SPRING 2003: THE FIRST ATTEMPT (1 of 4)...
At A Glance Author signofthetimes Contact signofthetimes@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Georgina / unknown / Kitty / unknown Studio Greenman / Aware / Aware / Lucky's Location West Hartford, CT / Santa Fe, NM / SF, NM / Northampton, MA How did I first decide to get my hand-web pierced? Well, to put it plainly, I saw a picture of a hand-web piercing and became severely interested in the idea. It fascinated me deeply to the point where the only way to overcome my curiosity was to get it done. My ears were pierced once when I was about ten, however I couldn't remember that experience very well. I had never had anything else pierced, so I was a bit apprehensive. However, I knew what I wanted and I knew that if it was going to get done, I would have to do it as soon as possible before I freaked myself out...
The truth of the matter is, it was a dark and stormy night and I was alone. I hopped into my car and drove to the Greenman in West Hartford, CT. I didn't quite know where the place was, but destiny guided me along and somehow I found myself driving right towards a big welcoming sign reading, "Greenman". I parked along the street and walked in only to be greeted by a group of psycho people. They were fun psychos though. "Yay! Another one to join the party! What are you getting done?!" they enthusiastically spouted.
I had to wait only a few minutes before Georgina, the woman who was about to stick a needle into my handweb, led me upstairs. Even so, I was shaking and incredibly nervous. She told me she hadn't done many handwebs, but I trusted her anyway. We had selected a small straight bar bell for my left handweb. The most painful part of the experience wasn't the piercing, it was the clamp they use to hold your skin with. Even so, it really didn't hurt much at all. Georgina told me to take a deep breath, and then breathe out. In the second it took to exhale, the piercing was all done. My adrenaline was pumping, but I was happy. She gave me a few instructions and told me to try not to touch it (other than during cleaning) or move it around too much for awhile.
For the first two days my hand basically stayed in the fetal position. I didn't move it at all. On occasion the piercing would emit a dull pain or throbbing. However, the real problem was not the piercing, it was the immobility of my hand. Because my fingers were stuck in a slightly curled position, my wrist and hand became a bit stiff and cold. To relieve the slight aching, I had to use my right hand (the un-pierced hand) to massage my wrist and extend my fingers a few times per day.
By the third day, I was able to move my pinky, ring finger, and middle finger, but I kept my index finger and thumb (the two fingers directly attached to the hand-web) basically in their natural curled position. I cleaned the piercing twice a day with Dial soap, salt soaks, and Q-Tips. For two weeks, the piercing remained as it appeared the day I got it, and my two fingers remained unused.
After two weeks, I began to move my entire hand (!). With the use of my thumb and index finger came the use of my hand-web. I had heard horror stories about hand-web piercings pushing great gobs of liquid, however this was not the case with mine. After I started using my hand again, there was a tiny bit of white pus under the ball of the bar-bell that appeared during cleaning, however it was a very small amount and it only lasted for about three or four days. After that, the skin around my hand web started healing and forming new skin. I was a bit nervous that the piercing was sinking into my hand because the balls of the bar-bell (especially the one on the top of my hand where the skin is softer) appeared as if they were being consumed by my skin, however about a week later the new skin was entirely formed and the piercing sat correctly in my hand with the bar in the middle and the two balls of the ends on the surface.
This piercing rejected rather quickly. I allowed it to migrate completely out of my handweb. In its final days, it was held in by a thin, translucent layer of skin. This piercing lasted for a total of three months.
I MISS YOU, HANDWEB PIERCING (2 of 4)...
In the Fall of 2003, I went off to college in Santa Fe, NM. It had been several months since my last handweb piercing had come out, so I decided to get it repierced. There's this great little piercing/tattoo place in Santa Fe called Aware ("Ah-Wa-Ray") and at the recommendation of several of my fellow college students, I went there. The-Dude-With-The-Huge-Fro (I don't recall his name) did my piercing this time. Aware had done many handweb piercings and were a lot more experienced with this area than my first piercer. My first piercing was done with a tiny straight bar bell. This second time, the piercer selected a larger, curved bar bell. This decision made all the difference. Instead of 2 weeks with an immobile hand, my hand was fully functional and painless the very next day.
Unfortunately, most likely due to my job working with gardens and animals, this piercing became infected and I took it out about 2 months after getting it done. I found out afterwards that you shouldn't take out a piercing without showing it to your piercer first (oops!). But, all was well, and a few months later I went back to Aware...
AGAIN AND AGAIN: (3 of 4)...
In the Spring of 2004 I went back to Aware to get my handweb done a third time. This time, Kitty pierced my hand. She was able to pierce me with the same jewelry as the previous time because it was jewelry from Aware. Again, my hand was fully functional within 24 hours. About 2 weeks after my handweb was re-repierced, I lost one of the balls to my bar bell. For about a week I kept my piercing in with Band-Aids. It often slid out in the shower, however I was able to slide it back in each time. I finally was able to get back to Aware and buy a new ball. About a week later my handweb felt a bit strange. Because I had gotten my jewelry in and out several times while the ball was missing, I decided to take it out and clean it. Big Mistake. After cleaning out my piercing, I couldn't get the jewelry back in! So, after 3 weeks, that was the end of Handweb #3.
HANDWEB ADDICT: (4 of 4)
Home for Summer break in August 2004, I got my handweb pierced a fourth time at Lucky's in Northampton, MA. I had to buy new jewelry, but it was similar to the jewelry used by Aware: a large, curved barbell. I use the word "large" because in comparison to the tiny, straight bar bell used in my first piercing, this jewelry was big! However, it wasn't excessively large...just enough to ensure the balls didn't sink into my skin as they did during my first piercing. Anyway, they did a wonderful job at Aware. My piercer examined my tiny scar and decided to pierce me just a tiny bit further up on my handweb. The movement was barely noticeable, but she said I had a bit more skin to work with further up. Again, the piercing went through without a hitch. It really only hurts for the few seconds the needle is going through. Then, it's all over. About 6 and a half months after this particular piercing was done, I again lost one of the balls to the bar bell (damn things!). Because the jewelry had already rejected quite a bit and seemed way too big for the hole, I simply cleaned my old jewelry (the tiny bar bell from the 1st piercing) and put that in. My piercing lasted another 2 weeks for a total of 7 months.
IN CONCLUSION...
I must say, I LOVE having my handweb pierced. It's been about a week since my last handweb rejected, and I feel naked without it! In a few months, when my handweb is fully healed from my previous piercing, I plan to get it done a 5th time. I would recommend this piercing to anyone who thinks they can keep it clean. I cleaned mine everyday for the duration of the piercing. If you have a job or hobby where you're using your hands a lot around things that could irritate this piercing, it's probably not a good idea to get your handweb pierced. Otherwise, good luck!