Well I'd always thought body piercings were horrible.

Two of my friends had gone and gotten their tongues pierced at the age of 12 and I thought it was ridiculous. They came into school the next day and showed everyone and I immediately fell in love.

I knew there would be no way that I'd be able to get it done even if I begged and pleaded as my dad is very old fashioned.

I decided to leave it a while but in the time I left it I did much research on whether I'd be able to get it done and yet hide it from my dad at the same time. I talked to my mum about it and she said as long as he didn't find out and I paid for it myself I could have it done.

I then set about trying to find the best place to get it done. My friends had gone to a place which wasn't very hygenic. I wasn't about to go where they did, get it infected and spend time in agony. So I found a place near to where I lived that had high recommendations.

I found out you had to be 13 and accompanied by and adult which was fine for me as my mum was going to go with me and I was 13. I decided to go in 2 weeks time. I was so excited I spent time stocking up on loads of ice cream ( yes you can use that excuse ) and cold foods.

The time finally came and I was really scared. Thinking about it I didn't know why on earth I was doing this. Hell I was away to have a hollow needle shoved through my tongue!! I was sitting on the train on the way there when I told my mum I didn't want it done anymore. To which she replied that I'd taken so long to convince her and I better had. So I sat on the train in silence thinking about what I'd gotten myself into.

We got into the studio and everyone was really friendly. He gave me and my mum a sheet to fill about asking if I had any illnesses and/or was pregnant. Which was no obviously!

HE then led me into a small room at the back of the shop which had a white chair and surgical gloves sitting on a metal table. He made me rinse my mouth out with mouthwash to wash away any germs I might have and take a seat.

Then he got my to stick my tongue out. He marked with ink a small dot in the middle of my tongue then took out a sealed package with a hollow needle in it. He took it out and within seconds had positioned it, and put it through my tongue. He snipped off the bottom and placed the bar through the hollow needle then screwed on the ball. I didn't even feel a thing!

He talked through precautions I should take and then told me to come back in two weeks to get my bar changed into a shorter one. The one I had in was about the length of the height of my mouth! It was rather amusing trying to talk and I had a slight lisp but my dad never noticed.

I sat and ate loads of ice cream that night to keep the swelling down. I also was taking Ibuprofen which is meant to do the same thing and I thought it was okay. But next day I woke up in pain with a slightly swollen tongue. Now I tend not to listen a lot so I didn't hear my piercer tell me not to kiss anyone for 2 weeks. I didn't feel the need to mention this to my boyfriend. So as I walked into school he asked to see it so I showed him. He thought it looked awesome! At lunch we were sitting in the park with our mates and he leaned in to kiss me and without hesitating I did the same. When I got home I realised this was a big mistake as my tongue had gone slightly more swollen and had some pussy stuff emerging from underneath one of my taste buds.

I kept cleaning it and stopped kissing and about 1 week later it was fine and dandy. So I would listen closely to your piercer because you really don't want to mess around with your tongue vertical labret

When I'm at home I try very hard to avoid talking to my dad. He never even noticed which is rather good although I have to talk to him with my teeth shut. 6 months on and he still hasn't noticed. Another bad point I found out is if I shout at him ( being the typical teenager I am ) I have to run out of the room, unscrew my bar and then run back through to shout.

All in all I'm very pleased I got this piercing although if you don't change it into a plastic ball you will wreck the enamel on your teeth and your dentist won't be very pleased. I would recommend this piercing to anyone!!
mytattooforum
everytattoo

Tongue piercings first appealed to me when I went in with a friend to get her conch piercing and I started chatting to a girl waiting to get her own tongue done, she was so nervous but I was still there when she came out and it looked great. At the time I was only 15 (and a half) and had just got my eyebrow done so I didn't really think much on it. The a couple of months later I met a girl on a school trip who had her tongue done and it put the idea back in my head, it stuck and the rest as they say is history.

I still had a month to go before my 16th birthday (where I live there is no real restrictions on piercings but most decent places won't pierce a person under 16 without parental consent) so I spent hours upon hours researching and reading everything I could find relating to tongue peircings. I checked out both sides of the story, good and bad and even though the risks scared me but I kept looking and talked to a few local piercers who said that if it was done properly the risks where extremely minimal. I think the story that spooked me the most was this one:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15305276/

But I figured as long as I went somewhere reputable (unlike what I did when I got my eyebrow done) and was prepared to remove it is complications occurred or it started damaging my gums I would be fine. Then it occurred to me that I play an instrument where I am required to use my tongue to separate notes. That dampened my plans but more research and professional advice reassured me that past the swelling I would be fine and my playing would be unaffected. Thankfully they were right and it hasn't affected my playing after the swelling went down and makes my tutor laugh when he remembers me trying to play two days after I got it done.

Around this time I gave up on getting eyebrow piercing to heal as it was beginning to migrate (but that's another story) and ended up removing it. My mother always hated my eyebrow (she doesn't view it as very feminine) and after I took it out (she didn't realise I had) she proposed a deal that if I did take it out I could get my tongue done. Of course I agreed.

So four days after I turned 16 I got a standard tongue done at Primal Urge tongue rings, Perth and was insanely happy with the service and end result. I was careful to watch all the packets being opened and everything being sterilised while I swished the mouthwash he had given me around in my mouth. My piercer washed his hands twice, used two pairs of gloves and wore a face mask before asking me if I was ready. He marked me up and told me to shut my eyes, gave me a bib (which was thankfully unneeded as I didn't drool) and proceeded to put the needle through my tongue. The jewellery was then put in and tightened and I was told I could put my tongue (which felt like carpet after being after my mouth so long) back in my mouth. I was given icy water to sip at while he went through the aftercare instructions and then sent on my way with an instruction pamphlet, spare acrylic ball, downsizing bar and an awesome sticker.

I have a pretty high pain tolerance so I can't really offer insight on the pain level but the clamp was a bit uncomfortable. Nothing exciting has happened with it so far (6 weeks in) and it has healed up brilliantly after an initial 5 days of discomfort due to swelling and was ridiculously easy to look after. I lived on soup and iced juice which was a bit boring after a while but I lived.

I had a bit of trouble finding properly sized jewellery as I have an abnormally thick tongue (even without the swelling) but otherwise it's been smooth sailing. I've had no real negative comments accept from my mother (I'm not allowed to show her as it makes her feel queasy) and my friends thought it was hilarious when I tried to communicate for the first few days. I was a bit concerned with the preconception of a tongue piercing being synonymous to promiscuous behaviour but I figured other's opinions shouldn't matter regarding my own choices. All in all it was a win win situation and is a piercing I'd recommend to anyone especially as a first piercing due to the ease of aftercare which was a combination of mouthwash, gargling warm saline solution and ibuprofen to help with the swelling.
thetattooforum
uktattoostudios
tattoodles

I usually get my piercings in groups. I got my nostril, 2nd and 3rd lobes all within a month and a half. Well, last Monday I went into Hot Rod Piercing and got my industrial done, which I wrote about on here as well. After that, I was itching for another one. I know, my body was already working on healing two holes, but I just couldn't resist. The problem was deciding which piercing to get. Tim, who did my industrial, suggested my next piercing be the rook on the other ear. The non-edge-of-the-ear piercings make me nervous though. My ears aren't the cleanest and I doubt I'd be able to prevent infection.

Before getting my industrial done, my friend April asked which piercing I wanted. I jokingly told her nipples and she nearly crashed the car we were in. We both had a good laugh and I assured her I would never even consider that kind of pain. But as I researched piercings after the industrial, I kept going back to the idea of the nipples. I was serious when I told her I would never even consider the nipples. However during the very short time that passed, I couldn't help but change my mind. They seemed very sexy and I hear they enhance sensation in that area. I've never really gotten too much pleasure out of nipple play, so I could use all the help I could get!

I went back and forth a bunch of times, afraid that maybe a potential lover would think it was trashy or something. But eventually I came to my senses and decided it's something I wanted to do for myself. You only live once.

I'd had a fantastic experience with my industrial at Hot Rod so I decided to go back there. I made my friend Amanda come with me. She thought I was crazy but also pretty badass for going for the nipples and agreed to come, as long as she didn't have to watch the needle enter the skin. I told her that as long as she held my hand, she could stare at the back of her eyelids for all I cared.

When I walked into Hot Rod, there were two girls there already standing at the counter. Jerry at the counter asked me what I wanted. I felt really embarassed saying it in front of the two girls, but took a deep breath and said, "Well... I, I'm getting another piercing. I... I'm getting my nipples pierced!" It was very awkward for me and very hilarious for Amanda. As you can imagine, the two girls immediately turned to me with looks of pure shock. I filled out the paperwork, showed my ID, and went through the aftercare process with Jerry.

I found out that one of the two girls was getting her nostril done and the other was there for moral support. I told her that I wasn't trying to be condescending but nostril was my least painful piercing (lobes included!) and she had nothing to worry about. She was still really nervous. Next thing she knew it was her turn. I wished her luck and she went to the back.

While she was getting pierced, three more girls arrived. They all were getting cartiledge piercings. The nostril girl came out and her stud looked great, which I told her. She said her eyes watered but she was okay. She wished me luck before she left. I laughed and replied that I would need it. As I waited, Jerry walked to the back to talk to the piercer (whose name I can't remember. Sorry!). I wasn't really too nervous, but Amanda was a wreck! Suddenly I heard Jerry say, "If she gets faint or dizzy, you call me back right away." That's when I had my "Oh shit" moment.

It was my turn. Amanda and I walked back nipple shields. The piercer and I talked a bit (we'll call him Paul) about what to expect and such. I wore a tank top and removed my bra. I got my arms out of the straps of the tank top and just folded it down, so I didn't have to take the shirt off. Amanda was still really really nervous and she couldn't stop laughing. Paul and I had some great awkward conversation Me: "How's it going?" Paul: "Pretty good, you?" "Good. Good. You know." "Yeah? (sarcasm) It's about to get a lot better."

As he was marking my nipples with a felt marker, I told him not too judge me by my boobs because I'm a bit lop-sided (which was my biggest worry with the piercing!) to which he replied not to worry because he'd not seen a symmetrical girl neither professionally nor personally. Finally it was time. He told me that he doesn't use clamps, which I thought was good because I hear they hurt really bad.

He started on the left and pierced on the exhale. Scale of 1-10, probably a 6 or 7. Not terrible, but no walk in the park. I squeezed Amanda's hand pretty bad. It was a bit bad when he put in the jewelry as well (bars, not rings). Now came the right side. Probably an 8 or 9. It felt like I could feel each layer of skin being ripped through. I squeezed Amanda's hand I swear nearly off and made an unreproducable face. It was very very painful. I didn't make any sound though.

Paul made me feel better by then going on to describe his terrible experiences with tattoos. He has so much unfinished artwork because he can't bear the pain of getting tattooed, which made me laugh and feel better about being kind of a baby about my nipples.

Afterwards, the right one was pretty tender for about 3 or 4 hours. It hurt to laugh because my boobs would jiggle and irritate my tender piercings.

I slept just fine and now (day 3) I barely feel them at all, except when they bump things. They look very very cute and I'm glad about my decision. I feel sexy all the time because I have a secret no one knows and no one would be able to guess by looking at me. No one will ever know about this piercing unless I choose to tell them, which is a nice feeling of power.

The aftercare is extremely easy. Just use Dial soap in the shower and you're done. No worrying about nooks and crannies like that industrial! It's all very straightforward.

It hurt A LOT but it was very worth it!
my opera
piercingpeople
body-piercing-community
artforum

For a long while now I have wanted to get my navel re-pierced for the third time. The first time I got it. It just rejected and the second well...I looked after it spectacularly and it still...yes...rejected. Those two times I got it done at a place in Scarborough piercing world, its not there anymore but I think its pretty dodgy comparing to primal.

I can remember when I got it done in about year 8. My friend Sara got it for her birthday and I was like oh that's so cool. It's shiny. I want one! So she came with me to get it with my mum and it was pretty breezy besides the fact that it was kind of uncomfortable sitting down. That one rejected so I waiting for the scar tissue to go down a bit and got it done again. At the same place. That time again it was pretty easy because I knew what was happening and when. I think that second time it hurt more that the first probably going through the scar tissue, wasn't very thick though. I knew that the healing time was pretty long but for others and me.... it would be worth it.

The second time it was pierced was year 9 I think and from then the scar tissue was building up slowly and looking a lot better. I've wanted to get it redone for a while now...I just haven't been bothered to go to town and get it. Yes I'm lazy. Here's what happened. My two friends, Cameron and Rachel, and me organized to go to the city just for a walk around and to shop and stuff. Knowing me I didn't realize and forgot about getting it redone. So I was just thinking about shopping and what I was going to get. The night before we went Cameron phoned and said that he couldn't come because he had too much homework, apparently he was weeks behind but in the end he didn't end up doing it because he had to help a friend move house I was pretty bummed about that because he's a really good mate and heaps of fun. I was working the night before thinking about it all. So I messaged Rachel and said oh Cameron cant come too much homework, and yes she was annoyed too but we continued to go and still shop. We got there and looked around for a while trying to find boost which took us about 1/2 hour. It was so hard to find. So we called another friend and he came along for a while. After a while we were at the bank because he needed money and I was like...oh...I just though of something...primal is here!!! I'm going to get my navel re done.oh.wait.i need consent, damn it, wait, ill call mum. She didn't answer for ages but I got through and she said yes. So we went to primal to ask about an appointment it was about 1:50 and the earliest time was 3:30 so I said yes and continued to stroll around Perth. We decided to go to Subiaco for a bit and then came back to get this done.

At this time Ben had to leave coz he had to be home at 4 so it was just I and Rach hanging in primal and waiting for me to get done. We walked in the shop and I had to consent to some forms and what not. And then they called mum and asked her if I could get it done. All good she said yes and off we went to sit on the couch. After about 15 minutes I had to choose a color of the jewelry either the double jeweled or the single. I chose single coz I had already got a sky blue and light purple double jeweled pieces from previous times piercing. I chose a hot pink one coz I had not got pink. It was nice. Well that's what Josh said. So we waited for a while and finally Hailey was done with a tongue piercing and I was next. She took age's coz she really wanted to do a navel. Gee didn't I feel special. Rach and me walked into the room and had a chat to her while she was getting all ready. These rooms at primal were immaculate. We just talked about Cameron and how he knows her from his extremely stretchy ears and all his other piercings. Shame he was not there. She marked all the dots out and all. I lay down on the table and I was like "yeah I've had this done twice. I know all about it". And surprisingly it did not hurt as much as the previous piercing. She did cut me with the clamp accidentally but that was OK. She's extremely professional and would recommend her to anyone. Was kind of weird coz it was going through more scar tissue and apparently it was pretty thick but thin around it. She said that it's going nowhere since it's pierced a bit deeper, phew, that was a relief. She gave me some Microshield to clean it once a day for 2 weeks and then once a week after. Then once a month until it's fully healed.

I was all done. Happy and content. Rachel and me walked out of primal and decided to go home because my feet were hurting from walking around town in Ugg boots all day. We caught the train home well...I went to Cameron's to stay the night and she went home. I showed him. He liked it. That was good. And to anyone wanting to get this. Just go for it. Its not a hard procedure and isn't what you call painful. There's tones of jewelry you can buy. I say...it's worth it. After my third time, hoping it heals properly.
Link:Female piercing

I had always been interested in piercing ever since I can remember but I didn't have too many besides my lobes. I had wanted my belly button pierced ever since I could remember even though my shy Body piercing My Space ways have always stopped me. When I was 15 and I felt that my stomach was nice and flat I made up my mind to get that navel piercing. I read stories on them. I knew what to expect, how to clean it, the symptoms of an infection everything you should know. With my mother's approval we went to all types of shops looking for a suitable place.

Every shop we went to told me I had to be 16. Me being stubborn could not accept that. I was determined piercing club. I began to wonder if I should just do it myself. I knew many friends that had done it themselves with very good results. I knew I would be fine I am very good about keeping piercings clean. I talked everything over with my mother and father, even my grandmother. I even spent long amounts talking to friends who had one and who didn't. We all decided that if it were taken care of it would look nice piercing cool. I had seen many piercings that had gone wrong because people got careless with the cleaning. My mom made me promise that I would clean and take care of it everyday. With their approval my father bought me several belly rings all small that would suit my short stature. Now I am not advocating self-piercings at all. It can be very dangerous and it is best to use trained professionals in a clean and sterile environment, but as I said before I am just too stubborn. It was luck that my stubborn ways led to a happy ending and a happy piercing.

Once I had the belly button rings I contacted a close friend of mine who had done her's by herself. We borrowed a hollow needle from another close friend and cleaned and sterilized it, then swabbed it with an antiseptic. On the day my quest was to be completed I, and my piercer sought refuge in the girls bathroom (not the cleanest place but the lunchroom is too crowded). My piercer set everything out on an antiseptic wipe keeping everything clean. She swapped the entry and exit points and the surrounding area with antiseptic. After making sure I was serious about it she took the hollow needle out of it's sterilized packaging. I am a thin girl and have a belly button that is awkward not exactly in and not exactly out. We had a difficult time getting it to line up till we decided a slight curve would be the best bet. I took several drinks of my pop and breathed slowly as the needle passed through the first the layer of skin. I took several more drinks of pop and braced myself for the impact of metal. I stared at the top of my friend's head as the needle began to push through my dermis. I began to be lightheaded and the wall swam around me. The next thing I knew I was on the ground the needle halfway through my navel and my friend slapping my thigh. I stood up and leaned against the wall to steady myself, and then we started again. Once again I passed out. This time I told her to get the jewelry ready and I grabbed hold of the needle and pushed hard, it went through. My friend threaded the ring through as I pulled the needle out through the exit. She cleaned up the little blood there was and swabbed it with antiseptic piercing cool. I finally had my piercing. I walked to lunch and bought some candy to revive my sugar levels.

I have had my navel piercing for three months now it has healed nicely even despite the fact that I had to replace the bar before it was fully healed. I clean it well with a formula specially made for body piercings and antiseptic. Besides some minor crusting every so often it has healed well. I am very happy with it and my mother is proud that I have taken good care of it. She has even allowed me to get several more ear piercings but that is a different story. Self-piercing can be done well. It's not the safest thing but if executed cleanly and cared for well the only problem should be the minor crusting.

Anyone who feels the need to self-pierce, DO NOT DO IT HALF-JACKED! Use proper equipment such as a hollow needle, and make sure you and the person who is doing know exactly what they are doing. Keep everything clean and sterile. I am not joking you could end up with a serious problem. My stubborn quest is complete! On with the multiple ear piercings.

For a long while now I have wanted to get my navel re-pierced for the third time. the first time I got it.it just rejected and the second well.I looked after it spectacularly and it still,yes,rejected belly button blog piercing gallery blogs. Those two times I got it done at a place in Scarborough, its not there anymore but I think it is not as good comparing to primal.

I can remember when I got it done in about year 8. My friend Sara got it for her birthday and I was like wow that's so cool,its shiny.I want one! so she came with me to get it with my mum, and it was pretty breezy besides the fact that it was kind of uncomfortable sitting down. That one rejected so I waiting for the scar tissue to go down a bit and got it done again,at the same place. That time again it was pretty easy because I knew what was happening and when. I think that second time it hurt more that the first probably going through the scar tissue.wasn't very thick though. I knew that the healing time was pretty long but for me,and others,it would be worth it.

The second time it was pierced was year 9 I think and from then the scar tissue was building up slowly and looking a lot better. I've wanted to get it redone for a while now.I just haven't been bothered to go to town and get it. Heres what happened. Me and my two friends, Cameron and Rachel, organized to go to the city just for a walk around and to shop and stuff. Knowing me i didn't realize and forgot about getting it redone. So I was just thinking about shopping and what I was going to get. The night before we went Cameron phoned and said that he couldn't come because he had too much homework, apparently he was weeks behind but in the end he didn't end up doing it because he had to help a friend move house. I was pretty bummed about that because hes a really good mate and heaps of fun. I was working the night before thinking about it all. So I messaged Rachel and said oh Cameron cant come too much homework. Yes she was annoyed too but we continued to go and still shop. We got there and looked around for a while trying to find boost which took us about 1/2 hour. It was so hard to find. So we called another friend and he came along for a while. After a while we were at the bank because he needed money and i was like.I just though of something,Primal is her!!! I'm gonna get my navel re done,oh,wait,I need consent,damn it,wait,I'll call mum. She didn't answer for ages but I got through and she said yes. So we went to primal to ask about an appointment it was about 1:50 and the earliest time was 3:30 so i said yes and continued to stroll around Perth. We decided to go to the Subiaco markets for a bit and then came back to get this done.

At this time Ben had to leave because he had to be home at four so it was just me and Rachel hanging in primal and waiting for me to get done. We walked in the shop and I had to consent to some forms and what not. And then they called mum and asked her if I could get it done. All good she said yes and off we went. To sit on the couch. After about 15 minuted I had to choose a color of the jewelery either the double jeweled or the single. I chose single because I had already got a sky blue and light purple double jeweled pieces from previous times. I chose a hot pink one because I hadn't got pink. It was nice,well thats what Josh and Hailey said. So we waited for a while and finally Hailey was done with a tongue piercing and I was next. She took ages because she really wanted to do a navel. Gee didn't I feel special. Rachel and I walked into the room and had a chat to her while she was getting all prepped up. these rooms at primal were immaculate. We just talked about Cameron and how he knows her from his extremely stretchy ears and all his other piercings. Shame he wasn't there. She marked all the dots out and all. I lay down on the table and I was like "yeah I've had this done twice. I know all about it". and surprisingly it didn't hurt as much as the previous piercings. She did cut me with the clamp accidentally but that was OK. shes extremely professional and would recommend her to anyone. Was kind of weird because it was going through more scar tissue and apparently it was pretty thick but thin around it. She said that its going nowhere since its pierced a bit deeper,phew,that was a relief. She gave me some "Microshield" to clean it once a day for 2 weeks and then once a week after, then once a month until its fully healed.

I was all done. happy and content. Rachel and I walked out of primal and decided to go home because my feet were hurting from walking around town in Ugg boots all day. we caught the train home well. I went to Cameron's to stay the night and she went home. I showed him,he liked it,that was good.

And to anyone wanting to get this,just go for it. It's not a hard procedure and isn't what you call painful. Theres tonnes of jewelry you can buy, I say, its worth it. After my third time.hoping it heals properly.

PS. if anyone goes to primal to get any piercing done. ask for Hailey shes the best! cheers

I've been interested in piercings from a very young age, and as I'm lucky to have quite an understanding mum, I've had several ear piercing, but last year I decided I wanted something a bit more interesting. After browsing websites for a few months, I presented a list of piercing I would like to my mum. She dismissed most piercings, like tongue piercings, nose piercings, and slightly more ambitious ones like anti-eyebrow piercings and septum piercings because she was worried about the reaction from other people. We eventually agreed on getting my belly button pierced for my 14th birthday, as this was quite a common piercing and so she assumed this would be quite an easy and safe piercing, as well as a more widely accepted piercing. We decided on Urban Piercings in Reading because it had very good reviews and lots of recommendations (I just want to add that I can't find Urban piercings; it's either been moved or shut down. I would recommend Carvilles in Burnham, Slough because the piercers are friendly and experienced).

The day after my birthday we set off to Reading. I was extremely nervous but very excited. We got to the piercing place, paid the money and my mum signed the consent form and then waited upstairs. The shop was very clean and bright, which put my mind at rest, but when it was my turn to get pierced, I found the piercer quite rude which ruined the experience a bit ( I have a problem with rude piercers, it doesn't take much to make conversation and it really puts the customer at ease). He told me to stand up and marked the place he was going to pierce, and when I agreed with the placing, he told me to lie down on the bed. The worst part of the whole experience was watching him prepare the needle. Once he has prepared the needle, he told me to shut my eyes and breathe deeply. He didn't use a clamp, but it was still almost completely painless. He then put in a 16ga barbell, which was slightly uncomfortable but nothing near what I expected. I left the piercing place feeling immensely happy.

For the first week the piercing was absolutely fine, and I cleaned the piercing every day, but I went to a party the Saturday after, and I'm not really sure what I got up to. A few days after that my belly button was covered in brown scab like things. I was really worried because everyone I asked had told me that their belly buttons hadn't done that when they got it pierced. I went to the doctor who told me that it might an allergic reaction to the titanium, which concerned me, and wasn't greatly helpful as he was still unsure, but I was determined and I left it in.

Eventually the scabs fell off, and I am still not completely sure what they were, but it was not a pleasant experience. It itched constantly and well, it was not very pretty when I wanted to show off my new piercing. Everything was fine for a while but a few weeks later I found a large ball growing behind the top hole of the piercing. I got the pus out but it grew back shortly after. It was painful to touch and put quite a lot of pressure on the actual piercing. I decided to resume cleaning it (I had stopped about 3 months after I got the piercing). The ball eventually went away, but left a small amount of scar tissue.

Also, I recently noticed the skin between the balls becoming smaller. I was extremely upset, as one of my biggest fears for the piercing was rejection. I changed the barbell to a longer and slightly more curved one, and since then it has been ok but I am still quite worried about it rejecting body jewelry piercing.

After that everything had been fine, but it has been 9 months since I got the piercing and it still hasn't healed completely. It itches terribly when I used bubble bath, it hurts every time I take the barbell out, there is still a lot of plasma around the bar and I am constantly worried about it rejecting or getting caught and ripped out. I love this piercing, but in my opinion it is not a good first piercing as it takes a lot of care and can prove to be more trouble than it's worth. I have since had my nose pierced and found that to be a far easier and quick healing piercing.

My advise to any mothers who are getting pressured by their children is to do their own research beforehand and not rely on the moral majority so much that you ignore important information.

This is a story of a vertical labret piercing which didn't happen, but ended up with a labret piercing anyway. I remember when I first saw a vertical labret piercing on my friend Tom and on a few pictures on the internet, I though it was absolutely awesome and hadn't seen anyone in my home town with it and as I like to be seen as quite an original character I decided to try and get it done. I had wanted it for months but due to the nature of my work (part time at McDonalds to help fund my university placement) I couldn't really have it done due to food hygiene rules, after working at the same place for over a year, I figured if they didn't like it then I could just quit, my manager was fairly easy going and we got on well so I decided to just go for it.

I walked into the studio and asked for a vertical labret, they fed me some bs about not being able to do it because it was unsafe, etc. etc. so I walked out. I thought about how much I wanted the piercing, but also how this was going to be one of the only times I was going to be able to get to a piercing studio, because I didn't know the location of any others, so I decided just to go for a regular labret piercing instead. I walked back in, asked for the regular labret piercing, filled out the forms the woman handed me and walked into the studio after a short wait.

The guy inside sat me on the bench and explained all the equipment to me, he counted out everything he was going to use and laid it all out in front of me, showed me the jewelry he was going to put on once the piercing was complete and what size I would get after the piercing had healed and then we got going.

The first thing he did was swabbed my lip, he then drew a small dot on it with a pen, then showed me where it would be in the mirror and I quickly glanced and said yes.

This was a big mistake because after it was pierced I realized it was about 1mm off to one side, but its barely noticeable, I was so excited I just wanted to get it done and rushed ahead with it, so I would say always double check placement before you go ahead with the piercing.

Anyway he told me to shut my eyes as he was holding a sharp and he said he was just going to place it against my lip, he did so and then slowly pulled my lip down over the needle and I felt almost nothing. There was a very small stinging feeling and he told me he had completed the piercing and was about to slide the jewelry on, which was 1.2x10mm. He put the jewelry in, did it up and handed me a bottle of water for me to wash my mouth out with, he was very concerned as it was bleeding slightly and made sure it was completely free of blood before I left the studio. His assistant then handed me an ice lolly to eat and hold against the piercing to help with the swelling and gave me a talk about cleaning and looking after the piercing, after about 5 minutes of chat I left the shop a very happy lad with a helpful leaflet and some lotion for keeping the piercing clean.

The first meal I ate was a nightmare, I was constantly biting the stud and had to eat very slowly and in very small amounts, for the next few days my meals were all very simple and very slowly eaten so as not to catch my piercing at all, after around 3 or 4 days the swelling had gone completely, I could eat properly too and there was no pain in my lip at all.

When I first went into work they asked me to take it out but I politely explained I was unable to until it had healed, they were fine with that and just had me working where I wasn't in contact with any food. Whenever they asked me when I was able to take it out even after it was completely healed I just said "it still needs a week or so" and by the next week they had forgotten they had even asked me, so if you're reading this worried about your boss at work going nuts because you have a piercing, just lie to them and they're usually stupid enough to forget they asked you about 15 minutes later.

Over 3 months on and I've just had my second piercing, from a different studio, which I had slightly worse experiences with. I may write about these on another occasion. All in all this first one was a very pleasurable experience and definitely helped with my confidence in piercings, I think after my 2nd lip one has healed I'm going to have a 3rd, then I'm going to start stretching my ears to around 8mm.