Today I finally got my wrist pierced!!
At A Glance Author Caroline Contact jjgirl13@hanmail.net When It just happened Artist Dominick Studio Starlight Tattoo, House of Kolor II Location Belleville, NJ Even up to last year, I wasn't really the kind of person interested in surface piercings or any other sort of piercings except the common ear or navel piercings. My interest for surface first sparked as I was surfing the web, and I came upon BME. There were so many different kinds of piercings I had never even had heard of, and gradually as I got to know more about these piercings, the more I wanted an 'untraditional' piercing. I thought about which one to get for quite a long time, about half a year, then finally decided to go for the nape or the wrists. However, my parents objected very strongly to my getting a nape piercing, so I agreed to get only my wrists done. I had already thought it out in my head what it would look like; a horizontal on each wrist. I liked the way how people's horizontal wrist piercings looked simple and subtle, yet very attractive. Now all I needed was to go and get the piercings.
Because I had been educated through BME, I knew that surface bars were the way to go to keep a piercing that would be less likely to reject. I started to look for a good, clean shop with a 'real' professional piercer who at least knew what surface bars were. I went to or called at least eight shops in my area, but most of them said either that they did not do such dangerous piercings or that they did not know what surface bars were and would use straight barbells. I was about to give up looking in my area, but then I came upon Starlight Tattoos, and went inside to check the place out.
The inside of the shop was sparkling clean, and tattoo artists were at work. I asked if the piercer was in, and they told me to go downstairs. I met Dominick, the piercer at Starlight, and asked him a few questions about surface piercings and whether he used surface bars. He replied, saying that he made surface bars with special pliers (I don't know the name for it but it gives the surface bar the exact ninety degree angle). I became very excited because I had finallly found a person to pierce my wrists, but when I tried to get them that day, he said that the laws regarding bod mods were pretty strict and I needed another photo ID other than my passport. So without getting the extra holes in my body, I went home.
Today, I finally had time after school ended, and I went to the county courthouse and got a county ID. I went immediately afterwards to Starlight, and they said that the ID would be sufficient this time. I filled out my consent form and waited. After the customer that he was attending to left, I told Dominick that I wanted a piercing on each wrist about an inch to an inch and 1/8 in width. He surveyed my wrists for a while, streching the skin on it. Then he called me into a side room which had a pretty strong light in it, and held my wrist up to the light while pinching the skin. He said that I could get my left wrist done horizontally, but that I couldn't do my right wrist because there was a vein running through the spot which I had planned to get piercing. Crestfallen, I sat for a while thinking.
Dominick told me to take my time and think about what I would like to do. I thought it over for a while, and told him I would like two piercings on my left wrist instead. He suggested several different ways I could position the piercing, parallel diagonals, horizontals or maybe a diamond. When I told him I would like to see what one of those would look like, he called my into the room where he pierced, he put on latex gloves and drew the placements on my skin with the purple marker. He drew erased and drew several times, letting me think about what I wanted, without pressuring me into a decision. I finally decided I wanted the diamond. Dominick first took out a sterile iodine? swab to clean the area where I would be pierced, the he took out two straight barbells. He measured them precisely and bent the ends with the pliers, with each side at an accurate ninety degree angle, and at the length I had asked for. While I was waiting for him to finish this, I meanwhile flipped thr ough the pages of the modcon book he had handed me. When the surface bars were ready, Dominick patiently and carefully measured and marked the diamond shape on my wrist. We went to the side room again to double check if any veins were in the way, but alas! This time he couldn't pinch enough skin diagonally, although he could pinch enough skin horizontally. So I had to give up my plans again.
There was no other choice now, except to get two horizontal piercings, due to the tightness of my skin. Dominick once again cleaned off the markings with a q-tip dabbed with rubbing alcohol, and drew the markings for the two horizontal piercings. He took out a pair of sterilized clamps from the drawer, and then the 14ga piercing needle. First he clamped the skin on my wrist, securing the clamp with a rubber band. The clamp hurt, but not too much. He then took the needle and slowly pushed in into my skin, while I watched with interest. The needle wasn't very painful except when the point came out of my skin. The surface bar was inserted, the end connected to the end of the needle. This was what hurt most throughout the whole piercing experience, but it was quite bearable. The balls were screwed on, and my first piercing was done!! Dominick changed gloves in between, and the second was done in the same procedure.
Afterwards, I couldn't stop staring at my two new piercings! They were perfect!! Although I do admit I was already starting to worry about how the protuding ends would snag everywhere - my piercer told me he had lost two surface piercings by getting them snagged and ripped out. The whole procedure had taken about an hour and a half, because of all the re-drawing. I felt sorry for taking up so much time and gave whatever money I had left after paying for the piercings, and thanked him for the beautifully done piercings.
Right now, six hours have past since I got my piercings, but there is no pain whatsoever for the time being. My left arm is a bit tense, and there is a slight numbness to the area pierced. Otherwise, it does not hurt whether I poke around the piercings or feel the metal beneath my skin. Maybe it will start hurting tomorrow, but as for now it's all good.
For whoever that wishes to get wrist piercings, I definitely think you should get them! They're so beautiful!! Also if you're looking for a great piercer in the Northern Jersey area, go to Starlight!! Dominick is really thorough and patient and doesn't make you feel pressured at all, and he does a really good job on your piercings.
Good luck to all of you with your piercings and piercings-to-be..