Bod Mod Society

Hello. I haven't posted in here before.
I have 12 piercings, 5 x lobe, rook, conch, industrial, bellybutton and frowny.
Here's my frowny. (Old pic!)

Haven't gotten any new ones recently. Got my nose done about 18 months ago, but took it out after a few weeks. Guess I have all the ones I could want!

Lip ring on a guy - yay, nay, or gay? I've tried a "fake" one on and I think it looks alright and doesn't make me look emo IMO....Picture available on request if you wanna see.

I was talking to one of my friends who had her tragus done and she said that it was incredibly painful and it 'crunched' when they pierced it and she didn't have it numbed?

Anyone who's had it done explain how painful it was and whether you had it numbed or not?

My tragus hurt like a b***h. I had given blood that day (Yes, stupid I know) then went to get my tragus done, never felt so much pain, heard the bones crunch and everything. Then I blacked out a couple of times and fainted outside in the town, so embarrassing!

I am disliking mine a lot at the moment though, it still hurts (I got it done just over a week ago) when I smile and stuff, yesterday it actually sunk into my ear and I had to get a friend to push it back through.

You didn't hear any bones crunching unless your piercer is way off the mark and ridiculously strong The cartilage can make a pretty loud noise though. I didn't hear anything for mine but lots of people do.

If it's sinking into your ear though I'd be worried the jewellery is too short...do you have a picture? How are you taking care of it?

Is it your first cartilage piercing? Cartilage does take a long time to heal and can be sore for what seems like aaaaaaaages.

Oh yeah I'm not very good with Biology haha! I really heard mine and I still can if I think about it

This is what I am thinking! No I don't have a picture of when it sunk as I didn't even see it myself, Just though that something didn't feel right, put my hand to it and couldn't even feel the piercing showed it to some friends and they were proper freaked out, and one of them had to push it through. Now I'm really paranoid that it's gonna happen again and I really want a ring Is that possible?

Nope, I had my top cartilage done a few months ago, that was easy though, the ball earing thing fell off about 3 days after I had it done and so I changed it and never had any problems Excpet for the fact that I think it's closed up because I left it 'earringless' for about a week because it got a bit sore :|

Get a picture of it now? Might help! If you think it's swelling up again do some cold compresses, make sure you're not sleeping on it and don't do anything to irritate it (be especially careful with hair products).

If you want a ring eventually wait until it's fully healed. Mine took around 8 months from what I recall.

I think I've attatched a picture? I've never done it before so I'm not too sure That's what it's like at the moment, but I'm really paranoid it's just gonna sink in again :\ I don't sleep on it and I don't use any hair products in my hair (apart from shampoo and conditioner). The day before it 'sunk' it was really itching and I googled what to do and it said to clean it with salt water, which I did, and then it sunk the following morning.

Ergh really Even if the stud is too small? I hate the piercing at the moment

You can't really tell much from that picture but it does look like it could be a little deep.

Are you cleaning it with anything regularly? Sea salt soaks are usually recommended for aftercare - 1/4 teaspoon salt in a mug of hot water.

If the labret stud is too short then it would be best to get it changed to a slightly longer stud (by a piercer). Most people find rings are rubbish for healing, they move around too easily.

If you're worried, go and see a reputable piercer and ask their opinion

Sorry, it was a bad picture my camera has no battery at the moment :L

Surgical spirit as best I can, I'm scared about using sea salt again though

Ok, maybe that's what I'll do then It's just still so painful as if I got it pierced yesterday; it aches when I smile, laugh and yawn/open my mouth. That's why I got a stud in the first place, I'm a pretty clumsy person and knowing my luck it would get caught on something and rip out, especially at parties, dancing etc. Do you know if I went to a different (more respectable) piercer than the one I got it done, would the want to charge anything for sorting it out for me?

Sorry, it was a bad picture my camera has no battery at the moment :L

Surgical spirit as best I can, I'm scared about using sea salt again though

Ok, maybe that's what I'll do then It's just still so painful as if I got it pierced yesterday; it aches when I smile, laugh and yawn/open my mouth. That's why I got a stud in the first place, I'm a pretty clumsy person and knowing my luck it would get caught on something and rip out, especially at parties, dancing etc. Do you know if I went to a different (more respectable) piercer than the one I got it done, would the want to charge anything for sorting it out for me?

Is it just an earring stud like you'd put in a lobe? Go to a more respectable piercer and for a couple of pounds they'll put in a labret stud for you, which is far more suited to tragus piercings, and keep with the sea salt soaks, surgical spirit is too harsh (you wouldn't put it on a cut knee, would you?)

Surgical spirit is awful, don't use that! And like Nynyflower said, I hope it's a labret stud (with a flat back) or a barbell (with another screw-on ball at the back) rather than something like a butterfly-backed stud.

If your piercer advised you to use surgical spirit then I certainly wouldn't go back there.

The piercer would most likely just charge you for the cost of the jewellery, possibly another couple of quid extra.

Okay, I wont use it anymroe Yeah, I guess it's a labaret stud then? It has a flat back and a ball on the front which has fallen off before.

I can't remember what he suggested, I was just feeling very faint and any talk about ears made me want to be sick :\ Ok, well I'm gonna go to a different one tomorrow afternoon and speak to them about it, because it hurts so much and it's doing my head in

Yep, that would be a labret stud then. Good luck, hope you get something sorted! In the mean time Ibuprofen should take the edge off the pain, and warm sea salt soaks should be very soothing as long as you don't put too much salt in or make it too hot! I doubt there's a correlation between the time you used the sea salt and the swelling, it could have got knocked overnight or something like that...and cartilage piercings can just randomly swell up just when you think they're doing fine! If you did make it really hot or use too much salt though it could have irritated it.

Thank you I went to a different piercer, and they said I really should've gone to the same one but I wasn't too sure on that, but they gave/sold me some spray stuff which they said should reduce the swelling because the said it looked quite bad, but if it doesn't fix it pop back later Thanks for all your help!

Did any of you guys feel embarrassed in front of your parents after getting a piercing on your face?

I'd go out and get something done tomorrow, but my conservative family will not only create a big fuss, but have a right go at me as well.