At A Glance
Author	Meg
Contact	dollparts88@hotmail.com
When	Six months ago
Artist	Matt
Studio	Modern Body Art
Location	Birmingham

My introduction to the, shall we say, slightly (only slightly) more interesting aspect of body piercings was with my hand web piercing. I knew I wanted a new piercings separate to my ears and nostril ones, but I had no idea as to what I wanted.
It was a few months before I finished school forever and I was bored, exams were over and all my friends and I had to do was wait out the rest of the year. So I carried on with what I'd been filling my time at home with, looking at piercings. I was actually watching an old episode of Futurama when I got the idea, see Fry had say something to Bender along the lines of: 'That must have hurt about as much as having your hand pierced.' I didn't actually pay much attention till he said the last part, the first thing I thought of was the whole stake through your hand thing with Jesus etc. Then I went on the Internet and found out you could have your hand web pierced, I was so excited, I couldn't believe I hadn't come across it before. I asked my dad what he thought and he said he thought it sounded like a pain in the neck, but he didn't mind if I wanted it done and was prepared to look after it, of course I was. I spent about three days solid looking up stuff about it, I read hund reds, well lots and lots, of experiences and checked out the aftercare. Then I was ready.
The Big Day
I called the studio where I planned to go ' Modern Body Art ' to see if the guy who does piercings was in that day (Saturday) and I wanted to check he would do it. He was in and was happy to do it for me he'd only done two before but it was fairly simple. Yay! So I went down with my best friend Rob (for hand squeezing) We got there about 11am and I was so excited I kept pulling at my hand web and laughing, I actually couldn't imagine what it was going to be like having a barbell through my hand. Well, we went in and Matt said hi etc and asked what I wanted so I told him, and he said 'Ah the girl who phoned earlier' I admitted guilt and he gave me the consent forms to fill in and he would go and get everything ready. So Rob and me looked through the tattoo books on the walls. A few minutes later Matt called me in and I sat down, he explained that it probably wasn't going to last very long, I probably had about 7/8 months with it if I looked after it properly. He asked all abo ut other piercings I'd had and other experiences I'd had and I told him, it wasn't really much at all, I'd gotten my nose pierced in Brighton when I was 15, and I'd got several lobe and cartilage piercings along with my left tragus and right rook. Anyway he marked up my hand web (right, I'm left handed) and checked that I was happy with it, I was and then he asked if I wanted it frozen, I said no and got Rob to come in so I could dig my nails into him. Then he clamped my hand, I noticed quite a few people say this hurts most, I really don't think it really feels like anything. The he gently slid the needle in, that hurt quite a bit and I hissed. I was quite pleased that I watched though, Rob didn't, then Matt slid the jewellery in and screwed the top ball on, then it was finished. I was so happy, I couldn't really imagine moving my hand properly again, it was all stiff, but I was happy. Anyway I paid Matt and we went out, my hand was kind of aching now and I didn't fancy mo ving it much, of course then in true English fashion it started rainin g. So we ran for the car. When I got home I showed my dad who hadn't been able to come with me because he'd been at work. He really liked it and went out and bought me custard (Big weakness I get through jugs of it when I'm ill)
The First Clean
Matt had said that the best method of cleaning my hand web was to soak my hand in a bowl of 'hottish' salt water rather than bother the piercing with balls of cotton wool and fingers. I just sat there with my hand in this hot salt water reading till the water got quite cold then I took my hand and ran it under the cold tap to sort of, seal it. I don't actually know why I felt I should do this. I think it was kind of like, when you clean your face and take make up off before going to bed, if you use warm water at some stage you splash your face with cold water to close your pores I felt like I should do that with my hand.
I was most scared I think when I went to bed I realized that I was going to being sleeping with a piece of jewellery through my hand. I got carefully into my pajamas and lay with my hand above my head, this seems to work so I'm sticking with it.
Anyway I've had my hand pierced for about six months now and its fine, I don't clean it anymore I just give a quick soak once a week. I've had no problems with it, apart from a few weeks after having it done my hand went kind of stiff and I couldn't move it without a stinging sensation. I kept soaking it hoping it would sort its self out, on closer inspection I discovered a little cut just below the piercing where I'd caught my hand. It soon healed up and my hand went back to normal. I've now got some more piercings, my septum, tongue and lower navel. I really am addicted.
I am so pleased with my hand web piercing, I don't know anyone with it done and I love it when people I know catch sight of it and remember that it's pierced. I really hate it when people get all: ' What have you done that to yourself for?' I usually say it's my hand etc, or ignore it. Sometimes I do get sarcastic though and say stuff like ' I can take this out, you'll still be ugly' but only to really rude people and only after a bad day, I always feel really bad after too.
Anyway good luck to anyone who wants a hand piercing they are relatively easy to look after as long as you aren't a carpenter or something like that. You have to be really careful about catching it especially at first, I didn't realize how much I used my hands until I had one pierced.