I retired my nipple piercings to breastfeed my daughter. After I had her, I was determined to keep the first set, but because she couldn't latch on properly, and the nurses told me she might swallow the jewellery, I tried feeding her without jewellery. This was such a palaver, and my nipples got so sore, that I eventually decided just to let them close up. I never expected to get them repierced again, although they had been my favourite piercings and I really missed them.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When Two years ago Artist Jacqueline Studio Glasgow Piercing Studio Location Glasgow I had been really looking forward to getting a labret piercing, and had been planning it for months. My piercer was Jacqueline Geddes of the Glasgow Piercing Studio. Jacqueline had done most of my other piercings, and I always went back to her because she was professional, easy to talk to, and above all, she didn't mess around!
I arrived at the studio with my husband, and there and then I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to have my nipples re-pierced at the same time. I don't know why I made that decision, but I was more nervous about them than the labret, as I remembered it being really painful first time round.
I spoke to Jacqueline, the piercer, and asked if I would be able to have them pierced again. She explained that it would be fine, as long as she could avoid going through the old scar tissue from the first set of piercings. She also said that barbells would be more comfortable than rings while the piercings were healing. That was fine with me, as I preferred them anyway. Any time in the p[ast I had worn rings in my nipples, I had inadvertently caught them on things, and I wanted to avoid that if possible!
I was really nervous, as always before I get pierced, but Jacqueline really put me at ease, chatting to me as she prepared the instruments and jewellery she would use. She remembered piercing my nipples first time around, a good few years back, and has seen me quite a few times since for other piercings.
She decided she would do my labret first, as it was easiest. I was shocked at how nippy it was, but I was dreading having my nipples done again as they were excruciatingly painful first time around.
Jacqueline was so calm and businesslike that I felt much less nervous, and she got straight on with the procedure. She talked me through everything she was doing, and I lay on the couch while she marked me up.
After checking with me that the placement was OK, she told me to take a deep breath, and the first one was done. It was over very quickly. Before I knew it, she had removed the needle from the plastic sleeve and was inserting the jewellery. That was probably the sorest part of the whole thing, especially when she was screwing the ball onto the barbell. She repeated the procedure for the second one, which if anything was slightly sorer than the first, but certainly nothing compared to the first time I had had them done. I felt completely euphoric, I suppose as a result of the endorphins and adrenalin. I couldn't believe how much less painful than the first time it was! I think my nipples on the whole are pretty desensitised after breastfeeding anyway. I looked in the mirror and was thrilled!
Jacqueline taped pads to my nipples and explained that she had been careful to pierce above where the previous scar tissue was, to prevent any problems with rejection. She talked me through aftercare, and told me that there might be a bit of bruising and bleeding for the first few days, and I left feeling very excited.
The rest of the day was spent shopping in town, and apart from some mild throbbing, my nipples felt fine. Compared to the first time, the throbbing was very mild, and by night time it had pretty much stopped. I was dreading taking the pads off at night, because I'm squeamish with blood. However, I ran a bath later on and gingerly peeled the pads off. My nipples were a little bloody and a wee bit bruised, but I was delighted with them, and glad I had got them done again. I got them cleaned up in the bath, and gave them a salt soak before putting new pads on them. I was very careful in bed that night not to lie on them or knock them in any way.
There were no problems with healing. I stuck to one salt soak per day, and it took about a month before they settled down and stopped being crusty. Before a period they still get a bit angry and weepy for a few days, but other than that they have been fine.