Lobe & Vert. Nipple Piercing
The purpose of my visit to perforations?
Was to have vertical barbell’s installed behind the incumbent ball closure rings in my nipples, which have been in-situ for about 10 months (the BCR’s not my nipples:). Also planned - an Ear lobe piercing, but one that will be stretched-up to accept a Flesh Tunnel, eventually! (Funny to look back on that - Now at 40mm in both lobes! 
Ed 2008)
To be absolutely honest I was having reservations, not about the piercings, oh no, but the fact that heavy flooding and rail chaos (literally, broken ones that is) had made the idea of travelling less enticing.
But the eight months, bereft of a new piercing, motivated me, and after checking the status of the trains, I decided to set out…
Three hours later I arrived at the studio!
Still, I got there in the end! After a quick sit-down to catch my breath and fill in the paperwork, I set off down the stairs followed by Dominic, who had previously pierced my conch and both nipples. I grappled the CD out of my jacket pocket, Dom’s reaction on seeing only the back cover, was one of appreciation, “Soungarden - quality” I think he said, and a long conversation ensued about Chris Cornell (he went solo, you know!). So without too much delay, Badmotorfinger was playing…
Once I had explained to Dom what was required, including what my intention was for my Ear lobe (it helps the piercer if they know what you intend to wear in it once healed, or whether you want to have it stretched) he then set about cleaning my ear lobe. I also asked if it was possible to pierce over some scars left from an old (piercing gun) ‘piercing’ that’s another reason (as if one were needed) never to have any piercing carried out with a gun, they leave scars!
Ear we go. . .
“No problem” said Dom, after marking he asked me to have a look in the mirror to confirm placement. I did, his next question was “how we gonna do these (all the piercings), with or without?” [Referring to anaesthetic] I replied “Without!” to which Dom reacted with “cool - good man!” So everything was ready, the brand new 2.4mm (sealed) sterile needle, the clamp, jewellery and all the other bits n’ pieces…
I sat there and Dom clamped the lobe, then began to feed the needle through, I can never really ‘feel’ the needle until it makes it’s exit, the ear was no different except that the intensity was very low. Just a small ‘tugging’ sensation, I would say if you want to ‘get-into’ body piercing the ear lobe is a natural place to start. It is also more socially acceptable (in polite society:) to have an ear piercing, because as we all know, individuals that have them [piercings] elsewhere are very strange indeed:-) (Sorry, the biting sarcasm doesn’t come across too well here!)
Time to ’suck the gut in’, and remove the shirt…
Having had my nipples pierced previously I had a good idea what to expect, although when a vertical nipple piercing is performed, it is done behind the ball closure ring, further back in the Areola, towards the chest. This means the needle has to traverse more tissue. And it also means more movement on the ‘intense O meter’…
Dominic marked up the entry and exit points for the piercing; taking time to get it ’spot on’, I stood-up, and the proposed piercings were checked for evenness in this situation. The procedure is done while lying down, I did so… Dom asked, “Which side first?” I replied, “I don’t mind” and since he was stood to the left of me, this was the first nipple to get it:)
Firstly the Ball closure rings were removed to facilitate clamping, [they are refitted after the procedure] the nipple was then ‘clamped’ which is done to give the piercer something which to push against, and to hold the tissue. To tell the truth, I hardly even felt the clamp ‘bite’ as the pressure was progressively applied.
After having my nipples pierced previously, I feel more attuned to the experience, consequently, totally focused on exactly where the sensation will occur, and not as in the past, focused as a whole. In order to try an explain this phenomenon. . .
. . . I’ll try to generate a plausible simile:
Most of us have purchased an Album (CD) on the strength of one track, heard while listening to the radio; you get the album home. Play the ‘one’ track but just skip through the others, (or just listen to the first 10 seconds of the others) because, ‘they don’t make you feel the same’. Put simply you are attuned to just this ‘one’ track. Some time later you listen to the album as a ‘whole’ and think, Bloody hell this album is superb!
The first nipple piercing is a bit like hearing that ‘one’ track on the radio - you are receptive only to IT.
Whereas you should be listening to the ‘rest of the album’ [your whole body], which is, where the real ‘action’ is! And with each consequent selective ‘listen’ [nipple piercing] to the ‘one’ track, you re-enforce the myth.
The real issue here is that, the nipple piercings seem to become more intense each time you have one, this can’t be? Does it have any physical explanation? [That's a rhetorical question:)]
In goes the needle…
When the needle enters the flesh, I never really feel much, I know it’s there, but it’s quite a ‘nice’ sensation. And one which, (unless you’ve been fortunate to have experience) I am at pains to illustrate here, that’s another reason to get pierced then:).
As the needle works it’s way through the flesh, it [the needle] seems to discover tougher areas and induces a vision of the needles prospective in, ‘the mind’s eye’ as if I were tunnelling through varied layers of strata, in order to try to escape some terrible fate. Or maybe it’s a vision of my ‘collective unconscious’ trying to bore its way up through to my ‘Ego conscious’. And like any journey, there is a point where you feel, that this is too demanding, it would be easier to turn back, if you’ve not experienced this emotion, I suggest you try public transport in the UK 
While all this was happening, physical manifestations were few: a bit of buttock clenching and gritting of teeth. Feeling me ‘tense-up’ Dom said “ok mate I know these [vertical nipple piercings] bite” I replied “I’d rather a ’shit load’ of physical pain, than emotional pain any day!” and that I was “fine - really!”
You know that old platitude, “The darkest part of the night, is just before dawn” the most intense part of piercing [for me] is when our friend, the needle, makes it’s encore - stage right, or in this case, at the top of my areola. At this point I don’t care, I’m far too ecstatic to worry about trivial things like pain! The plastic tube, the needle has dragged through is cut down, and the jewellery is inserted [a 1.6mm barbell] the tube being gradually removed. The barbell is then secured and a dressing is applied to the area…
All done!
That was it… well for the left nipple anyway, the right one was much the same. I put my T-shirt and shirt back on, Dom handed back my CD and I thanked him for another superb job, he said, “it’s always a pleasure to pierce to music, of such quality”. We shook hands and made the journey up the stairs to the reception area, where I paid and thanked everyone again as I left… (Before you mail me, I have many copies of the Perforations aftercare guide; this is why I did not get one!)
Walking up the steep incline, towards the high street, I could feel my nipples rub against my clothing, not painful, my main concern was that someone would walk into me. Whilst grinning like a moron, I made my way to a fast food outlet, which is not my favourite one, but hey! I wasn’t going to walk all the way to Burger King™ and I hadn’t had time get food since breakfast. I sat down ate my food, made some phone calls and sent some text messages to let everyone know how I’d got on, still grinning like a moron…
After eating, I purchased some more cotton buds and Savlon™ which is a rather good antiseptic cream, which is ideal for use as a lubricant, when moving BCR’s around while cleansing, NOT AS A CLEANING SOLUTION - USE A MILD SALINE SOLUTION! Oh it’s good on tattoos as well. Which lasts ages as you use very little, to give you some idea, I purchased a 60g tube 11 months ago (it’s used every day on all BCR piercings) and there is still some remaining!
Can’t touch this. . .
Once I arrived home I removed the dressings; there was a little blood but pretty much what I had expected to find. On the initial day of the procedure you should leave well alone, and not clean them for the first 24 hours. That’s exactly what I did, although I tend not to ‘play’ with piercing or let anyone touch them PERIOD! Even when healed, well maybe that’s a little bit of an overstatement, if you’re female and pretty, you get to touch them:) once healed though!
After the first day you are compelled to clean your piercings by common sense (well I am), I did this very gingerly. Yes it does sting a bit, the first couple of times, but my view is, you don’t want to “spoil the ship for a hapeth’ of tar” (An old English saying, meaning, don’t ruin something by overlooking a small, but crucial detail).
If you are thinking of having a nipple piercing, then go and do it! You may perceive some of the things I’ve written in a ‘negative light’ this is simply not true, moreover it maybe necessary to have a piercing already, to fully understand what I have written. Pain [physical] is always portrayed in a negative light, by most media today; I need to dispel long held misconceptions about pain…
The drive to be pierced [tattooed, scarified or implanted] is not something, which is easy to explain to people that have not opened-up their mind, and looked inside their soul for enlightenment. Not that I’m implying any of you reading this are such people. Quite the opposite is true, in fact. You have sought out information, which shows you to be more than just a ‘doing it on a whim’ person, but even doing on a ‘whim’ may lead you into a world of possibilities, which you have been so far excluded from.
If none of that helps you to, ‘get modified’, then just chant this mantra:
Think of it as a funky adventure!!!