Pubic Piercing, January 30th, 1999

Sometime last week, I decided to get a pubic piercing. Kind of a spur of the moment kind of thing, but I decided that I wanted to do something a little impulsive.

I'm an actor, so I needed a piercing that I could hide relatively easily. I thought that a pubic piercing would fit the bill, with the added benefits of 1.) looking pretty cool, 2.) giving some decent stimulation to women during sex, and 3.) being far enough away from my equipment so that I wouldn't have to worry too much about something going wrong. Maybe it sounds a little wussy, but this is actually my first piercing, so I figured a little caution couldn't hurt.

On the recommendation of a friend, I went to Body Work Productions in Cleveland. I scheduled an anatomical assessment on Monday, and was told that I had borderline good tissue for a pubic piercing.

I don't really have any baseline comparison for these things, but Body Work seemed very professional all around. The piercing booths were well-lit, clinical, and private. The place conformed more to a doctor's office than my to my preconceived notions of what a piercing shop might be like. Derek, my piercer, was very professional all through the assessment, answering all of my questions ("What exactly does rejection entail, and how likely is it with this kind of piercing?" etc. "The body decides it doesn't want the piercing, and essentially tries to get rid of the jewelry. As a pubic piercing is a surface piercing, there tends to be about a 50% chance of it. The symptoms are redness, tenderness, enlargement of the holes, and a clear discharge," in case you were wondering. I was happy, though to hear that it usually takes place over a long time period, and the symptoms are fairly easily recognizable.) He recommended a self-threading teflon barbell for the piercing so that it would be a little more flexible while healing. He said that I had acceptable tissue for a pubic piercing - his words, I recall, were "borderline good." I made an appointment to come in on Saturday, and have the piercing done.

I wasn't quite as nervous as I thought I'd be through the week. It seemed almost like business as usual for most of the time. I did call Body Work on Thursday, asking if it would be better for me to shave my pubic hair before I came in on Saturday. I was told that trimming might be a good idea, but shaving could conceivably do more damage than the piercing itself.

So, freshly trimmed, I set out for Body Work shortly after noon on Saturday. The most nerve-racking part of the whole experience, I have to admit, was the train ride there. There was a brief moment when panic seized me, but I don't think I ever really considered not going through with the whole thing.

I arrived at the shop before the doors were even open, so I wandered around the neighborhood for a while. When the doors opened, I went right in. My first question, after telling the woman behind the counter that I was there for my appointment, was about the feasibility of getting the piercing done with a circular barbell, instead of a straight teflon one. Derek said that he could do it, but that it would increase the possibility of rejection. Once the piercing was fully healed - three, four, five months - I could switch to a circular barbell. I figured that I may as well play the odds, and stuck with the teflon one. I was given the option of getting some aftercare products, including a bag of sea salt and a bottle of Provon soap. I got both of them, along with a pamphlet "Aftercare for your genital piercing." I paid at the register ($55 for the piercing, jewelry, salt and soap), signed the release forms, and was led into one of the booths.

To start out with, Derek put on a pair of surgical gloves and showed me the equipment that he'd be using. He said that all of the stuff he'd be using was strictly one-use only, and that it would all be disposed of in the biohazard containers on the wall... with two exception. The calipers, used for measurement, and the forceps. He made sure to show me that everything had been through the autoclaving process, illustrated by the fact that all of the implements were contained in small blue-and-transparent bags which also contained tiny slips of paper. A white stripe on the papers turned black after being autoclaved. The black stripe actually wasn't visible on the forceps bag, because it was upside down.

Derek told me to get undressed to the point where I felt comfortable, and said he'd be back shortly.

When he came back, the first thing he did was change the gloves he'd been wearing. Then he got a pad of gauze and smeared some kind of lotion on it. He told me he was cleaning the area, so I imagine it was antiseptic soap, or some such. He rubbed the gauze across the area, and then changed gloves again. He removed the calipers from the autoclaving bag, and did some measurements on the tissue. Then he took a toothpick which he'd dipped in some ink, and drew a vertical line of symmetry down the front of my pubic area. Then he drew a horizontal line, handed me a mirror, and asked if that was where I wanted the piercing. My first instinct was just to say, "Yeah, that's fine," but then I thought to myself, "This isn't a haircut. If you don't quite like it, it's not going to grow to your liking after a week or so." I told him that I was hoping for something a little lower. He drew another line about half an inch down, one that was more to my liking. He changed gloves again, and opened up the forceps bag, showing me that the slip of paper inside was indeed black. I was told to lay down on the table, and I did. I'm not too sure, but I'm pretty sure that he used a rubber band to hold the forceps together as he clamped the area about to be pierced. He asked if I'd rather know when the piercing was going to occur, or if I wanted it without warning. I didn't really have a preference, so I asked for a little warning beforehand. I mentioned that I'd given blood the previous week, and that I imagined that any pain would be relatively comparable. Derek was quick to say that even if the actual pain would be similar, the process would take a lot less time (fortunately for all concerned). Once he had the tissue clamped in position, he told me to take two deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling, and on the second exhale he'd do it.

It was pretty quick, but not quite as quick as I'd come to understand. Sure it was painful, but not extremely so. I have to admit, my memory of the actual pain involved with the piercing is not that detailed, for the simple reason that I was attempting not to dwell on it during the time. Once Derek had gotten the barbell in, all he needed to do was thread the remaining ball on the end of it. If anything, that may have been a little more uncomfortable than the actual piercing. In twisting the ball on, my new piercing got tugged a little more than was comfortable.

It was at this point that Derek realized that he'd forgotten something, and exited the booth to get a pair of scissors. He returned, and trimmed the edges of the barbell that extended beyond the balls. There was still a bit of a ragged edge where he couldn't get close enough, but he said I could file that down myself if it got too bothersome. He brought the mirror back so I could take a look. I was pretty pleased. It seemed a little odd, actually, but I've gotten used to it since then. I dressed, and went out into the main lobby. There were one or two post-piercing signatures to provide, and I did. I was once again thoroughly briefed on the aftercare process, and Derek asked if I'd come back for a follow-up visit later, to make sure everything was healing as it should be.

It's been a little over a week since the piercing, and it seems to be healing nicely. I've been soaking it using a sea salt compress every night, and cleaning the area with Provon every morning in the shower. It *is* tough to get the lather in there, I'll grant you, so I can't be sure I'm doing it right. But the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. In my opinion, it's healing quite nicely. I've still got to go for that followup visit that Derek asked about, though. I was told to just drop by, but I'm guessing that showing up on Saturday - Body Work's busiest day - with 15 minutes to kill wouldn't work out too well.

Body Work, incidently, has a home page. http://www.bodyworkprod.com/. If you're in the Cleveland area, I highly recommend them.

Overall, I'm pleased with the piercing... but... I don't know. It still seems like a "work in progress." I think I'll only be completely happy with it when it's finally healed up and I've got that circular barbell that I want, but it's certainly gotten off to a good start. I'm considering getting something else done, like a PA or dydoes, but I'm in no rush. I want to at least see the final result of my first piercing before I go for a second. Still, as I say, I'm very happy with what I've got so far!

Ian
imm@cwru.edu