At A Glance
Author	IAM:Vixstar
Contact	IAM:Vixstar@bme.anon
IAM	vixstar
When	Three months ago
Artist	IAM LittleJohn
Studio	his house
Location	scotland

I am sure there comes a point in the modded person's life where they start to look at the more unusual piercings and even start to look at piercings which may not 'live forever' but will look amazingly beautiful for a short while and decide to opt for those too. In my life with modifications I decided I too would look into these types of piercing and perhaps get one myself. I looked through the array of surface piercing pictures on BMEZINE and having seen sternum piercing in my friends too I set my heart on this.

I got in touch with a friend, LittleJohn in St Andrews who I knew was a very good piercer and was almost through with his apprenticeship as a piercer. Funnily enough had it not been for BME/IAM I would not know him. We had been in contact on the phone and obviously online and he had agreed he would happily do my sternum piercing for me, or as it is also known: a cleavage piercing. I was also delighted to have him do it as he had just done a couple of other surface piercings on a friend (another person met through IAM)( psyx ). She had until recently the most beautiful clavicle bars I have ever seen. I was also incredibly excited at getting to meet John at last.

So we set a date and I headed up to St Andrews. I met John in the town and we went for a wander about and met up with Eleanor.
We then all headed out to John's house and headed up to his room where piercing could commence. Eleanor showed me beauty of surface metal that awaited me and let me see her surface clavicles. Meanwhile John got all prepped and got everything ready. John measured me for my surface bar and as it would be made-to-measure. He then scratched his head and pondered as where I was going to sit that was going have me in a position easiest for John to pierce me. As the piercing was getting done in his room we already knew it was going to unconventional from start to finish. The best way to do the piercing was to have John sit across me as I sat on the floor. Yes really!!!( we do not recommend ever doing any piercing like this ever at home!!) Poor John, he felt kind of awful and apologised profusely at having to do that with me being married! So I popped my top off and then John felt rather sorry again as he had to sit me straight and stare intensely at my chest area while he marked where the bar was going to go. He was going to putting a metal surface bar which I was pleased about as I greatly preferred the whole idea and look of these compared to surface bars with PTFE. I would have settled for PTFE if I had to. He got me to look in the mirror and I was happy with where he marked. He offered me anaesthetic but I politely refused as except my nipples I've had no anaesthetic and prefer to be pierced without as I enjoy the whole piercing far more without it. So I sat in position and he sat on my knee with gloves on and needle in hand. He clamped the area where he was going to pierce and that was a wee bit scratchy. Eleanor had her hand at the ready incase I needed something to grip if it was sore!! Then we did the all familiar 'breathe in, breathe out' and he pushed the needle through. I was really surprised at how unsore it was!!! There was a sharp scratch but it basically felt like it does when I play-pierce which was maybe why I found it so easy to take. John warned me the next bit might hurt...putting the jewellery in and ordered me for my sake to take Eleanor's hand.

Then under John's instructions I relaxed to let my skin go as free as possible and I felt some tugging as he started to put the bar in, then I did grab poor Eleanor's hand as it was more slightly uncomfortable getting the bar slid up though my newest hole. It really bloody hurt. Once the bar was in it was fine, although at this point I'm sure Eleanor's hand wasn't. Oops! Once the balls were in place too, I stood up to look in the mirror at my newest piercing. I was delighted. It was quite a strange sensation to have this metal in my chest and to actually physically feel this piercing there. John was a little concerned about it as the balls on the end of the bar were sitting a wee bit out from my chest but I told him not to worry and that it would surely settle down. I think he was purely worried as the balls were raised so much it would pose more risk for me catching them on things.

We tidied up and he cleaned my newest beautiful piercing. Eleanor admitted it was very nice too. It was funny how much I over compensated at first in fear of hurting my chest. I gingerly got into the car and put on my seat belt. I did have to place the seat belt lower as it may move and press on the bar......ouch!! I was very very surprised in the first few days that I didn't feel the bar in my chest when I was walking. In fact I never felt it when I was walking or standing up. I did feel it at first when I was lying down and that quite strange. I can only describe it as having this rigid uncomfortable thing between my boobs! That soon settled as well and really I did not even notice it was there.
I loved having the secret bar in my sternum with its shiny metal balls and one thing that gave me great delight was the lessons that my chest piercing taught the perverts at work.

Yes its side-tracking but I feel I must include this. I used to work for a well known petrol station and wore a polo shirt, the company were so stingy they gave us second hand uniforms so the buttons on my polo shirts wouldn't always stay shut at the neck. We quite frequently got customers in who would peer down the girls' tops while being served. I think this was how they got their quick thrills. It used to drive me mad only it was hilarious to catch the expression on their faces when they went to stare down my top and find I had a piercing in a place they had never encountered. They would look very surprised, go very red and I would smile very sweetly at them while asking them if they needed anything else etc!

After a couple of enjoyable, problem-free weeks I noticed that the skin around the bottom ball was pulling. It was almost like the bar had become too small. I wondered if this had maybe happened as the bar was finally settling in. I left it another week and the skin near the top was puckering too. I unfortunately couldn't make it up to see John so I had to let the piercer in Urban see it as I was in getting tattooed anyway. He reckoned it would be best to take it out and change it for a longer flexible PTFE bar. I was a wee bit unsure about this as I've heard that some PTFE surface piercing don't settle as well. I also didn't like this way this would look as much the metal bar did. Never mind. I really wanted to keep this piercing for a wee while longer so I got the bar changed. I was very amazed as this didn't hurt like I thought it would.

The surface bar was fine for wee while and my metal in my chest still made me smile every time I got dressed, showered and any other naked activities. Even my husband liked this piercing which really surprised me. I really thought he would hate it as is quite a different piercing from my usual ones.

Well as I suspected this piercing was not going to live a long life in my body. I watched with great dismay as the balls on the surface bar dug into the flesh of my chest. They continued to keep digging in and went infected and that was when I knew it was time. Time to say rest in peace to this beautiful piercing that over time was now looking angry and not so beautiful. I am so grateful to John and he did a great job. I would recommend piercing like that at home, but I knew the risks. Although I do think that perhaps if I could have got a longer proper metal surface bar I may have been able to keep this piercing longer. Anyway I took the bar out was horrified to see just how deep the balls had sunk in. I cleaned the wound thoroughly and it healed up.

I do still have a small reminder of the beautiful metal that lived in my chest. At first I was very worried about scarring and hoped there would be none. Now I am actually glad I am left with the prominent marks in my chest as they remind me of the joy that piercing brought to me and the joy that hopefully more will bring.