OH GOD THE BLOOD. (Piercing talk)

[GingerBiscuit]

So I got my ears re-pierced today, and got a second in each ear, just because. My nice man (who also is my tattooist) hands me an aftercare sheet, seems pretty straightforward. Take the piercing out, soak in saline solution, twice a day. Rightyho.

Do so.

Oh GOD THE BLOOD. SO MUCH BLOOD. The aftercare sheet doesn't mention the BLOOD.

[Kyree]

I don't remember taking my earrings out and soaking them, I thought you weren't supposed to take them out for 6 weeks

[JoitheArtist]

Yeah, same here: treat the holes with the solution they give you, rotate the posts, etc, but not take them out...Sheesh, the first time my ears were pierced, 6 weeks wasn't even long enough.

[Amina516]

Why did they tell you to take them out? Wash and rotate, but dont remove for at least 6 weeks (like everyone else already said, I felt the need to repeat it....lol.)

I also dont know any piercing that they tell you to remove for at least the first 4 weeks. Removing them repeatedly doesnt give them time to heal up properly and they will bleed when you do take them out. Also give you more chance to introdice foreign bacteria.

Maybe they do things differently where you are.

When I gauged my ears to a 2, and the next day tried to change the earring....it looked like I was stabbing myself.... there was blood all over my bathroom. lol.

[GingerBiscuit]

These are ball hoops, done with a needle, not a gun. Gun piercings are bad, mmkay .
I'm goign to have to pop back. I can't work out how the close the little ball clasps (think I broke them) and so the hoops in my ears aren't closed atm. Better like that than letting the new fresh hole close, so I'll pop back as soon as I can and ask what I did wrong...

edit http://www.custom-art-tattoos.co.uk/pac.html

[GingerBiscuit]

Anyways, there is something wrong in that I can't do the hoops back up (I has broken and lost the balls) so I will have to pop in as soon as I can. I don't want to leave the hoops unclaspes where they might catch. Don't know when I can pop back in... possibly tomorrow if he's willing to wait for me to leave work...

[Shroo]

I wouldn't say gun piercings are bad, just maybe not the best. Eleven of the holes in my ears were done with guns, and I've only had a problem with the cartiledge one because it would get caught in my hair.
I also looked at the link and couldn't find anything on taking your piercing out to soak it--did I miss it? I've never heard of taking your piercing out before (I have an industrial and my eyebrow was done twice).

[ArcticChicken]

You probably didn't break them, those little balls are just a bitch to get back in. And of course, if you fuck up the ball goes flying, and then it's gone forever.

[GingerBiscuit]

I've been rereading stuff, and I skimmed over bits. I'm an idiot. Of course, me being me I am now beating myself up over a simple mistake and telling myself I'm useless. Over misreading something.
Duuur.

But I've emailed my piercer and as I'm not well today, if he gets back to me I'll head in and get the balls put back in.

[Shangri-laschild]

I love those earings because they don't bug my skin, but once I was able to take them out of my second set, they stayed out. The balls are too much of a pain to get back in.

[Angry_Hippie]

Somehow I've always found the balls easier to get in and out drunk. I'd stumble with them sober, but I remember many a time sitting at a bar mindlessly popping the balls on and off with ease (and this was with 10g titanium CBR's). Wheird.

Don't beat yourself up Ginger, those directions were written in kind of an odd style.

[saint]

For good aftercare instructions that are not oddly written, go to www.highpriestesspiercing.com. They are certified by the Association of Professional Piercers and have very high standards. If anyone is ever in Oregon, stop by and get stuck. I always plug them shamelessly, I've had all my piercings done there, and all have been very professional and healed well.

And guns are bad, for many reasons. Most of which are debateable to some, but one huge (and not so debateable reason) is that cannot be sanitized completely. They have parts that cannot be autoclaved. And I have yet to go to a place that uses guns that even HAS an autoclave.

I am VERY passionate about piercing/s.

...getting off my soapbox

[wagegoth]

Saint, thanks for the great link.

Doesn't matter whether it's a gun or a needle, if you keep removing the jewelry, you'll keep tearing the skin that's healing around it.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Yeah, I don't get the removing them, either, that just sounds like it would irritate the crap out of the piercings.

My ears never bled. That does not sound right.

I would never let anyone use a gun on me after I got an extra hole in one ear with one. That was just plain folly. Guy pierced my ears when I was about 14, and he did it by hand and it really didn't hurt all that much. And it sure didn't bleed.

I pierced my own ears after that. Just put some ice on it so the pain doesn't make you lose your nerve, drink a glass of wine, and just pierce it yourself. That didn't even hardly hurt at all, I guess because I was in control of it.