When I remove one piercing, I always feel the need to replace it with a new one. I took out my monroe, and started seriously thinking about what I wanted next. I knew I wanted a surface piercing, and it was just a matter of deciding between my sternum and nape. After doing some research on BME, and asking Troy millions of questions, I decided to go with my sternum. It seemed like the best choice anatomy wise.
At A Glance Author Ashley Contact Ashley@bme.anon When A month ago Artist Troy Studio Eye Of The Lotus Location Edmonton Since I work in the shop, I had a full day of work to ask question about rejection, placement, healing time, and whatever else came to mind for a full 8 hour shift before hand. The next day, I was booked in, and ready to go.
Before being my boss, Troy had been my piercer for about two years. I am completely comfortable with him, and it was funny to watch the change in him that day. When I walked in, he was in friend mode. We joked around, and talked casually before he left to set up for the procedure. As soon as everything was ready, Troy switched to "professional" and calmly told me that everything was ready.
Walking into the same room I'd been in one million times before felt different. I was a client this time, and I was nervous. We started by discussing the placement, and procedure one more time. When I was finished asking my last minute questions, it was time to begin.
Troy asked me to stand up straight, and began measuring for the markings. When he was satisfied, I took a peek in the mirror, and agreed on his placement choice. They were perfectly straight, and exactly where I wanted them. First time is the charm! I hopped up on the bed, and tried to slow down my breathing before he asked me to lay down. I was ready.
Troy went over the dermal punch procedure with me one more time, and asked if I was ready. I felt him line up the dermal punch with the first marking, and after watching my breathing, he completed the first punch in about one second. It was a strange sensation. It felt like a lot of pressure, and then I heard a "pop!" and it was done. The blood pooled around the new hole, and I needed a little bit of clean-up before moving on to the second punch. When the bleeding eased up, I was ready to go. The second punch was a little bit more painful, but was just as quick. This one bled a lot more, and as Troy was reaching over to grab something to clean me with, the blood had already reached my collar bone. It was actually pretty funny. I looked over just in time to see my roommates face drain of color, and sway a little in her chair. She just about passed out. Turns out she doesn't handle the sight of blood very well.
It was time to start the tapering process. I thought it would feel really weird, and maybe kind of gross, but it didn't at all. For the majority of the process, I didn't feel anything. I actually laughed through parts of it, as Troy tried to work around my breasts. I have a large chest, and that made it a little bit more complicated. The tapering is what took the longest. At times I felt a tiny shooting pain, and then it would go back to nothing. I was really surprised that I couldn't feel it for the most part.
When the taper was finally through, Troy lined the jewelry up with the taper, and slid it through very slowly. When he announced that we were done, I was really excited to see it. The whole procedure took a long time, but it didn't hurt as badly as I imagined. I had been expecting a little bit more pain.
The piercing looked amazing. Before I got dressed, Troy asked if he could take a couple of pictures.
It has been a month now, and it's healing perfectly. I was surprised that I didn't bruise, or experience any redness afterwards. The healing process has been really easy. I found that the easiest way to clean it is to use hot sea salt water in a water bottle, and hold it against each hole for a couple of minutes at a time.
In retrospect I would totally do it again. The dermal punching sucked, but was well worth it. And for a few seconds of pain, I have a gorgeous new piercing.
Troy will always have my highest recommendation, as he is the perfect balance of professional and friendly. He always knows how to make a person feel at ease, and is always willing to answer as many questions as you can throw at him. The experience was amazing, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.