I had my sternum pierced the first time about one year ago and managed to keep it in for 6 months before it rejected and i had to remove it. That was one of the saddest days ever. I absolutely loved it and got so many comments and questions on how it stayed in and whether or not they really went through my skin. Surprisingly, many people thought that the little balls were glued on!!! When i removed it, I was left with two very interesting looking keloid scars. I was proud to wear these scars as they were like souvenirs and proof that I did indeed have my sternum pierced. You know how that song goes: the scars remind me that the past is real. That's how I look at the pain and scars I've inflicted upon myself through the years. In the form of piercings and self inflicted wounds.
At A Glance Author lilsweetie Contact lilsweetie@bme.anon When It just happened Artist Erin Studio Adrenaline Location Vancouver Anyways, I always had it in the back of my head that I would get it redone some day but part of me feared being pierced through scar tissue. I have never had anything re-pierced before, so it took some thinking through. I went to Adrenaline (where I was pierced originally) and brought my original surface bar jewelry with me. It was easter Monday and Adrenaline was packed with people wanting to be pierced. I had to wait for about an hour before I got to talk to Erin who is excellent at surface piercings by the way. I originally wanted to get my anti-brow done but because i tend to scar, she didn't recommend it for me (boo hoo!) She was really cool about it and answered all my questions and also said that because I had the jewelry she would pierce me for free! Upon hearing this, all my doubts went out the window and I jumped at the opportunity.
1.5 hours later, the jewelry was autoclaved and we began. Erin closed the blinds and had me stand up while she marked the entrance and exit holes (after sterilizing my skin). She decided to just go right through the scars so that I wouldn't end up with more scarring in the end. She kept the angle of the bends in the bar the same. She could have bent the ends to make it more perpendicular but decided not to so that we could keep the placement the same. After lining it up, she had me lie down while she re-checked the positioning. By this time I was quite nervous, but I knew I could handle whatever pain it caused and was more confident knowing that I had gone through it once before.
She did not use clamps, just her hand to grab the skin to be pierced. I took a breath in and as I breathed out, she pushed the needle through. I felt a lot of pressure and a sharp pain that kept going for a couple of seconds. It did take longer than your average piercing to pierce because of the length of skin it had to go through and because of the resistance the scar tissue put up. Right before the needle exited i felt the most pain. It definitely hurt more than the first time. It felt tight and like my skin was being pulled off my sternum while the needle was going right through my chest (which essentially it was). It was not very pleasant, but it's worth it. The actual piercing part is definitely the worst. The aftercare is so easy! The jewelry went in afterwards which also hurt a little (because of the surface bar edges) and it was done. It did bleed this time (scar tissue tends to bleed) but did not bleed the first time I had it pierced. Erin taped gauze over it, which caused many people to look at me funny on the street!
Right after being pierced, my skin felt tight around the piercing and my movement was quite limited. I felt like if I moved my arms too much, the skin on the piercing would pull. The entrance and exit holes stung a little bit but by the next day it felt completely normal. There are just certain things that I had to watch for in my daily life, like not getting my (long) hair caught in the beads and when putting a shirt on, not letting it touch the piercing. I hope this time I can keep my sternum in for longer, as it is probably my favorite piercing. However, my boyfriend doesn't like it so much because he can't hug me properly. But it's temporary so he'll just have to suck it up! haha. If you have any questions, feel free to email me, I'd love to answer them. I definitely recommend this piercing, either for the first time or the second. Maybe next time I will get my anti-brow pierced too, we'll see. xoxo