NEW piercing: nipple piercing

My last piercing was a belly piercing, which I did in university and was also the first time I had a piercing done with a needle (click here if you're interested in my piercing history so far).


So for a few years now, I've been contemplating a new piercing on and off, and it was always a nipple piercing despite seriously wanting facial or tongue piercings since high school. For a while it was because of some body dysmorphia effects that made me feel "less sexy" than I was, and it felt like this piercing would solve that problem.


But I got to a point where I wanted it like I wanted a tattoo - I just wanted it for the sake of it, and not because I had body image issues and it seemed like a "solution".


Since this was a more ~*~*InTiMaTe*~*~ piercing location, I made an appointment as opposed to walking-in to a studio. I had two options to choose from - Attic Piercing and Spec Body Art. I chose the latter because somehow knowing that this studio had a dedicated piercer gave me more security.


After some research and a phone call from Spec's piercer Ronny later, I made an appointment... to have it done just a few hours before hyde's concert, because I don't think I can bear having to go down into KL city center so many times.


DAY 0

We were there super early, cuz the boyfriend wanted lunch there, and I was advised to eat before the piercing itself to get my blood sugar up. Lunch was Vietnamese at a place called Vinh City, and I had a pho while boyfriend had a sweat-inducing basil beef rice. The pho itself was really good, and really generous in portion.


We got into the studio about 15 minutes earlier than planned, and while it was empty when we passed by earlier, there was a foreign guy on the bench/bed, and another two girls conversing in rapid French waiting for their turn (they both got helix piercings).


My turn came about 10-15 minutes after my appointment time, but all was fine - I wasn't in a rush. After signing an indemnity form while a curtain was drawn around the back of the studio, markings were done and some clarifications were made (which side I wanted it on, and how the piercing will affect that body part over time, etc).


Not gonna lie, I was freaking out internally. I remember there being no "numbing spray" for the belly piercing, like the ones you get if you get your ears pierced at malls. The belly button skin was just that little bit, so it was a pinch and the residual pain comes as the shock wears off and your body gets used to having a foreign object. A nipple piercing, however, requires going through about at least 200% more flesh.


Markings were made, checked, fixed, and then I was asked to lie on the "operation table". New needles and equipment were presented, verified, and then my nipple was clamped down, apparently apart from making sure the needle goes through properly, it will also help numb the area by pinching really hard on the area.


This is how I would describe the sensation that lasted around 3-5 seconds: someone pinching down on my nipple REALLY hard. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being excruciating), I would say it's a fair 7.5, because it literally only lasts those few seconds, and anything else happening to the piercing would be numbed by either shock or a sudden rush of blood to the area. Especially compared to the nature of getting tattoos.


I was walked through the dos, don'ts, and was given a care package which comprised of a baggy of sea salt crystals and a plastic cup. On hindsight, I should have refused the plastic cup.


Aftercare included a saline bath of the area with said care package once a day, and avoiding shellfish, avoiding pressure/constriction of the area, and just keeping the area clean and dry in general.


We went to a concert after that, and this long day lasted until 2am, after we stopped at McD for some nuggets and a McFlurry.


FIRST WEEK

Literally the next day was mother's day, and we were celebrating at Grub by Ahong & Friends. The steak options were either too crazily expensive, or came with a salad that I'd probably not eat, and the other most interesting item and potentially not underportioned item was the lamb and clam stew.


So yes, I had shellfish THE DAY AFTER the piercing, but apart from some light bleeding which I assume is from doing housework, there wasn't much issues - no itching, aches: zilch.


The initial challenge is to find clothes that I could wear to work that wouldn't be TOO exposing because I decided to just go braless for the first week or so to give it ample time to heal before going back to bras and gym. My go-tos were mainly florals that acted as visual distractions.


I ran out of tops that I could wear without a bra underneath by 18/5, and got back to the gym the next Monday.


FIRST MONTH

During the 2nd week, the only issues were bra padding, cuz even when the bras were not tight, living in a humid and ridiculously hot country contributes to excessive sweating and the bra padding doesn't really allow any room for ventilation. And sometimes the padding pushes the nipple into a weird angle that isn't painful, but just mildly uncomfortable. And the only time I risk snagging and ripping on the jewellery is during showers when I'm trying to wash my back.


Other than that, going back to the gym and several other activities have been A-OK. I just had to make sure to give it a quick clean in the middle of longer/sweatier days (I use Avene Thermal Water) to reduce discharge build-up and hence risk of infection.


I also somehow managed to go to work braless for a few days with appropriate clothing without attracting too much attention to myself (though now that I think of it, it may have been quite obvious, but I suppose this would be an awkward topic to bring up).


Overall, it's been a fairly uneventful first month. Thankfully, I didn't go ahead to buy new clothes just for a new piercing, and I really can't wait to get my jewellery upgraded~