I had been considering a piercing for several months, and proceeded
to study all the information I could find on the Web. I was
particularly impressed with the sties maintained by BME and
PERFORATIONS. From these, I obtained clear and easily understood
information on the various types of piercing, how they are
performed, and how to care for them afterwards. After digesting
this material for a couple months, I decided my first piercing would
be on the foreskin.After speaking to a couple studios, and being quoted $100 to $120 per hole, I decided (a) Piercings in Australia are overpriced, and (b) I could enhance the experience by doing them myself.
Proceeding to do a shop-around, I obtained two 14gauge I.V. catheters and two 12guage CBR's in surgical s/s. A trip to the pharmacist for cotton buds and balls, Betadine, surgical scrub, alcohol wipes and surgical gloves saw me pretty well prepared. The only thing I was unable to obtain were clamps, however, I modified a pair of nail files, the ones with holes in the end, sterilized them, and achieved the desired results.
The actual procedure was quite straightforward. After marking the position of the holes, taking care to avoid the major veins, with a felt pen, I scrubbed up with the surgical scrub, and put on the gloves. The entire area, over and under, was then thoroughly coated in Betadine, and wiped over with alcohol. I also gave the sterilized 'clamps' a wipe over before positioning them over the site of the first hole, ensuring the upper and lower layers of skin were in the correct alignment, and securing them with an elastic band and clothespin. I unsheathed the first needle, having previously made certain the manufacturer's seals were intact, and positioned it from the underside, using the hole in the clamp as a guide. Rather than a short, sharp thrust, I applied a steady pressure to the needle...and call me a masochist if you wish, but the sight of the tapered point, emerging from the skin was so fascinating, I have no recollection of pain, if there was any. After pushing the needle through, I removed it, leaving the PTFE sheath, and removed the clamps. I trimmed the end of the sheath, and inserted the ring, which I then fed back through the piercing, using the sheath as a guide. Unfortunately, the ring slipped out of the sheath between the lower and upper layers of skin, and I was unable to locate the hole. In addition to this, I began bleeding. Being unable to find the hole, I nicked the top layer of skin, using the end of the ring as a guide. Once the ring was through both layers, the bleeding stopped, and I installed the ball closure, and began clamping up the other side.
The second piercing went without a hitch, as this time, I left the clamps in place until the ring was installed. I had no bleeding whatsoever from this pierce. I washed down the entire area again with scrub solution, covered the rings with sterile gauze and taped them down for the next 24 hours. For the next week, I cleaned both sides of the piercings three to four times a day with a sea-salt and water solution, but did not attempt to rotate the rings. After that, I would clean one side of the hole, and the ring, then rotate the ring through, cleaning the other side of the hole, and the rest of the ring. After four weeks, both holes had fully healed.
I am more than pleased with the results, and believe the success was due to a combination of learning, luck and strict adherence to the principles of hygiene. I would not recommend that everyone seeking a piercing take the 'do it yourself' route, and had any of the studios I visited inspired in me the confidence that I so often read about in the personal experiences of piercees in other countries, I would probably have been done by a professional. If you are intent on doing your own, learn as much as you can, ensure you operate in as sterile conditions as you possibly can, follow a proven aftercare procedure, and remember..if you stuff it up, you have only yourself to sue.
Praeceptor