I had always wanted my ears pierced, so I got them done at 17, but had never considered piercing anything else. I had wanted tattoos since I was a little kid, and I've been steadily collecting them since I was eighteen; hanging around ink shops exposed me to piercing, and so I picked up a few typical ones when I went to college in Montana: nipples, navel, more in my ears. Strange now to think back; I didn't trust the crusty old-school biker shop to tattoo me, but I was happy to let a self-taught hack at a tanning salon poke holes in my nipples. Around 1995 the dim, dusty old tat shack finally went under and was replaced by a shiny new, hip, well-lit and clean looking establishment run by a guy my age named Josh. He was a piercer, and had done all sorts of stuff that I'd only read about, like genital piercings. Josh was a pro, and he graciously corrected my poorly placed nipple rings with plenty of explanation and no attitude. With the availability of someone who seemed to know what they doing, I began to seriously consider the options for more 'serious' piercings. I had been eagerly reading about all kinds of crazy stuff in Modern Primitives and PFIQ, and while I had never really thought about piercing my cock (although I'd long considered tattooing it), I began to discuss the possibility with Josh. My downstairs neighbor, a heavily tattooed and pierced gentleman in his early sixties, invited me to join him when Josh helped him to stretch his PA up to a zero gauge, so I accepted the invitation.
At A Glance Author slackary Contact slackary@bme.anon When Ten years ago or more Artist Josh Studio Altered Skin Location Missoula, MT That evening I discussed the possibility of a PA with Josh; he deeply respected and admired my neighbor, and was extremely kind and respectful during all of our interactions. I, in turn, admired the extent to which Josh recognized and respected the significance of the generation ahead of ours that had helped create the social environment for body modifications that we all enjoy today. We made the arrangements, and I invited my neighbor to attend. I chose a PA after a good deal of research and rumination on the various genital piercing options, and was thrilled with the result. I was shocked at the pain when I felt the needle break through, but it was quickly and smoothly installed, and I healed without incident. I had terrific fun with the PA, showing it off at parties, feeling that special glow of self-awareness on the street that so many of you know from your own private jewelry, and exploring the radically altered sexual sensations it brought. And it probably won me a few novelty lays from curious girls. But after about six or eight months I began to notice what is probably best described as a callous on the interior portion of my foreskin.
It took me several weeks of careful attention to understand exactly what was happening, but sure enough, when my foreskin was closed over the ring, it made contact in such a way that corresponded to the noticeably toughened skin that had appeared. Josh readily admitted that his experience was limited to circumcised cocks, and suggested that I contact one of the major studios on the West Coast. I called Gauntlet, and spoke to a senior piercer. I was so totally impressed with his willingness to spend close to an hour on the phone with me, someone who was not even a potential customer, explaining his experience with PA's and foreskins, and carefully interviewing me about what was happening. He said that only three other men had reported similar problems with PA's and foreskins, and offered some recommendations to help soften the calloused skin. They helped a little, but the discomfort of a calloused foreskin eventually overtook the satisfaction I had in my PA. So I went back to Josh, because I was too chickenshit to open the ring myself. Josh gloved up, did his whole work area prep, and then simply opened the ring and took it out, gratis.
I was really disappointed, because I had become quite attached to my dick ring. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the absence of what had become a familiar presence was itself an erotic enhancement for the first several weeks without it. Despite that, I had become really attached to both the appearance and the presence of the ring. During this time I was losing interest in my nipple rings; it seemed like piercing was becoming really trendy in my college town, and I became increasingly ambivalent about them and my earrings, and stopped wearing them. Piercing was like a curious diversion that I encountered via my deep and abiding affection for tattoos (which I continue collecting to this day). I became quite frustrated because, of any of the piercings, the one I would have kept was the PA.
It took a long time for my callous to recede; the interior of the foreskin is thin mucous membrane and mine really didn't seem to like rolling over the ring. I'm not at all into SM or sexual submission, so I really couldn't get off on what was happening, and certainly didn't want to consider having that clever rolling part of my penis cut off. (Being the child of Greek parents, I have a cultural bias against circumcision. Not to mention that I really get off when my dick skin rolls back and forth and can't imagine not having it). I happen to have a very long foreskin, which may have had something to do with it; over the years I've talked to plenty of piercers, and haven't heard any other reports of this, other than from the guy at Gauntlet. So that's why I took out my PA, and that's why I haven't put it back. Nothing went wrong with the piercing itself, it was a quick heal, and I heartily recommend trying it (especially if you've lost your foreskin along the way somehow), but it just wasn't a good fit with my body type.