I'm your typical <?> pierced-musical-funky-type, with a growing collection of ink and holes in my body. I'd been interested in genital piercings for awhile, after working with a cool chick in a coffeestand who easily showed her hood piercing to any and all who were interested...<and even some not so interested...whee!> She always joked with me about getting nekkid with me, but she'd only do that with pierced boys...which rang through my head after my friend explained he was going in to our buddy's shop to have his frenum done. He'd contemplated Prince Alberts, ampallangs, dydoes, the like...but settled on a frenum.
At A Glance Author trollboy66 Contact david@friedmandesigns.com When A year ago Artist Bill Mack Studio Arcanum Magic Location Spokane, Washington So I accompanied my bold buddy, sweated for him while he was cleaned and prepped, and watched Bill, the piercer, gently glide the needle through, then insert the jewelry. My amigo gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes tighter as the needle was inserted and removed, but didn't yell or seem to have too much of a bad time. Bill cleaned him up, gave him aftercare instructions, and we were on our way. He kept saying it felt "funny," but also cool, and that he was glad he got it.
SOOO...I ended up going in a few days later, alone, and chatted with Bill awhile about my decision. He smiled and told me he was sure I'd enjoy it...this coming from a crazy, Harley-riding-type who has given himself most of his ink and piercings, including three genital piercings.
The blinds went up in the shop, the "Temporarily Closed - Piercing in Progress" sign on the door, and my pants came down. Although Bill had pierced one of my nipples and tattooed me five times, I still felt kinda strange dropping my skivvies in front of him so he could measure my unit. He told me he had heard of people getting pierced with barbells that weren't quite thick enough (in length, not gauge), and when the lucky recipient eventually got an erection, the barbell would painfully squeeze tight against the skin...yikes.
I was laid back on his piercing couch, pants down, doing some deep breathing, when he asked me, "Ready, man?" A side note here - I had told myself that I would watch the actual piercing, because I had watched it happen on my friend, and also wanted to fully make this experience mine and not shy away from any part of it. After being asked if I was ready, though, and the piercer instructing me, gently, to "think happy thoughts," I realized I wouldn't be able to watch the needle go through and closed my eyes. The needle went through, yes - definitely hurting - but not as badly as I thought, nor as intensely as my nipple piercing had felt.
Bill removed the needle while following it through with the barbell, and then cleaned my freshly pierced area. I looked down, heart beating, and felt a flush of adrenaline and endorphins while examining my new equipment. I stood up, talked with him awhile longer, and left the shop, being careful to walk slowly as my groin was starting to throb and generally tell me that it wasn't too happy, even though I was.
Bill had told me to stay away from sexual contact for at least a month, until I was fully healed. He said that anything going on "down there" until I had fully healed could slow the healing, and worse case, even cause the piercing to come out...something I DEFINITELY didn't want after the money and time involved, so I tried being good, even though my ex-girlfriend kept begging for us to appreciate the newly installed jewelry.
I've always healed very quickly, probably because I drink a lot of water, take my vitamins, and always load up on zinc after a piercing or tattoo. After about a week of regular cleaning, washing both ends of the barbell free of cruddies and turning it a few times a day (ONLY after washing the hands, mind you!) I was ready for experimentation.
After about ten days, thinking I was healed "enough," my girlfriend and I resumed our regular "activities." She liked the way the piercing felt, and I loved it...the added sense of stimulation and excitement it brought both of us. Everything seemed fine for about another week of regular activity, and I kept checking my piercing daily, during a shower, making sure the healing was continuing.
About three weeks after the piercing, I noticed what seemed to be a slight, mild infection starting. Both ends of the openings, below the ends of the barbell, were somewhat puffy, red, and inflamed. I didn't have any discharge, though, so I continued cleaning the area and hoping the "infection" would clear.
Well, the moral of the story is that it wasn't an infection, and it didn't "clear." Where the openings of the piercing were (the area on both sides that had become red and puffy), the skin seemed to be pulling back, towards the center of the barbell. I went in to talk to Bill, and after viewing my barbell, he sadly told me that it appeared the jewelry was migrating out...and I was experiencing what is commonly called "rejection." I knew he was right, but hoped if I didn't continue any sexual activities that it might continue healing and stay in.
Unfortunately, about two weeks after it first began rejecting, after the skin pulled back further and further each day, I woke up one morning to find the barbell laying in my bed and a large, exposed red area where the piercing had been. Bill informed me that if I was lucky the scar tissue would be thick enough that I could get re-pierced someday...and that I would have to chalk this up to experience and the fact that I DIDN'T LISTEN TO MY PIERCER'S INSTRUCTIONS!
So, when someone tells you to let your piercing heal, ESPECIALLY a genital piercing, DO SO! DON'T hurry into "having fun" with your new piercing, because the temporary pleasure won't be as exciting as losing the piercing altogether if you don't give your body enough time to heal itself.
A year later, I've got a large scar along the bottom of my penis where my frenum was, and think I might be ready to get back into things and have the scar tissue re-pierced...but THIS time I'm letting the damn thing heal, and not rushing anything.