I have been intrigued by genital piercings for a long time. I have (and have had) many other piercings in my ears, face, mouth, etc., but below the belt was something different altogether! I had gotten my Prince Albert done quite awhile ago and I survived. (of course I did-now it's my favorite!) I had been itching to get more, but I didn't want to be out of commission for weeks like I was with the PA, so I thought a scrotal would be the thing. I get plenty of enjoyment from the PA, and I don't know if there's another penis piercing in my future or not just yet. I got to looking through BMEs pics, and the ones that stood out were the Hafadas; symmetrical, dangly, 99% for looks...
At A Glance Author socrates Contact socrates@bme.anon IAM socrates When A month ago Artist self Studio home Location wisconsin My wife wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as I was once I had my mind made up-the "Boys" are OURS, and she wanted a say in things. Well she did, and I planned on a Friday night so I'd be walking normally by Monday AM at work.
I had planned on 12g 9/16" cbrs, left and right, traditional placement. I got to looking through our ever growing jewelry collection, and the closest I came up with was a 10g 9/16" and a 12g 1/2" cbr in Niobium. I almost backed out and waited to head 25 miles away to the closest piercing shop, and then decided 10g would be fine and I could stretch the 12g up later. I had needles in both sizes, and that way I'd only have to buy one more piece to have them matching. Funny how impatience can get you to rationalize things.
The needles and Foersters were sealed/sterile, and the jewelry had only been in my body, so a healthy hot soapy scrub w/antibac soap got the rings and my hands ready. I took a hot shower and got trimmed and cleaned up, and then sat down w/a fine-tipped marker to mark placement. There is a lot of loose skin on your scrotum, leaving a lot of variation for placement! I wanted these to be a symmetrical as my anatomy would allow, so the marking took the longest. I checked flaccid, hard, in between, etc., so they'd be perfect in any mood. I know that piercings like this are easy to pierce too shallow, so I made my marks plenty deep. This was to be my undoing for my first one.
I checked for veins with a flashlight-all clear-and washed up again. I lined the clamps up over the marks and slid the elastic down. My left side at 12g was to be first, so I slid the needle through without a hitch, and followed with the jewelry. A little surgical lube on the jewelry is your friend. I popped the ball on, and already knew I had screwed it up. There was only about a 16th of an inch of the ring showing on either side of the ball! Crap!! I cleaned up and slid the jewelry back out. There was next to no pain, and VERY little blood, so I was pleased about that anyway.
I regrouped, remarked the right side, and went for it with a new 10g needle. Again, little blood, minimal pain, and the depth was perfect this time. The fact is, I only wore it for a day, and decided I didn't like the placement, and took it out, too.
A week later, I went through the whole marking procedure again, and having plenty of new needles, I pierced my Hafadas perfectly. It was my first (well, second) time w/a scrotal, and now a month later, I can't believe how well everything went. I am still on my regimen of cleaning/soaking, but all is well. Just be careful of rambunctious tots who jump onto your lap without warning!
I know the way to go is to find a skilled piercer and have it done professionally, but there is a lot to be said for self-piercing. It's nice to admire your own craftsmanship and to see research and questions pay off. I'm 31, and even though I still have a wild side, I know better than to go the "I sterilized a safety pin with a lighter and then it took 20 minutes to get one of my Mom's earrings through my sack" route. I used the most sanitary method available, and although I didn't have to worry about contracting something from somebody else, The equipment was sterile, not just "clean", and the needles were new and fresh out of the 'clave packet. I don't claim to be even a zit on a professional piercer's ass when it comes to training, but common sense and cleanliness go a long way when poking holes through skin. If you have any doubts about the safety or sterility about a piercing you're going to do yourself: ABORT MISSION!
All in all it has been a great experience, and I'm really enjoying my new piercings. Anybody who is interested in Hafadas, I'd say go for it. Find a good piercer and get busy! I learned how difficult "Perfect placement" can be, so if you do them yourself, be safe and be patient. Happy Hafadas!