"We're Guinea pigs. Test dummies for modern technology"
At A Glance Author Rice and Bread Contact Rice and Bread@bme.anon IAM Rice and Bread When A week ago Artist Sque3z and Tyler Studio Anomaly Studios Location Pasadena, Ca -It rings in my head, yet I don't feel disturbed by it.
It was just another night, hanging out down at Anomaly while my friends were inquiring about potential piercing. I was making my usual trips around the display cases looking at the copious amounts of precious stone plugs and eyelets that I've grown fond of. Whenever I enter a piercing studio I get the strongest urge to get something new done, and this was no exception. My last piercing had been over 6 months ago (vertical nipples), and I was drying for something new.
Over the past couple months I had been attending suspensions held by Well Hung, and becoming more interested in "unconventional" body modifications. I was talking to Sque3z about more unusual piercing or mods I could possible get done, and he said he had recently come across something he thought I would love. He quickly pulled up a site on dermal anchors. Something I had heard nothing of until then. (Writers note: I do not know who manufactures/ed or created this type of anchor, but they are completely new to the market from my knowledge). What was in front of my eyes on the screen were small titanium L shaped bars, smaller than a pinky nail. The jewelry and the process intrigued me and I didn't hesitate to allow my skin to be an experimental site. This was all future plans, as the jewelry was not currently available for the next month or so. Regardless, I was stoked and couldn't wait.
A couple weeks later, I returned to Anomaly to meet up with my friend to get her septum redone and get her second lobes done. Sque3z had recently gotten a few of the anchors done at the ends of his eyebrows and while there was some initial bruising, they looked awesome. While Sque3z and Tyler were prepping everything, they informed me that they would be getting in the jewelry the following day. Short on cash I was hesitant to jump into saying yes, all the while I knew I would somehow arrange to have the money for it. This was new technology, we were going to be paving new ways with this, and I wasn't going to miss out on it. My friend went through with her piercing with no problem and by the end of the night I had agreed to return the following day to take part in the experimentation.
Getting off a heavy day of work and rearranging some funds, I was ready. The prospect of getting an anchor done had made the long day worth it. One thing that I had forgotten to think of through all the initial excitement was where the hell I was going to put this thing. I quickly got myself ready and made my way out to Anomaly. I was greeted with good cheer and the studio filled with customers and a few of the regulars who hang out at the shop. Due to the inexperience with the new process, the anchors were held off till later in the night. Tyler was essentially volunteered, though he had no problems, to get the first one. Sque3z explained the process of this single point piercing to us so we all knew what was going on.
The piercing, if you so call it that are inserted with a 10 gauge needle. The jewelry itself is a 12 gauge. The jewelry is an "L" shaped bar. The foot of the jewelry has small holes drilled through it that allows the skin to grow into the piercing, giving it a more permanent location and less chance of rejection. You'd be truly amazed at the size and craftsmanship of the jewelry if you see it in person. Basically the needle is inserted straight down into the flesh and the bevel is pushed parallel to the skin to create a pocket directly underneath the skin. The needle is then removed and the jewelry is then placed inside the hole. The longer end of the foot is inserted into the pocket made by the needle and then angled up to pop the small heel of the jewelry into the hole. This is then pressured to make sure it lies flush with the skin. The initial swelling of the piercing holds the jewelry in place, and voila, anchors aweigh.
Now from other sources, they concluded that the 10g needle allows the jewelry to float in the skin which may lead to slight migration during the initial healing process. A 12g needle is too small for the jewelry to effectively fit through, so Sque3z and Tyler decided to shoot for the middle man. Tyler decided on a spot over his sternum, and they prepped and were ready. Unfortunately the process had a rough start. The 11g needle went in smoothly, but left very little room to work with, and was rather difficult to insert the jewelry effectively. After about 10 minutes of trying, they finally got the heel to sink in. The result was a nice flat directly on his chest. It looked awesome, the procedure made me hesitate slightly, but nonetheless I was very excited.
At this time a few more customers had walked in and the guys had to serve them first. Another of the fairly regulars was also going to be getting one of the anchors done on his nape along with a few surface piercing. Due to the length of the immediate piercing at hand, I took the down time to grab a coffee with some friends, saying I would come back within the hour to get mine done. Let's just say the coffee didn't do anything that I hadn't done to myself earlier. I was wired and ready to go.
By now it was getting to be about 1 in the morning, but I was still determined to get this done. When I returned to the shop they were finishing up their last customer. Again they used an 11g needle and had some slight difficulties, but nonetheless, it looked great. Now it was my turn. Due to circumstances at work, I could not get the jewelry anywhere visibly on my face, so I opted for the sternum, just like Tyler.
They prepped me lined everything up and I took a seat down in the chair. (Writers note: This was going to be my first piercing by any other than Chantal Menard.)
One of the tricks to this procedure is having enough skin to pull together to make an easier insertion of the needle. This wasn't the best feeling in the world due to chest hair being pulled, but then again, that's not really anything when you've gotten needles prodded through you skin. With everything ready, Sque3z got me taking deep breaths, working up to the actual piercing. With each breath he would reposition his hand and pull the skin back up, trying to get that perfect grab, that perfect angle. On the third breath the needle shot through my skin like it was butter. To my surprise, it was very hard to distinguish when the needle entered my flesh. It got lost in the sensation of the pulling. I could feel the bevel being pushed under my flesh, which had to be one of the strangest sensations I had experienced. I could only really refer it to having someone tug the under layers of your flesh from inside your body. With the insertion done, the jewelry was placed in with one smooth movement to the s urprise of everyone. Only after this did Sque3z exclaim that it was a 10g needle that should have been used in the first place. This was followed by a few jokes about how the next time we should use 12g needles, just so I could experience more trouble than the previous two.
This was a very different feeling, completely new, and very hard to relate it to anything else. The closest thing would be getting a shot from a doctor combined with a surface piercing that doesn't really get to the exit point. The insertion of the jewelry is a sensation on its own. You can feel the pressure, and you can feel it lifting under your skin, but there was never really a sharp pain. The outcome of all three looked awesome. For the first three done by Sque3z, and I think I can safely say, the first three done in the LA area, we were all part of the beginning. It was something I was proud to do, and something I can tell we were all excited about. I left that night knowing I would be back for more, and I agreed to let Tyler try his first on me the following weekend.
Over the course of the next week, the healing process went better than planned. By the time I returned the following weekend, it felt as though I've had it for months. It was time. Tyler was just as excited as I was to be doing another. We got everything ready and took time getting everything lined up. I was going to get it about an inch or so above the previous one. Eventually I wanted to get my collar bones lined with them, or redo the surface piercing I had once had there. Everything was good to go. The procedure was relatively similar to the previous one. I could tell that I had less skin to work with on this one as the pressure was slightly more though it all. Due to this circumstance, the insertion of the jewelry was a little more difficult. I could feel the jewelry getting positioned and moved to try to sink the back heel. After a few minutes it was done. The outcome was amazing. There was slightly more swelling to this than the other, but overall, it was done perfectly. High fives were given accordingly.
It has been two weeks since I had gotten the first anchor inserted and there is no discomfort, even to the touch on either. I can feel the most recent putting slightly more pressure against my sternum due to the location, but there is no pain or other discomfort. Shirts surprisingly don't get in the way and irritate the piercing, and all seems to be going well with all the other participants. Although i am hesitant to wear my necklace for the next month.
Dermal anchoring is a relatively new procedure from my knowledge, and it is something that I suggest looking into to make sure it's right for you. This is a permanent piercing that heals into your skin and can only be removed by scalpel. It is something that is still in the works, and the long term effects are still unknown. Overall, it is something that seems to only be going well as of now. Due to the slight complexity of the procedure, I would only suggest going to a piercer who is familiar with the process and you are comfortable with. This is NOT something that should be done half-assed.
...Personally I am waiting a couple months to see how the ones I have now are doing, but I can't wait to get more.
I have pictures and will have updates on the healing on my IAM site.