Without a doubt, the nape piercing procedure was the best piercing experience I have ever had. It began similar to other piercings, but the outcome was so much more fulfilling. To begin, there are a couple of things to consider when getting a nape piercing. First of all, it is important that your piercer is comfortable performing a surface piercing, and has the proper jewelry to accommodate it. Secondly, your piercer must be skilled in being able to ensure a straight piercing over such a large area. With that said, as with all of my piercings, I chose the gentle, masterful, and steady hands of Bear at Forbidden Fruit (http://www.forbiddenfruit.com/bodyart.htm) in Austin, Texas to perform my nape piercing.
At A Glance Author Lonz Contact Lonz@bme.anon Artist Bear Studio Forbidden Fruit Location Austin, Texas As Bear was setting up for the procedure I removed my shirt, and stood under the light in front of him. Bear cleaned the area and we discussed the placement of my piercing. I decided on a spot that would be covered by a shirt collar but visible when wearing a t-shirt. (Damn the piercing unfriendly corporate world!) He marked the entry and exit holes of the piercing, asked for my approval of the placement, and then instructed that I lay face down on the piercing table.
Bear changed gloves and explained that he may have to do the piercing freehand if he was unable to gather enough skin to fit between the forceps. He went on to say that the pinching feeling from either his grip or that of the forceps would be the most uncomfortable part of the process. Bear proceeded to gather the skin at my nape in his hands. I envisioned it looking like a lion cub being carried by its neck. To my surprise, my skinny nape had enough skin to fit between the clamped forceps.
Even though Bear has pierced me numerous times, he still went over his piercing routine with me. He said, "I'll ask you to take a deep breath and then exhale slowly. At some point during your exhale, you'll feel the needle go through." I followed his instructions, and breathed in deeply. While I was exhaling, he quickly inserted the 12-gauge needle, slowed down towards the middle of my nape to ensure that he was going to line up with the marked exit hole, and then finished inserting the needle. There was no pain associated with the piercing, only a warm feeling as the needle went through my body. The next step was to feed the 14-gauge Tygon line through the 12-gauge needle. After the Tygon was through and secured, Bear removed the needle and the forceps.
When I got up to look at my nape for the first time, a feeling of euphoria came over me. I'm not sure why this piercing elicited such a rush, but I was absolutely ecstatic to see two Tygon strips hanging out of my neck. What was most impressive was Bear's ability to pierce directly through the dots that he had marked. He was so exact that no trace of the marking ink was visible! Bear explained that he had cut the Tygon line so that about 2 inches were available to accommodate swelling. He said that he doubted that my nape would swell that much, but that the excess Tygon would allow for proper drainage and healing of my piercing. He proceeded to tell me that the Tygon would be trimmed down to its proper size after a few weeks so that only the end balls are visible.
Bear suggested that I care for this piercing in the same manner as all of my other piercings. He recommended soaking gauze in sea salt water and applying it to my nape for 10 minutes twice a day. He then told me to follow up the soaks with antibacterial soap, such as Satin, while moving the Tygon back and forth through the piercing.
I've had the piercing for close to a week now, and have had no problems with it. In general, the piercing did not bleed excessively. However, it did spot at times during the first two days because the needle used created a larger hole than the jewelry accommodated. As a result of the placement, I've found that it was more comfortable to have the piercing exposed; wearing a collared shirt slightly irritated the piercing. One thing that I hadn't prepared myself for was all of the questions ranging from the typical, "Did it hurt?" to the strange, "Did you just walk out of surgery?" In the end, I've really enjoyed this piercing. I would highly recommend it as a great first time surface piercing, being that it is painless and easy to care for. Feel free to shoot me a message if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.