New piercing + chronology

Ever since I started secondary school, I've been pretty much interested in body modification, namely piercings and tattoos, which was why Miami Ink was my favorite reality TV show. Almost my entire family has a rather dim view of my interest, because as usual, society usually relates body modification to negative things like being a criminal or whatnot.


In this post, I'll be talking about my piercings only, since I have enough of them, and just got a new one. I only have one tattoo, so maybe I'll blog about it when I get my second one. =)

My ear piercings, as of October 4th, 2012. Left: my right ear - 3 lobe, 2 helix. Right: my left ear - 1 stretched, 1 lobe, and a conch.

I first pierced my ears during my first year of secondary school, in 2005, at Goldheart Mid Valley that charged extremely overpriced piercing services. The typical market price for ear piercings (gun only) in K.L. is about RM12 (approx. USD4) for a pair, inclusive of the studs (the inappropriate ones with the butterfly back) which are made of surgical steel.


My first pair of piercings cost RM75, which is more than 10 times the typical market price, and the quality as well as the jewellery were the same. Only the right piercing remained, the left one didn't heal and kept bleeding and whatnot so I let it close.


For the next few years, I got my piercings basically from the same place, which is Top One Silver at Endah Parade, somewhere near where I live. Each time I got a pair, which was about once a year, until I reached my second helix piercing, which I got one at a time. My left helix piercing closed up, also due to it not healing properly.


During my last year of secondary school (2010), I got a conch piercing on my left ear at Berjaya Times Square for RM15 (if I remember correctly), and started stretching my left lobe piercing.


I stretched my piercing using the retainer method - after a warm bath, while the flesh is still elastic from the heat of the bath, insert more than one retainer into the piercing. The first few were painful, the rest of the procedure was practically a breeze.


I had allowed my stretched piercing to shrink (no jewellery) in 2011, but restretched it using the same method in 2012.


And as of October 2012, I have a belly piercing. Not something my family will be proud about, but then again it is my body, and I'm not mutilating it to the point where I can insert a Coke can into my stretched piercing.


My target ever since I got my piercings were to get nine of them, because Uruha of the GazettE has nine piercings. Then I stretched one of the piercings for Ruki of the same band. I did consider a lip piercing for Aoi, but then it would be too "controversial" in the country that I live in. That's the same reason why I ditched my plan for yakuza-style tattoos.


As of October 3rd, 2012, I have 5 piercings on the right ear (3 lobe, 2 helix), and 3 on the left ear (1 conch, 1 stretch and 1 lobe), and a belly piercing. By adding the belly piercing, I shall have nine in total, albeit not all on the ears, but hey, it's better than getting a lip or brow piercing (which my mum strongly objects of).


Vivian and I went to Dragonfly Tattoo, Mid Valley for our piercing. We chose the location because one of our friend's got hers there, and it seemed safer and more professional. Dragonfly had always been a fascination to me, ever since I first saw it in the mall.

Pink curved barbell that came with the package.

We were greeted by a lady with three stretched piercings on one ear, and we were told that the piercing package is RM135/=, which covers the piercing service, the piercing stud, plus an extra stud, both which are curved barbells - one chrome, one colored (I chose pink, Viv chose purple).


Our piercer was a beefy bloke, and Viv went first. Where piercings are concerned, I love the results of having a new piece of jewellery. When it comes to the actual process, I'm worse than a kid in line for an injection. I'm a masochistic person, but only for the pain I inflict on myself, not pain that I can't control.


After Viv, I was up. I went to the back room, where the tattoos and piercings are done. The stud that was going to be my first piece of belly jewellery was disinfected, and all the equipment used on Viv were replaced with new ones.


My belly button was cleaned and disinfected, and scaled lines were drawn with a fuchsia Sharpie to position the piercing. I was expecting some sort of anesthetic, like the kind the staff sprays on your ear before the pierce it. None.


While my belly was being prepped, I was interrogated about my tattoo. I was asked to lie down, and I was asked to confirm that the needle that would be used is brand new. A pair of special tongs clamped my belly button skin, and I freaked out.

Photo credit: Vivian @ Instagram

I felt the needle, as well as the pain. From what I felt (I didn't dare to even let the process reach my peripheral vision), the needle was pushed up halfway, tilted slightly to align with the drawn lines, then pushed all the way through.

Taken the moment I got home. My new accessory. =D

There must have been something like a removable shaft on the needle, because I felt something being pulled out, then a bit of fiddling around later, my piercing was done. The pain wasn't unbearable, but it was the kind that I would have flinched at, a lot.


For the rest of the day, moving around was a pain. We walked as if we shat in our pants, and almost every movement was pain. Our first meal after the piercing, which was also our lunch of the day, was porridge with fried dough sticks.


Driving home was a torture for me - my jeans pushed up against my tummy, and that in turn pushed the barbell into an awkward angle, which, needless to say, caused pain. My first bath was alright, considering the fact that I washed VERY GENTLY around that area. I was even more gentle to that area than when I wash my new ear piercings.


It's the night of the second day of the piercing now, but everything is fine. There's less pain, but bending or stretching too much is still pain. My mum knows about it, but I try not to let her see it - she's stressed enough now as it is.


This is the end of my piercings post, and also my quest to get more piercings. Tattoos shall still be in my book of plans, though. =D


UPDATE
I just found out from Dragonfly Tattoo's blog that our piercing was done by Marcus.