I have looked at surface piercings for a long time, and have seen many badly pierced people walking around. I have wanted my clavicles (collar bones) pierced ever since I knew it was possible, but thought I would end up in a lot of pain, and essentially, with nothing permanent to show for it. I went to a few studios, who took their piercing pretty seriously, and found out how hard it is to heal a surface piercing, let alone two, so I tried to forget about it for quite some time.
At A Glance Author druidella Contact the_punk_fairy@hotmail.com IAM druidella When A week ago Artist Rob Studio Polymorph Piericng Location Newtown, Sydney One day, my friend decided to get her sternum (cleavage) pierced, and I went with her as designated hand-holder. It didn't seem overly painful, and later she commented that it hardly hurt at all. She has now had that piercing for six months with minimal difficulty, and it shows no signs of growing out (courtesy of Scott, from Holier Than Thou Piercing in Parramatta). Seeing that it ISN'T impossible to heal a surface piercing, and I actually KNOW someone who has done it (not just hearsay), I decided it was time to gather together some funds and get pierced!
I talk to Rob from Polymorph on the internet on occasion, and I mentioned that I really wanted my clavicles pierced, and asked all the normal questions (such as: "is it possible to heal this?" "what should I use to care for these piercings?" and "when should I come in?"). He assured me that with twice daily sea salt soaks, I would be able to heal these piercings! So I set a date for two sundays from then, and began the wait.
Walking up to Polymorph, I was so terribly nervous. I've never had a piercing like this, so wasn't sure quite what to expect. My heart was beating very very quickly and I had to stop and breathe before going into the studio. When we came in, it was, as usual quiet. (I always go in on a Sunday, because it's really quiet and I can usually have a bit of a chat with Rob and not feel so rushed.) Rob got all his stuff ready, and took me into the piercing room.
I was lucky to be able to get pierced on that day, as Rob only had one matching pair of surface bars left, and they were the perfect length for me! I made some dumb joke about getting undressed, and took off my shirt so Rob could mark up th placement. I was a bit wigged out by this, as I found out my clavicles are on different angles, and one is higher than the other. It took a while to try and find where to put the piercings because of this, and I think that even after the final mark-up they're still a little asymetrical, but so's my body, so I don't mind!
Rob wanted to use flat discs instead of small balls on the piercings, as they are less likely to be knocked. I really didn't want these, as I like to be able to see any redness and infected-looking bits before they become too severe, so even though he said he's had no problems using the discs, for once I made a stand and said I would prefer the balls. He said they might irritate the piercings, and to come back and swap over if they do, but I really think I made the right decision there.
After marking me up, I lay down on the piercing/dentist chair (I always think of the dentist anyway) and Rob pinched my skin to make sure everything was ok to pierce. I think pinching the area made it more sensitive, because when it came to the actual piercing, it HURT. It REALLY hurt. I have had many "painful" piercings done, but this was by far the worst. It was still bearable though...although, like most PAIRS of piercings, the second was far worse than the first, because I knew exactly what to expect and when.
I bled quite a lot, so Rob put some dressings over my new adornments, and I went off on my merry way! A week later, and they're ok. Still red, still slightly bruised, and still slightly swollen! One of the balls fell off while I was doing a sea salt soak, and I lost the bar inside the piercing, and had to find the hole again (it hadn't closed or anything, it was just a bit painful, and internally threaded balls are hard mothers to put back on!), so one piercing is a little irritated, but I'm doing sea salt soaks twice a day, just like the doctor ordered, so hopefully everything will be ok soon! I really can't stress how good sea salt soaks are for a piercing...I'm not sure about the science of it, but I think that the warm salty water draws out infection and yucky stuff, while softening all the crusted matter off the piercing, making it easy to wipe off. Enlightenment about any additional reasons will be most welcome! Check out my iam for progress, if you're interested!