Labret and Nostril done
I got my labret and nostril pierced yesterday. I've wanted a labret for years and a nostril piercing for a long time also. Due to life circumstances, health, finances etc I never got around to it. Couple this with being tortured twice by a dentist (blacked out) and a nurse with needles, I had to try find my girly-balls to go ahead with it. I made a promise to myself to research everything first before committing. Learning what a good piercer/studio is, technique, aftercare, risks, problems, long term issues (scars, dental etc), material and so on empowered me to make the right choices. I located a specialist studio called Piercing Bodz, situated in Chester and heard good news about this place elsewhere too. His website is an impressive information resource and his background and experience second to none.
In the end it came down to this: What did I want more? Shinies or a life time of regretting not doing it because I wussed out at pain that wouldn't last that long? I also wanted to be able to face fear and pain and learn to deal with it rather than go into avoidance mode and this felt like a positive way of doing it.
Carl's shop was extremely clean and warm, minimalist but comfortable so it has a calming atmosphere. This is just as well as I was having the classic terror response of feeling cold but sweating buckets and starting to shake lol. Carl has a lovely nature and a wonderful calm and friendly demeanor. This helped me relax a little. I had to sign a consent form which also asked for medical information. I was then given a choice of jewellery. I picked light blue jewels for both of my piercings.
He scrubbed his hands to death, surgeon style, gloved up and went to mark me. He took his time marking and had to readjust the labret placement a few times because it was a 1/4 of a millimeter out lol. I knew then I dealing with a perfectionist. He had me lie down and told me to use a combination of breathing and distraction techniques. I had to wriggle my right toes as I breathed in then switch to my left toes as I exhaled forcefully out.
It was time and my adrenaline went sky high! Was lying there thinking, "WHY am I doing this to myself, you bat-shit crazy woman!" Carl said his piercings are over in less than a second and he was not joking. The pain hit me as I exhaled but it was so damned brief, and I was partly distracted switching my toes (Smart, that). My brain went from, "Shit... wait that's it?" I think I said as much to Carl himself. He is lightning fast! I remembered to keep breathing deeply and steadily as he fitted the jewellery. The pain was bearable, I would get it redone. Don't get me wrong, it hurts but it is nothing that can't be managed and it's so brief. I consider myself a wuss btw and I feel I have a low pain tolerance but it's all so subjective, so who knows. I am hard on myself, too.
Next was my nose. He advised me to keep my eyes shut. He didn't need to tell me twice lol. I do better not seeing the things people are going to use on me, or my rational side just buggers off. Poor guy, he told me to blow out on the piercing and I done that through my nose instead of my mouth, hoping he didn't get nose-sprayed! Again, lightning fast and it was over in less than a second. My ear lobes (done elsewhere) were slow as heck in comparison! He had me breath out slowly and gently as he put the jewellery in. My right eye watered a lot which he commented on and he gently dabbed the tears away repeatedly. He was really sweet! My eyes water a lot even when tweezing so it was just my body being an over reactive drama queen. At this point my nose was bleeding and he put gauze up my nose and squeezed it, making sure he wasn't being too firm. I was grateful as I felt a light headed and weak at this point so it was nice to lie there. Carl rinsed and repeated this about 3 times. At this point he's looking a little puzzled and peers up my snout. He then said in an incredibly apologetic tone, "Oh I'm sorry, I've gone a little too far and nicked your nose." Turns out I have a super soft nose and he's so used to leathery/thick/cooked noses he overcompensated lol. The bleeding stopped just after though and it wasn't some dramatic blood tsunami. Again, the pain was manageable and certainly not some torturous agony.
I looked in the mirror and saw my new shinies and they looked better than I imagined they would. I'm absolutely thrilled! Carl lead me out and gave me a sticker and a lolly and said I was brave having two done at once. Off I went back home. I will go back in 2 weeks to get a re-fitting once the swelling has gone down.
I can't recommend Carl highly enough. I will go back for more at some point. He offers a complete package and I would send anyone who cares about their piercings to him and wants a calm, friendly and unrushed experience. I liked the fact he also gave a leaflet containing aftercare so there is a reference point if I forget anything. You have to go early as he gets busy very quickly and doesn't work on an appointment based system. I went on the Saturday but he was too busy to fit me. I consider this a further good sign. I would give him 10/10 for his service.
So far the piercings have given me no aggro and they seem happy. I just have to remember not to rub my face when I'm knackered! I'm so glad I done this. I feel these piercings make me stand out a bit. It's not that I want extra attention, I don't, however I am not a conventional person and I feel these piercings are a nice little warning sign of thatIf people don't want to be my friends because I have piercings or are idiots with their comments, it will save me some precious time figuring them out!
I'm sorry the photos are a bit out of focus, I have an appalling camera on my phone and I was so tired my arms were a bit shaky!
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Originally Posted by stefallis0n
I'm Niki!
