Like just about all of my other piercings, I'd been interested in surface piercings, especially wrist/forearm piercing for months and both the aesthetics and probably the "rarity" [well, at least the rarity of properly done surface piercings] appealed to me the most. I think part of wanting to get the piercing done also was to have a bit more control of myself because I knew I'd have something to keep my mind occupied for the next 3 months with cleaning and looking after the thing. I'll say this now that I don't get pierced just to take my mind off things, it just helps is all.
At A Glance Author Jemma Contact Jemma@bme.anon IAM NeutronLIAR When A month ago Artist Carl Studio In2Skin Location Manchester, UK Weeks went by as loads of BME experiences were read and pennies were saved up, and by Saturday 23rd September [yeah, it says my experience was a month ago, that was just the closest time] I had enough money. I was due to go in to see my piercer at about half 3 that afternoon because me and my step sister were going to the cinema to catch the 4:25PM showing of Dirty Sanchez: The Movie which had just come out that day. But I was a bit too excited that morning that we set off at about 1 instead. The bus to town on a piercing day always seems to take forever, even though really it only takes like half an hour.
Me and my step sister got into town at about 2 after getting something to eat and just as I got off the bus, the almost-ready-to-be-pierced wobblies set in. The 2 minute walk from the bus stop to In2Skin felt like 2 hours but by the time I'd got there, got downstairs and said hey to my piercer I felt fine. We talked about which wrist would be best to pierce as I play guitar, and it helped that he plays bass so he knew which would be best. We decided on my right [also my picking hand] and discussed jewellery. I knew that for the piercing to stand a decent chance of healing, we needed to use a titanium surface bar with 90 degree bends but because he was having a problem with his supplier, we had to use a 45 degree bar. I was a bit reluctant at first but I trust him and I knew I would be able to change it to a 90 degree bar as soon as I got hold of one. I then asked if my wrist was pierce-able [is that a word? Haha] because I have a big vein running from the top of my hand and down my wrist...on both arms. My piercer took a quick look and pinched around the area and he said it should be fine.
I was then handed my consent form which I filled out with shaky hands, signed and dated and then me and my step sister sat down and waited for my piercer to prep the back room. I was really surprised at how quiet it was in there. It's usually mad busy on a Saturday and I've waited for an hour before. My piercer excused himself 'cause he had to quickly go out, but within about 5 minutes of me waiting he was back and I was being called in...
My step sister walked into the back room with me and I asked if she'd be able to take some pictures for me. My piercer said I could, and I sat on the chair/bench thing [you know, after almost 2 years of going to In2Skin I have no idea what it's called] ready. I watched my piercer wash his hands, glove up, get all his stuff ready, clean my arm and then we talked about placement. It took a few positions of my hand and some more pinching around to find the right spot on my arm, as obviously he didn't want to pierce it in an area with movement. He picked up a set of calipers and measured the jewellery, coloured the tips of the calipers with a marker and then pressed them to my arm to make the markings. The first try was a bit off to the right, so he cleaned the pen off and did it again. Perfect! He pulled up my skin and took a small torch and shined it through to check for any other veins which could be in the way. All clear!
My piercer changed gloves and took some paper towels and put them on my leg and told me to rest my arm on them. He knelt down, pulled up my skin again [I think he tends to do more freehand piercings instead of using forceps] and then sprayed the area to be pierced with that anaesthetic in a can that smells like toothpaste. Honestly, this was the only bit of the whole procedure that hurt, and it felt similar to when you use deodorant spray too close and it sort of burns and stings at the same time. Wasn't too bad, more irritating than anything, but at least it smelt nice!
Now it was time for the needle, and this was only the second time out of 15 piercings I got to watch. The first was when I got double navel piercings, and all of my other piercings are in my face and ears. Skin still pinched, my piercer got the 14ga/1.6mm needle and held it against the first marking. "Deep breath in then," my piercer said. "I just hope you don't catch that vein," I joked, as I knew he wouldn't. "Haha so do I, girl," he said as I took a big deep breath in. "And out," as I exhaled, and the needle passed through my arm. Practically painless; all I felt was a dull feeling pass along the length of the piercing. The needle was pulled out and the cannula part was left in while my piercer got the jewellery. "Another big breath in," said my piercer as he put one end of the bar through the cannula. "And out again," as he inserted the bar. Just as the bar was through, the blood started. My piercer got out one of those Sterets wipes and cleaned around my new piercing before giving me some more paper towels to hold against it for the bleeding.
While my piercer was clearing up, we went through aftercare [clean with saline 3 times a day, as I do with every piercing] and whether there would be any swelling. And also because it's a surface piercing, there is a bigger chance it'll reject than most other piercings. After a few minutes he gloved up again, checked my piercing and cleaned the rest of the blood off my arm. I checked out my piercing and I straight away loved it! I stood up and thanked him for doing a wicked job as usual and he gave me a Sterets wipe and a lollypop. I paid for the piercing which should have been £30 but my piercer only charged me £25 because I've been going to him for almost 2 years now. I tipped a fiver, said goodbye and set off home.
It's been almost 3 weeks since I got it done and it's looking mighty fine! I managed to get a nice dark blue titanium 90 degree surface bar after just over a week, too. But I ended up fitting it myself as my piercer now goes to college and isn't at his studio full time, and I'm pretty busy with college too. I didn't have any difficulty or pain in doing so, though I wouldn't advise people to do it themselves, especially when the piercing is so fresh.
I recommend In2Skin to everyone in Manchester because Carl actually knows what he's doing. Unlike whoever pierced my friend's wrist at The Studio in Affleck's Palace and just used a PTFE curved barbell. After getting my first surface piercing [not counting my eyebrow and navel], I know it won't be my last.