples pierced. I'd never done it, though, out of fear of how much it'd hurt and trepidation about whether or not I'd be able to keep a bra on while healing. My girls were never all that sensitive, but I thought that getting them pierced would be worse than my navel or cartilage due to the generally sensitive nature of the location. Great thing was, it wasn't!
At A Glance Author eygx0r Contact eygx0r@bme.anon When Six months ago Artist Dustin Studio The Piercing Lounge Location Madison, WI Getting back together with a boyfriend was enough to make me toss my fears aside and just go for it. After calling to make certain that the piercer I was most comfortable with was in, I walked over to the downtown Madison Piercing Lounge to have it done. I know the piercer and he'd done a few of my other piercings, so I felt comfortable baring my top half to him. We went to the back almost immediately, and he told me he'd pierce at a larger gauge so that the running-through of the threads wouldn't hurt so much. Fortunately, he decided not to do this when he saw my nipples were big enough to fit the internally-threaded barbells he had. I chose barbells over rings because I heard they healed faster and easier, and I prefer the look. I ended up getting the piercing at 14 gauge, which was a little smaller than I'd wanted, but has turned out fine. In retrospect, I'm extremely glad that he had the internally-threaded barbells, since putting threads through a piercing like that would probably hurt really badly.
The clamping was what hurt the most. I did the standard breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe OUCH thing, but it was no worse than any other piercing I've ever had. I'd say it hurt somewhat less than my ear cartilage, and far less than my navel. He surprised me with the second one, but the pain sensation was approximately the same. Afterward, I felt like I could tear down a mountain with the endorphin rush I was feeling. They didn't bleed much at all, and I didn't have to wear any band-aids or anything to keep my bra or shirt clean.
A note to those considering nipple piercings: My nipples were always a bit flat, unless I was turned on or it was cold out. This was another one of the reasons why I waited so long to have the piercing done -- I was a bit afraid that mine were too low, and that the barbells would reject because my nipples were so flat. Flat/low nipples are apparently indicative of a condition called inverted nipples. Dustin told me while he was piercing me that sometimes those who want plastic surgery on their nipples are sent to piercing salons to get them pierced. Apparently inverted nipples are best fixed with piercings!
Next came the worst part, the healing. They were sore for a day or two, then they were just very sensitive to being bumped. I soaked them for around 10 minutes a day, cleaned them AM and PM with piercing solution, and washed them with antibacterial soap in the shower. I stopped doing this after about two months, and now I just clean them out with water (and soap, if they need it) in the shower. They still crust up a little bit when I don't clean them often enough, but it's easily fixed with a little bit of warm water in the shower. I wore my bra to sleep for the first few weeks just to keep them in place. I still do sometimes, since sleeping on them at the wrong angle can make it hurt a little in the morning. Wearing a bra was actually more comfortable for me when they were fresh than not wearing a bra was, since the bra kept them from moving around and brushing against my shirt. It's nice to know that my initial fears were ill-founded, but it's kind of sad that I waited so long to get it done because of something that was just flat-out wrong!
The "worst" times I had while healing were while I was working out or if I bumped them on anything. A word to the wise, don't tell your coworkers about your fresh piercings after you get them done, because they'll start doing nearly everything they can to get you to walk into walls or doorframes. Working out was also something of a pain because I had to get them into my sports bra, but once they were in, they were very, very comfortable.
If you're thinking about getting your nipples done but were hesitant because of the pain, or wondering if you could wear a bra, or didn't want to deal with the long healing time, I suggest you not worry! The healing isn't any worse than any cartilage piercing, and having a bra on is extremely helpful.