So, I'm 19, bored after having only one piercing for about 2 and a half years and I wanted something new. I've been interested in piercings and tattoos for a long time but (ill admit it) the pain scares the crap out of me.
At A Glance Author Fresh_flesh Contact Bigfluffythingy@aol.com When Six months ago Artist um, some guy with loads of cool piercings Studio Mantra? Location greenwich, london, England I've got my inner conch pierced and although that is often said to be one of the most painful piercings my piercer was really a good chap and froze it for me using chloroform I think so it didn't hurt (the fried chicken and ibuprofen straight after really helped :cD) anyway, straying from the point. So I only had this and definitely wanted to expand on my perforations. I trawled through BME for some months trying to find something ... different, I know nipples are nothing amazing but I think people wouldn't expect it from me, I looked at various other ear piercings (vertical lobes, anti-tragus were my favourites) but the nipple seemed to stand out most as something different, for me at least, its also quite private and personal, you don't often walk around with your nipples out in England.
So I did my research, I looked over all the problems associated with it, learnt things about what jewellery you can have and aftercare, that sort of thing. Stories on BME contributed a lot to this. I also found out one of my girlfriends work-mates has hers pierced and talked to her. She told me it didn't hurt that bad (that was nice) but she also told me a friend of hers who broke both his legs in a car accident thought having his nipple pierced was more painful than that (not so good).
So I was in two minds about the whole thing by now, I really wanted it but as I was saying the pain was freaking me the hell out. Me and my girlfriend decided to make a day of it, she had found a tattoo design she wanted and I had my piercing so we went to the tattooist in the morning and dropped of the design for them to alter slightly for her appointment that afternoon, and went straight up to Greenwich where her brother had a inner conch piercing done recently (blatantly copied me but never mind) and had suggested it, I managed to get a slot straight away. It was a weird place, a big like *ahem* smoking paraphernalia and general hippie shop downstairs and a piercers upstairs. So I chose my bar at the counter (a 1.6G surgical steel barbell, I had learned a bar is better than a ring) and bought an aftercare pack with some saline flushing solution, zinc tablets and some iodine solution in it, paid for the piercing and disappeared upstairs.
As mentioned previously the guy had all manner of piercings on him, it was quite nice to know he probably knew how I felt, seeing a tattooist or piercer with next to nothing on themselves is kinda un-nerving. I had to take my shirt off *suck in belly* and he marked my nipple with his fancy pen thing, "I wonder if that's sterile" I was thinking, also "damn his hands are cold". I checked the position in a mirror and was happy so he got me to lay down on his table, I had completely zoned out by this point, before he had even got me to take my top off I felt like I was floating, I couldn't feel anything below my knees. I looked to my left and my girlfriend was there with her hand held out for me and smiling encouragingly, and also kinda grimacing at knowing what was about to happen to me. I didn't watch as he got out his needle or equipment, actually I lie, saw him put on the clamp, only after I thought that was him doing the piercing 'cos it pinched a bit. There was worse to come! After jumping a little at that he said to calm myself down by breathing slowly, and concentrating on something so I found a particularly interesting bit of plaster on the ceiling and breathed like a piece of jelly. He was very good and counted me down to it obviously aware that I was freaking out a little, and then he did it and oh my word. I wasn't expecting it at first but there came a sudden excruciating rush from my man boob (I tried not to squeeze my girlfriends hand too hard), I could feel the needle passing through every cell as it made its (what seemed remarkably TOO slow) journey through my nipple. It was quite simply a piercing pain, I know that sounds stupid but its what it was, the feeling of having a very sharp and wide object forced through a part of you, it felt like a freaking broom handle. I have never experienced anything before or since that hurt more. Before I knew it though he had whipped on the barbell and was tightening up the ball.
He was very good after and checked that I was ok and even asked if I wanted to stay there a bit if I was feeling shaky, but wanting to regain some of my masculinity (after what my girlfriend called "the scariest face I've ever seen you pull, it was like a combination of extreme anger and unbearable pain, it was demonic"). I was fine after a minute I stopped shaking, and my nipple didn't hurt too bad actually, it throbbed for the rest of that day, and I couldn't stop fiddling with the bandage, I wanted to take it off and look!
When I did eventually get home (after sitting with my girlfriend whilst she got her tattoo, and nearly passed out herself) and managed to get a look at it myself, I was so proud, not only that I managed to keep it from my parents (for a whole 6 months eventually) but that I had done it, I had proven to myself that I can do anything if I want to, even though the thought of the pain still makes me cringe I have never regretted it, it was a little over 6 months ago, like the title says, maybe about 8 but it still gets a bit crusty, I followed the aftercare for about 2 months after (my conch took about 8 months to clear up completely and stop being sore) so I made sure it cleared up fully and I still try to clean it 2 times a week if I can. Peroxide solution is really good and it fizzes satisfyingly when it finds some crusty bits! Just don't make it too strong or you will bleach yourself *the voice of experience* I would always suggest a nipple piercing to anyone who wants to broaden their body and mind as it is so intense, well it was for me anyway.
I'm still really afraid of the pain of piercings and tattoos, however I sit here today with my first tattoo booked for tomorrow, maybe another experience in a few days time!
Happy piercing! (and tattoos tomorrow hopefully!)