When I was 17 years old I really wanted a genital piercing. I was very fascinated by the prospect of having a piercing "down there". I did as much research on the subject of genital piercings as I could and my obsession went as far as trying to find a piercer who would give me a genital piercing despite my not being 18 yet. I understood that it was legal to pierce someone at 16 years of age but because of the possibility of lawsuits and the like, the minimum age requirement of 18 was enforced for genital piercings.
At A Glance Author Seb Contact Seb@bme.anon IAM nuclearsummer When Two years ago Artist Azl Studio Imago Location Montreal, Quebec I eventually gave up and waited until I was 18. I continued doing as much research on the subject as I could, mostly on BME. Now I am very glad I waited (and learned more) for it is my opinion that I probably would have ended up with an unqualified piercer if I had kept up my search for someone who would pierce a minor's genitals.
For many months I had decided that I wanted to get a frenum ladder. I had looked at many pictures of other people's frenum ladders and I thought (and still think) they are the most aesthetically pleasing genital piercings. I was also very curious as to how they would feel under a sexual context.
A couple of months after I turned 18 I asked an IAMer who lives in the Montreal area who pierced his Prince Albert piercing and he told me that Azl at Imago did, and that he trusts him for any and all piercing work. I made an appointment for a consultation with Azl and once there, looked through his portfolio for a little while. I was impressed with his work and told him I was interested in getting a frenum ladder done. I decided I wanted six 10 gauge barbells of equal length as jewelry. I asked him many questions on genital piercings and I felt very comfortable.
On the spur of the moment I asked him if it would be possible if I could get a lorum piercing right then and there, and he said yes.
He set up his corner and told me to relax and to not be embarassed if my penis suddenly became erect or flaccid. To be honest it was the last thing I was thinking about. I had a very difficult time getting ready for the piercing. He had a 10 gauge needle ready, but as soon as it approached my testicles I became very frightened and would start breathing fast and tensing up my body. He gave me all the time I needed to relax and eventually I told him to carry on. I wouldn't even describe the feeling as pain; it was much more like a tiny pinch. It was less painful than if you were to squeeze your scrotum between two fingers.
He inserted the 10 gauge CBR and gave me specific aftercare instructions. I was to soak my piercing in a sea salt solution 2-3 times a day and avoid sexual intercourse until it was completely healed. What a feeling it was to go out into the world with a lorum piercing! NOBODY knew I had it except for me (and Azl), and I reveled in that fact on the metro and bus ride home.
I had no real trouble healing the piercing and about a month later I came back for my frenum ladder. He got set up and told me he would use 3 needles, and use each one for two piercings. We spent about 20 minutes marking my penis so the piercings would be symmetrical and parallel to each other. After I was satisfied I got ready for him to pierce. Again I experienced fear when the needle got close to my genital area but after a couple of minutes I calmed down and told him to go ahead and pierce. I decided to have them pierced in ascending order, with the first piercing being done at the bottom of my penis and the last one where my foreskin and glans meet. The sensation I felt during the piercing felt like an exact copy of what I felt during the lorum piercing a month beforehand, only it was on my penis. At every piercing my legs and hips involuntarily braced themselves in anticipation of the pain. No matter how hard I tried to stop it, I couldn't.
The second and third piercings felt about the same but stung a little bit more. After the fourth one I told him to stop. I felt completely relaxed from the endorphins and was in an ecstatic state. However, I simultaneously felt that any further piercing would get rid of the feeling. After a few minutes the good feelings washed away and I felt exhausted. My mind felt like it wanted to run away from the fact that there were two more piercings coming up.
I explained the feeling to Azl and he was very patient. He told me that to get rid of the feeling I must completely take over my mind and embrace the fact that there are two piercings coming up and that there will be intense sensation following them, otherwise I may never be ready for the piercings. I took a few deep breaths and told him to proceed. The last two piercings went just as well and I was relieved that it was all over.
I looked at my penis in the mirror and it looked out of this world, like a caterpillar with steel little legs. Despite how tired I was, I truly felt beautiful. I now had a frenum ladder with a lorum piercing to boot.
Azl discussed aftercare techniques with me once again and I was on my way home. On the one hour car ride home there were many potholes and I felt every single one of them. The healing was uneventful apart from the first few days where I had trouble bending over and picking things up at work.
I was able to masturbate within a week if I was careful, but I abstained from every other sexual pleasure until a fateful night two months after getting the piercings where I had unprotected sex with someone. A couple of days after, my penis started swelling and generally feeling like someone kicked it really hard. It was soon followed by pus coming out of the piercings and EXTREME swelling and a bad odour from the pus. My penis became enormous and the barbells looked like my penis was trying to eat them. There was tremendous pain and I was unable to walk properly for about a week (fortunately I was unemployed at the time so I did not have to explain or make up lies). I would wake up several times in the middle of the night from the pain and not be able to go back to sleep again.
I contacted several piercers and they all told me NOT to go see a doctor for the doctor would most likely tell me to take the barbells out, therefore trapping the infection. I was told to soak it often with saline solution, which I did. After about two weeks the swelling, pain, and pus subsided and I was back to normal. However, it was evident that some rejection or migration occurred since more of each barbell was showing.
I cannot emphasize enough that having unprotected sex with genital piercings, even two months after the initial piercings, is a BAD IDEA. I have gotten STD testing since to determine whether it could have been an STD, but the tests proved I am STD-free so nobody can claim it was the specific girl I was with who might have had an STD. I consider the pain I experienced during the infection the absolute worst pain I have ever felt in my life and would not wish it on anybody.
It should be noted that the people I have had sex with while I had the frenum ladder thought it was great and made a real (positive) difference. I, however, felt that pain and pressure made it impossible to perform in certain positions, and that the ladder made no real difference in sexual feeling. It did increase my awareness of my genital area in day to day life though.
The frenum ladder lasted me approximately 6 months but the piercings were steadily rejecting, and eventually to a point where my choices lay in either taking them out or having the weight of the barbells do it for me. A few months later I got another lorum piercing (at an 8 gauge) but it rejected of its own accord.
I have scarring on the underside of my penis and scrotum now and it is evident to anyone who sees my penis that I used to be pierced there. I have never once regretted getting the ladder nor the lorums but it is still depressing to me that they rejected (although I place 100% of the blame on my carelessness). I have often considered getting them again but a piercing on the glans seems more viable in the foreseeable future.
To anybody thinking about getting one or more frenums, I would strongly suggest abstaining from sex for as long as humanly possible, and if you absolutely cannot wait, use a condom! Otherwise I say go for it. While I had them I felt much better about myself than before. I cannot describe how great a feeling it is knowing that you have a huge secret in your pants, literally in front of everybody you talk to, and that you are the only one who knows about it. I know others have had no complications whatsoever with their frenum ladders, even with unprotected sex before total healing, but despite that I have to say that if you don't think you are responsible enough to take care of it properly, this piercing may not be for you. If you do think you are responsible enough to take care of it, get it done! It will change the way you experience day to day living.