My Piercing Experiences

Just a quick post today sharing with you my experiences with piercing. I haven't had a lot by any means, but if you were thinking of getting one of the piercings I've had this might help you to know what to expect!

Lobes:
I've had my lobes pierced two times overall. One was when I was seven so I don't really remember it, but I got a second piercing in my lobes in February 2011. I went to the cheapest place I could find which was a place called Jump in South Shields and I think paid £6. The place is a bit grungy, I was sitting on a stool in the middle of a shop surrounded by bongs, but you get what you pay for a lot of the time and I like the man in there so I didn't mind. Everything went smoothly and I had no problems at all with this area. He's also pierced many of my friends and none of us have ever had an infection which is a good sign. The healing process wasn't painful at all and it's a really easy piercing to look after!
Pain: 2/10. Healing pain rating: 1/10

Ear rims (cartilage)

I've had this done once on each side of my ears, both times with an earring gun. The first was in this place called Dances With Unicorns in Newcastle, which in hindsight was extremely shady and somewhere I'd never venture again. You're not supposed to get this piercing done with a gun because it can cause lots of problems, such as shattering your cartilage, and its apparently not a particularly hygienic method . You can also get lumps on each side of the ear from the impact, which happened on both of my ears. The piercer didn't even clean the area or anything and I got the impression she didn't really know what she was doing. The second time was pretty much the same deal at Jump in South Shields with the same healing issues.

The piercing itself wasn't too painful, but the healing process was really bad. I kept it in for about two years and in this time it never healed. I didn't get any infections because I'm extremely hardcore about hygiene, but it was always sore and I couldn't sleep on that side for a good year. When it was cold my ear burned and bizarrely it gave me headaches and numbed that side of my face which was a bit scary. In hindsight I really recommend paying the extra and getting this done with a needle in a professional hygienic place, from people who genuinely know what they are doing. For more info on why it's not good to get anything other than your earlobes pierced with a gun, click here.
Pain: 3.5/10. Healing pain rating: 7/10.


Belly button (navel)

Freshly pierced! (Purple splodge is a pen mark)

So finally having learned to do my research thoroughly, I was on the hunt for a good place to get my belly pierced. My friend recommended PX Piercing so I immediately began an epic search for all reviews on the services there. I literally read hundreds of reviews, and all of them raved about the fantastic hygiene, the lovely couple who worked there, and how happy they were with their piercings. A few mentioned it was pricey, but I was more than willing to pay more for people who know exactly what they were doing so this didn't put me off. The piercing place is directly opposite the infamous Lau's Chinese Buffet (so good!) and you have to buzz in and get a lift up. My mam said it was agony (attempt to scare me out of it) which made me really nervous beforehand. I'm so glad that my friend Steven came with me otherwise I would have bottled it right there and then. The same couple described in all the reviews were still there which put me at ease a lot more. They explained all about the piercing and weren't pushy at all for a sale.

The waiting room was really swanky and the actual place where the piercing takes place is really hygienic with fresh bed roll for each patient etc. I was I'D before they'd carry out the piercing as they will only pierce your belly (not sure if same for all their piercings) if you are over 18. Even though I think I look my age (22), I was actually happy that they asked for ID as it just proved to me further they were reputable professionals and not just wanting a quick quid. I was clearly really nervous since I didn't know what to expect pain wise, but they went out of their way to downplay the piercing and to describe what would happen.

What the basic bars looked like

The double belly bars that I got

 I compared a lot of places prices and it was honestly not pricey at all for a belly piercing (average was £25 in Newcastle area). It was £20 if you wanted a basic bar, but of course I really liked the sparkly ones so mine was £30. They had tons of choices and just left me to make a choice and I didn't feel any pressure at all to pick an expensive one. The most expensive belly bar was £35 which were the black and gold ones. I actually wished I paid for a gold one now as I prefer that colour the most, but I was so nervous I just picked the first sparkly one I seen. It was painful but quick and once it was in it was fine. It didn't bleed at all and was only a bit sore when I was walking around shopping. It hurts to touch and clean but it's only 24 hours old so that's to be expected. I can't really judge what the healing process is going to be like overall so I'll update when I've had it for a while. For now I'll just put the rating for the past twenty four hours to give you an idea! I would definitely go back to P X Piercing since I had such a good experience and would recommend it if you are in the area.
Pain rating: 5.5/10. Healing process: (so far!) 2/10.

If you have any questions please feel free to get in touch either in the comment below, on twitter, or through my email emma0m@hotmail.co.uk

Emx