About a month ago I decided that it was time for some new mods. I knew I wanted something unusual and unconventional. So i went and searched BME for some ideas. When I saw pictures of knuckle piercings, I knew I had to get them. I already knew that the chances of them healing was slim to none, but I didn't care.
At A Glance Author Alex Contact astephens1989@yahoo.com When A month ago Artist Autumn Spinks Studio Warlocks Location Raleigh, N.C. So I headed over to Warlocks, where I've had all of my piercings done, and talked to my piercer. I asked her if she did surface piercings on hands, and she said yes. Then I asked her if she'd pierce my knuckles for me. She told me she didn't do knuckle piercings. I told her I already knew that they weren't going to heal, and I just wanted to do it for personal reasons. She finally agreed and told me the price. It would cost $100 for three knuckles. I chose to do the top three knuckles on my right hand, even though this is the hand I most often use.
She went and got everything set up and showed me how everything was sterilized (if you haven't read any of my other experiences, Autumn is an excellent body piercer and the place is always very very clean). So I sat down and anxiously waited for the first needle to go through. She told me to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. When I breathed out the needle went in. I was shocked when i realized that the needle penetrating my skin did not hurt at all. It was more a tickling sensation. Perhaps it was because this was the first piercing I actually saw being performed and I was completely expecting the needle. Anyway, we repeated this process two more times, and viola, my knuckles had been pierced.
I loved the way they looked and was amazed that they didn't bleed at all. I talked to Autumn about what I wanted pierced next and then paid. I went straight home and showed my parents. Needless to say, they weren't too thrilled with my new mod. But they're the type of parents who will respect my decision to get new mods, even if they don't like it. The biggest problem they had with the whole situation was that I "blew a hundred dollars on temporary piercings". I explained to them that I got these piercings for personal reasons which were much deeper than aesthetic purposes.
The first few days they were a little tender when I moved my hand a lot. But after that, they felt like they'd always been there. The aftercare was uneventful and just like my other piercings. After a week I realized that they were really good conversations starters (since you can't hear my tone of voice, I'll go ahead and tell you, I'm being sarcastic). The following is a dialogue of how these "intelligent" conversations went:
Some person: "Wow, did that hurt."
Me: "Just a little."
Some person: "Oh."
OR
Some person: "Why would you get those pierced?"
Me: "Why not?"
Some person: ??????
OR
Some person: "Do those go through the bone?"
Me: "Yes, they're there forever, they had to drill through the bone to get them in."
When people would ask me if they hurt I had grown tired of arguing with them after I told them they didn't and began to just tell them it was the most painful thing I've ever done.
Anyway, after about two weeks the far right piercing, between my ring finger and my pinky, became very red and sore. After being hassled by my parents and my work, I decided it was time to retire them. I took them out and continued my aftercare for another week to ensure proper healing. I now have some really awesome scars on my hands and i'm considering doing the other hand just to get matching scars.
For anyone considering getting this piercing, I have some advice:
1. Get it done on the less predominant hand. If you're right handed, get it on your left hand. If you're left handed, get it on your right hand.
2. Be very very very careful when changing your shirt, putting your hands in your pockets, and when you're around young children. All of these can lead to some pretty painful situations if you get them caught of if a child decides it would be fun to bite one.
3. If you have a job, these probably aren't the piercings for you (I found this out the hard way when I was put on suspension).
If you're in a position where you can afford to get your knuckles pierced, I say go for it. It's very rare and virtually pain free. And if you're around Raleigh, N.C. I highly recommend Autumn at Warlocks, she knows what she's doing.