I have always been intrigued by the outer labial piercings, since they're among those in the female genital piercing family which are more visible than most. I must admit, I shied away from these piercings for quite some time due to my sheer intimidation of the inevitable pain that little needle would cause. After much time, and 3 genital piercings later, I decided to take the plunge and complete my genital project with a new set of 12ga outer labial curved barbells.
At A Glance Author Stefany Contact eccentricbliss@hotmail.com IAM Seraphic Edge When It just happened Artist Blair Studio Passage Location Toronto, CANADA It took a lot of consideration, and what I like to call "bme homework" but it all made sense for me to go for it. I was very ready. Luckily, my boyfriend had decided to get another genital piercing as well, which worked out perfectly since we'd both be "out of commission" during the same healing period. We went to visit Blair so I may inquire about the procedure and jewelry options which would be right for me. I had mentioned that I had spoken to some women through bme who had had their outer labia's pierced and offered to share their opinions based on their experiences.
One thing I've learned, and is completely obvious, is that everyone's anatomy is different. What worked for one person could possibly be disastrous to another. Doing your "bme homework" is great if you need to find out as much as you possibly can, but it's definitely not a good idea to make a final decision based on someone else's experience. This is why I gathered all of my bme information, and shared it with Blair (my piercest) so we could discuss it together. He spent a lot of time with me, and surveyed my anatomy in order to come up with the appropriate "piercing site" and jewelry that would work best with my labia's. Placement was a very important consideration with these piercings since they are situated almost directly beside one another.
It's also extremely important to ensure your piercings are done by someone who is reputable and knows what they're doing.
Piercing day came, and I was incredibly nervous. Blair helped me feel more comfortable by talking to me about the procedure, and spending a lot of time carefully marking the piercing site. He had me standing up straight with my legs slightly separated, and even had me take a step forward in order to see how my anatomy would move with the markings he had drawn on me. After quite a bit of time with the markings, he decided he was ready to pierce. I sat upright on the table with my legs spread open, as he clamped the left labia in preparation for the 12ga needle.
He asked me to take a deep breath in, and slowly exhale three times. Upon the third exhale would be the moment he would pierce the needle through my labia. Its funny, but I remember feeling as though time had stood still as I started to exhale the third time. I felt the needle enter my labia smoothly, and almost seemed to "pop" out the other side in the most excruciating way. Now, I'm not about to sugar-coat this to put anyone's mind at ease; it hurt a lot, and I found myself reacting with the loudest yelp. The worst part for labia #1 was over, since the area went completely numb almost instantly. I could barely feel the jewelry insertion, which was a bonus because I felt exhausted from all the excitement.
I got all geared up for labia #2, and I must admit, it was pretty much the same as the first one. I felt a bit more freaked out and still in shock over the first piercing, and it helped a lot to have my amazing boyfriend there to make me feel better. Blair had me lay on my side with my legs open, as he prepared the clamp and pierced the needle through me one last time. I started to shake a bit after everything was done, and he gave me a candy to help with the nerves. I'm actually very lucky that I didn't bleed, since most women who have had this piercing had seemed to have a rough go at it. I brought a pad just in case, since you never know how your body will react, especially when you get a deep piercing like this one. It wasn't terribly uncomfortable to walk afterwards, but I can pat myself on the back for wearing very stretchy cotton pants that day. One thing I can suggest to anyone considering this piercing; wearing jeans is not a good idea, as the seam will irritate the piercings and cause some major discomfort!
Aftercare has always been the same for all of my genital piercings, and has proven to be an excellent method for me. I'd start my day with a normal shower, making sure I clean the new piercings with glycerin soap as directed by Blair. Second part of my daily aftercare suggestion was a sea salt soak at night before I went to bed, which is the most important part, in my opinion. The bath has helped my healing process speed up dramatically, and on day #3, the pain is almost gone. I am starting to notice white secretions coming out of the piercing site while I'm soaking them, but this has been a normal occurrence during each of my genital piercing's healing.
I had found myself waddling like a duck for the first 3 days, but it's amazing how fast your body adjusts to foreign additions to the body. I'm still a bit apprehensive to wear jeans, and I will probably wait another couple days until I throw those back on again. I haven't seen any blood, except during my first salt soak the evening I had my piercing done. Sitting down, and rising out of a chair (or in and out of a car) is an extremely awkward situation as well as going up and down a set of stairs. I have found it a bit uncomfortable if I'm seated for an extended period of time, as the seam of my pants seem to give me a bit of a "frontal wedgie" that I've never noticed before I had the piercings. After day #4, the piercing site is still a bit tender, but I'm finding it less and less painful to close my legs and sleep on my side at night time. I'm guessing I'll be able to cross my legs again sometime next week!
I sincerely hope my experience has provided a good sense as to how this piercing reacted to my body in a positive way. They are the most beautiful piercings, and well worth the 10 seconds of pain I had endured. If you are seriously considering this piercing, please be sure you go to an piercer who has a positive reputation. Even if you hear of someone who "seems to be ok", and the price is less than the reputable artists who may cost more? It might cost you more in the end if your piercings heal well. I would rather pay a bit more to have the most perfect procedure done, than to worry if buddy knows what he or she is doing. Blair took wonderful care of me, and I would recommend him to anyone who is seeking someone trustworthy.
If you have any questions with regards to my piercings (Outer Labial, Inner Labial, Christina, Nipples) please don't hesitate, and send me a message! I'd love to be able to help as best as I can. Thanks for reading my experience... I hope your piercing(s) go as well as mine have!
Cheers!