Written FRIDAY the 29th of APRIL 2005
At A Glance Author Sari Farquharson Contact Sari Farquharson@bme.anon When A year ago Artist Jon Studio Outworld Location Saint John, N.B. Canada Part I:
In a relatively sudden decision, I decided to get an outer labia piercing. I did some quick research on BME, reading other's experiences; I figured that this would be a good piercing for my anatomy. The next day, I drove to the city to my usual tattoo parlor and piercer (Jon at Outworld in Saint John, NB). I waited my turn while someone else was getting pierced and became more anxious with the wait. This would be my first "down below" piercing ever. To add on to my natural nervousness and the situation, almost all of the experiences that I had read described the piercing as very painful and bloody.
It was finally my turn and I was extremely nervous, more so then ever before with any other piercing. I told Jon what I wanted done and he explained that not everyone was built for the piercing - but he would not know until he saw my anatomy. I almost had to wait for half and hour for the jewelry to be autoclaved. I mentioned that I was becoming more uneasy and wanted it done and over with. So he found a pair of 12ga circular barbells that would fit just perfect!
He had me fill out the usual form and we went behind the curtain. He began to sanitize the seat and asked if I could not get the outer labia piercing if I would want anything else: the usual talk on the risks and 'ifs'. At that point I was so nervous that I was actually a bit dizzy and zoned out (not a very good thing). Jon turned while I took off my underwear and sat on the bench - I had worn a skirt to just lift up. I was relieved to sit down. He looked and decided that I was suited just fine for the piercing and sanitized and marked. I had him remark it higher. There were a lot of Q-Tips set out – I voiced my concern for the bleeding but he said better more Q-Tips than less, just in case.
I was not sure if I wanted him to warn me before he pierced me or not (I am never quite sure). He ended up having me breathe in and out twice - piercing on the last exhale. And oh, it hurt, it did - just as expected and forewarned! The worst was putting the jewelry in; there was a really sharp pinch. After that, there was no pain. The area went almost numb. Jon used to Q-Tips to swab the area but there was no blood – he showed me the Q-Tips themselves!
I had brought panty liners with me in case there was blood – and I went to the bathroom and put one on just in case. I paid and thanked Jon and walked out onto the street. At first I was surprised that walking was not painful... then I walked for a minute more and felt the pain. The next five hours I spent driving to and from the airport to pick up a friend. I did not move a lot so there weren't any irritations. After sitting for a while there wasn't any pain. But I found that when I had to use the bathroom, the readjustment would lead to a bit of pain and discomfort until the piercing settled into being comfortable again.
When I arrived home there was a very tiny amount of blood (nothing really). I did a sea salt soak using a smaller glass (it gave enough space not to touch too close to the piercing, but still fit well), then rinsed the glass and used it to rinse with fresh water. I found that sleeping was actually not difficult either. I expected to have a harder time; but I have also been able to sit cross-legged as well.
The next morning I woke up and checked my piercing right away. It was fine. There was no blood and it wasn't to sore either. I gave it another sea salt soak, the same way as before. Again that night, I repeated the sea salt soak. So far I have encountered no problems with my piercing. I have just stuck to sea salt soaks twice a day and water rinsing after using the washroom. Pretty soon I will reduce my sea salt soaks. I have found from past healing experiences that minimal cleaning works well with MY body and I can usually tell the intervals of how often to soak based on the healing progress of each piercing. Because of the piercings position and the fact that weight can be a factor (rubbing with the thighs) I am going to include that I weigh around 185 pounds and am about 5"7. I am by no means a "thin" girl and I do have big thighs.
I really wanted to write an experience on my piercing because the experiences that I read before my actually piercing stressed a lot of pain and some bleeding. I only read ten or so experiences, so it is not a large sample. I found that those experiences were great; they provided me with the nitty-gritty. I was prepared for the worst when I went in for my piercing, even though that made me very anxious - I WAS prepared. Reading those experiences made me rethink how badly I wanted my outer labia pierced and were dearly helpful. I have found my piercing to have been fairly smooth sailing so far and I wanted to write an experience that proved it was not always so rough.
Written TUESDAY the 30th of MAY 2006
Part II:
Over a year later, I still have my piercing. And I must say that it remains one of my all time favorite piercings. I keep a circular barbell in it, and it is one of my easiest piercings to keep care of - very minimal to no care. Healing, after above written part, was quick (within a couple of weeks) and generally painless. Although, I suggest that when buying underwear pick kinds that do not have the extra crotch material that is not sewed down on both ends. I unfortunately learned that flap of material is perfect for catching piercings on (Ouch!). I definitely recommend this piercing to anyone thinking about it. It is definitely worth any discomfort! :)