I am writing to share my surface piercing experience. I have always loved the look of surface piercing. I am from a relatively small town, and unfortunately many of the artists that I discussed any sort of surface piercing with were very discouraging. I have multiple tattoos and "normal" piercings (ears, eyebrow) and trusted my artist's suggestions. But seeing that surface piercings are becoming more and more prevalent, I decided it was time. I selected my design, a star, with five individual piercings. Initially, I went on line to see what I could find out about surface piercing. Particularly anything on the upper-arm, where I planned on getting mine. I could not find much. It seems strange now, because I can find so many things. Possibly I wasn't looking in the right place or something. I wish I had found some of the stories like I have read on this website. It may have changed the way things ended. I would have gotten the piercing regardless, but would have gone into the procedure being more educated. Which is important when it comes to permanent body modification.
At A Glance Author pixilove Contact pixilove@bme.anon When Three months ago Artist Phish Studio Freaky's Location Denver, Colorado A few months later, I went out of town to a bigger city for a concert and was hyped to get that star on my arm. I couldn't wait! So I went to a well-known studio in Denver, Colorado, and talked to the piercer there. He had multiple piercings himself, and was very confident in explaining the process and was excited to do my star. And he gave me a great deal. I did not get it there because of the price, but because this was a well-known studio. Yes, the piercing hurt. But no more than your average cat scratch. The first to go through was fine, but when he went to thread the jewelry through using the needle as a guide, the needle came out before the bar was through. It took a few minutes to work that dull-ended bar through the fresh hole. That was the best part. The others went uneventfully. I would say WAITING for the actual piercings was the worst part. Upon leaving, I looked in the mirror. Head-on, it was perfect. I loved it. But from the side, it reminded me of the hellraiser character with all the nails in his head. Each bar was so long it stuck out of my skin a great deal. The piercer explained this was for swelling. After three months I could change the bars and all would be fine.
Unfortunately, that is not the case. The bars that I had were very long and heavy, and it became obvious in a few weeks. They began to sag, and the holes began to heal in a teardrop shape. I continued to care for them as if my life depended on it. I loved my piercings, and would do anything needed to keep them as nice as possible. They oozed, which I knew was normal. I spent countless hours with q-tips and my neck cranked to the side so that I could see each wound. I did not sleep on that side for weeks. I kept my hair up for fear that it would get caught. On several occasions, it did, and I slowly worked each bar and ball out of the tangle.
After two months, I decided I could not wait to change the jewelry. One of the balls at the end of the bar was actually creating a sore where it sagged over and came into contact with my arm! Each bar was lined with red at the surface of my skin. It was looking so bad that I was almost embarrassed to show it. That is sad. So I went to a new piercer in town. The moment he saw it he said that I had the wrong bars. My arm was probably beyond repair, and if left in the weight of the bars would cause them to come out. He suggested taking them out and starting all over. This was very upsetting to me. I spent two months taking such good care of my arm. Trying to keep it clean, frequent sea-salt soaks, etc. I did not want to give up on it. So he has ordered new jewelry and we will try to do what we can. I am not writing this to discourage, but to encourage readers to be sure they have everything done properly. If something does not look right, it isn't. It's your body, trust your gut. I knew when I saw those long bars, I did not like it. I was right. If the person that pierced you says, "don't worry" go somewhere else. I wish I had. If I had put the correct jewelry in sooner, it wouldn't even be a problem today.