Two months ago I submitted an experience to BME entitled "Exterior Decorating" regarding my three surface piercings in my abdomen, vertically underneath my appendix scar. I submitted that several hours after the piercings themselves were done, and two months down the line, this is Part Two of that experience.
At A Glance Author anonymous Contact anonymous@bme.anon When N/A Studio Absolution Location Christchurch, New Zealand For the first week or so, the piercings were bruised, red and tender, but aside from when they were knocked, the pain was very minimal. I basically couldn't feel them past a few hours after they were done. I did saltwashes twice a day and basically just made very sure that they stayed clean and had the best possible chance I could give them to heal.
The first problem was I had with them was one that I anticipated. With appendix scars being located pretty much on the hip-line of the abdomen, I had to make sure that the clothes I was wearing didn't put too much pressure on the piercings. Skirts were fine, they generally sat up high enough that the piercings weren't bothered. Pants were a little more troublesome, but I didn't wear anything that was too tight and irritated the piercings unnecessarily. Occasionally waistlines did make the piercings uncomfortable, but I was prepared for that and was quite conscious of the piercings themselves.
A few days after I had the piercings done, I noticed that the outer most piercing (that I had been told was most likely to reject) was protruding out a lot more than the other two, and there was quite a bit of the surface bar visible. I went back into Absolution, and was told that I would need to get the jewelry changed, which I did about two weeks after the piercings were done. There was a little pain when I had the bar changed, but nothing major at all. I think it hurt more than the piercings themselves, which shows how painless the surface piercings were in the first place.
One thing that I hadn't really thought about with regards to the location of the piercings was the restriction of movement that I would be faced with. I like to be fairly active, and a lot of the exercise that I do involves a lot of stretching. With these piercings, I couldn't even reach up to a high shelf with my right arm without stretching my abdominal muscles and tugging on the piercings. This would be the biggest downfall with these particular piercings, they were very physically restricting in terms of exercise and activity. With these in, pursuits like rock climbing and even yoga were out. I didn't even attempt sit-ups.
The piercings were also problematic when people would forget or not know that they were there and give me a hug, or lift me up. And while they looked very sexy, having to be so careful around my abdominal area was a bit of a moodkiller once or twice. While the pain when they were knocked wasn't too bad, I cringed every time I felt them knocked or pressured because I knew that would increase chances of rejection.
Still, despite all this, I loved them and certainly didn't regret getting them done. However, after a month had passed, they started to reject, and reject very quickly. They became much more tender than they had been before, and because of the rejection, they no longer looked good. They were uncomfortable, very restricting and I didn't like the way they were starting to look in my body. As there was no infection, I made a decision and out the surface bars came.
I still have all four bars (the three I took out myself and the fourth one that was replaced about two weeks after the original piercings) in a little plastic bag. I like to look at them and think about how they were in my body. I like that I can tell which ones I was pierced with and which one came later, as the replacement bar for the outermost piercing was bent at less than a 90 degree angle. Strangely enough, despite having the bar for that piercing changed, the outer most piercing was the one that appeared to be rejecting most slowly.
While they were in I could feel them under my skin most of the time. I didn't enjoy how restricting they could be, but I think if they had not started to reject I would not have removed them. However, with the amount of movement, pressure and irritation exerted on that part of the body through various things, I think rejection was pretty much inevitable for me. But no regrets. In fact, when I took out the piercings, I really didn't feel much of a sense of loss at all, which is strange for me as I absolutely adore each and every one of my other piercings. In a way, the piercings are still there (that sounds very cheesy). The three holes above and below my appendix scar closed very quickly, seem to have healed without a problem and are now scarring nicely. From the start of this experience I think I knew that sooner or later the piercings would reject and I would be left with scars. I absolutely love the scars.
The piercings were short-lived, but to me they were only the first part of a two-step process. I'd say that having the surface piercings done was the most enjoyable piercing experience that I've had yet. The pain was actually quite pleasant, and having three piercings done in quick succession felt absolutely fantastic. The guys at Absolution in Christchurch did a great job and were most helpful with aftercare.
I also had some great photos taken while the piercings were in, and as soon as I get a nice photo frame there will be a photo of me topless proudly displayed in my room, with surface piercings, navel piercing and nipple piercing visible. I love my body, and I love experiencing new things with my body. This was a piercing experience that was not without its problems, but certainly had its pleasures. Feeling the metal underneath my skin pretty much all of the time was actually quite amazing, and is not something I've felt with any of my other piercings.
Yes, surface piercings are fickle, and in my case they were problematic. But for me this was an experience very much worth doing. Now to get the money together to get my next piercing done!