Third Time Lucky

At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon Artist Male Piercer Studio Manchester Piercing Studios Location Manchester, UK

It takes a certain amount of courage for a fairly conventional 'piercing virgin' like me to enter a shop to discuss (let alone undergo!) a genital piercing. My job means that I can't really consider anything that 'shows' (or rather, it keeps my life easier if I don't alienate certain of the people I have to interact with mods they consider inappropriate) However, I've always been fascinated by piercing, and in particular I've liked the look of a pubic piercing for a long time. But its daunting to go straight from nothing to a genital pierce, and its taken a while until I finally wanted one enough to overcome my fears.

That is when it all started to go wrong. There were apparently surface blood vessels right where I wanted my piercing, so it couldnt be done safely. I think had I pushed a little and said I was prepared to accept the consequences, she would have gone ahead, but if you are paying for someones advice and experience, it seems sensible to take it. So, my first appointment (and the sleepless night before it) had only earned me a bald patch in my pubic hair, trimmed in preparation by the piercer. Not a promising start, and certainly not good for the confidence.

But having actually gone so far as to get to the piercers couch, I wasn't going to be beaten. It would've been stupid to go ahead with the pubic (I don't want to do anything that affects blood flow around there!), but after long consideration I decided that a frenum piercing would now be the one for me. Even more ambitious than my first choice, I thought, but interesting and (on the plus side as I tried to convince myself) less likely to migrate or reject, according to some of the web resources I checked. So, I booked again (with a different studio, MPS, of whom I'd heard good things in the meantime, and who had a male piercer, which I felt was more comfortable for me for this kind of contact).

Much easier to go into the shop and start things off this time, although the delay due to the piercer having completely forgotten I was coming didn't help! I explained my previous failure, and a check on suitability for a frenum was made: "You aren't going to beleive this, but theres a big blue vein right where it needs to go". D'Oh!

Actually I'd almost expected this - and prepared for it, fortunately. I had a second-choice (third really) piercing in mind, and the piercer was prepared to do it. Two BCRs at the top of the scrotum (if this piercing has a 'proper' name, I don't know what it is). The beginnings of a scrotal ladder, perhaps.

A bit of a clean-up, a touch of freezing spray, a clamp that I couldn't feel at all, and then the first needle went through - without even a warning he was about to start! I would hope that this wasnt standard practice, but by the time I'd realised I should be tensed and experiencing pain, it was already over with hardly any sensation. I wasn't too dissapointed about this, as I'm not a tribal type who wants to be transformed spiritually by someone shoving a needle through their sac: it was the final result that I wanted, and the process of getting there didnt really interest me. The second (lower) one was deeper, and hurt more, although this might be because I was watching a bit more closely this time and knew when he began. Two at once was about all I would've wanted to do in one session, but the pain was neglible and over very quickly. Why did I put off doing it for a decade? I could've been at this point years ago if I'd known...

No pain at all with fitting the jewellery, plain surgical steel BCRs. Just a small amount of blood from the second, lower, piercing, which stopped in less than a minute. I walked out of the studio and... went shopping. A definite smug sense of "I know something you don't" as I looked at the passers-by. That has stayed with me to a certain extent.

It's day two now, no pain (the odd ache as my clothes catch me) or inflammation, no crusties. The rings are good, although to my eye they arent *perfectly* aligned vertically. I guess I've got to live with that. It's only the matter of half a millimeter.

The proposed care regime is salt water compresses and lots of showers with anti-bacterial soap. A bizarre ritual to get into, but I'm sure it'll become habit - and once these are healed, I'll have a fresh set to look after, because all fear of piercing studios is now gone, and the addiction has set in. Assuming these continue to heal well, I think I'll get checked out to see exactly what else I can get done, and pick my next...