At A Glance
Author	Lisa B
Contact	Lisa B@bme.anon
IAM	Lisa2682
When	A month ago
Artist	Luis Garcia
Studio	No Ka Oi Tiki
Location	south and 4th st. Philadelphia, PA

Vertical Labia - 1" x 1/8" 12 gauge surface bar

Idea:
I wanted to try a surface piercing and I also wanted a labia piercing; BAM, surface labia. I mentioned it to Luis Garcia of No Ka Oi Tiki and surprisingly he had a picture of the one he had done before in his portfolio, so I looked at it and liked it.


Piercing Day:
As I sit in the chair, I asked about the pain factor. Luis said the clamp would be the worst part. I was relieved when that was just a hearty pinch. The needle going through was a bit more painful; but it was a dull pain. A deep, blunt pain opposed to my hood which was a sharp, fast pain. Even though the bar went through an inch of skin, it still only took 2 seconds for it to be done, and within a few seconds there was no pain. The most comforting thing I have learned about getting pierced is that no matter what the pain factor of the piercing is, it will only last a second and the pain will most likely abate instantly.

Pants on, out the door, I felt fine. I made the mistake of drinking a lot that night which contributed to excessive bleeding, but I otherwise took good care of my piercing.


Care:
I use antibacterial soap on the piercing twice a day. I usually remove any crusties first with a q-tip, then wash and rinse throughally.

Fifteen minute warm, sea-salt soaks (1/4 tsp. sea salt in a cup of warm water) were also soothing and promote healing. Putting the salt water in a Dixie cup or shot glass was an easy way to keep it on my labia. Or cleaning my sink and filling that with salt water, then sitting in the sink worked. I thought filling a bowl with salt water and then squatting into it would work out well, but that was hard to maneuver and I just ended up with a mess. I can see the sea salt soak drawled puss out of the piercing which I know is helpful. After a salt soak I wipe around the piercing with a q-tip to remove any puss.


Next Few Days:
For a few days it was pretty sore, bruised a bit and bleed a few drops here and there. I felt like I was punched in the labia. It was swollen and achy. The pain was bearable, but my movement was a bit restricted. It was uncomfortable to move quickly, run or sit in some positions. For someone who has a difficult time sitting still, it got frustrating to feel inhibited by excess movement. I felt the need to take it easy and relax for at least a few days. And as with any genital piercing, wear loose pants!

Sitting on ice was a godsend. It reduced the swelling and made things much more comfortable.


One Week Later:
Pain was pretty much gone and I decided I wanted the other side pierced. Sadly, Luis explained to me I'd have to wait at least a month. I could have gotten both labia's done at the same time, but since I just did the one it started a healing process that needs to get further along before introducing a new wound.


One Month Later:
I still get a little bit of crusties on the top ball of the surface bar daily, which I remove before I clean the piercing. No pain, it's pretty, I like it.

I am also glad I waited on getting the other labia done because I decided I want the other vertical labia to be further down and then add a cbr on each side. One ring below the surface piercing I already have and one ring above the soon-to-be lower vertical labia on the other side.


Surface Piercings:
Shannon has a useful surface piercing info page here. A few points I learned:

• The jewelry needs to be shaped according to the location of the piercing so there is no up pressure. The skin can't push up on the jewelry or it will cut off blood supply and begin to migrate. This usually means using a surface bar (shaped like a staple) with long enough sides to allow for swelling.
• Surface piercings done with straight or curved barbells usually migrate out. A studio that uses these for surface piercings is most likely out-of-date in their procedures.
• The shorter the surface bar, the easier it is for the piercing to drain dead tissue and puss. Most say keep it under 2 inches long.

Piercer:
Since surface piercings take more skill and knowledge, you should research your piercer and look at their portfolio. Surface piercings that migrate out (due to improper placement / wrong jewelry / etc) usually leave prominent scars. Ideally the piercer should be a member of APP (Association for Professional Piercers), follow all of the surface piercing rules and give you an honest, objective opinion about whether the piercing will work for you.

I respect Luis as a piercer because he will only do piercings that he thinks will heal well (which is especially important for surface piercings). I have seen him tell a number of people he won't do the piercing they are asking for because they are not built for it or they have too many other piercings still healing, etc. Most piercers in this area will pierce whatever you ask for or will pierce you because the piercing sounds cool without giving regard to your safety.

Make sure your piercer is being objective about the piercing fitting your body and don't be afraid to get a second opinion.