There used to be this girl who came into my job every morning, she wasn’t a pretty girl, nor was she ugly, but for me, she certainly stuck out. You see this girl had a perfect little pink gem that would glimmer from her nostril. The little nose ring say there perfectly, and it always caught my eye. The smallest turn of her head and the ring would sparkle. I was in love with it, so of course I asked her questions ranging from cost, to pain levels.
When she told me that it barely hurt, and that you could get it done for $30.00, I wanted to run out and get the nose hole myself.
I found a parlor in my neighborhood, and it took me about 2 days to build up my confidence. I was going to get it done that very day, but instead I began thinking about the negatives. I began to think of infections, scars, and possible things that could go wrong.
At home I got out a small earring and held it to the area on my nose where I wanted it. It looked great, and that was when I finally decided I was going to get it done.
I called my cousin because I needed a shoulder to lean on, and someone to tell me that everything was going to be okay. (I’m such a wuss!). Seeing how she had been wanting her belly button pierced for months now, she was all for it. I would get my nose done, and she would get her belly button done. To be honest I was more scared for her than I was for me.
In the parlor she went first. I went with her because she was freaking out. The piercer got out a long fat tool which we found out was the piercer. He told her to take a deep breath, and that was it. It was all over, she was done!
I was happy knowing that my little ol’ nose piercing would most likely be even easier. I figured they would use a little piercing gun and all would be well.
I sat on a chair, and the piercer told me that I had thicker nostrils than most. Figures! Instead of getting a gun though, he brought up a piercing rod that looked just as long and thick as my cousins rod. I got worried, because I knew nose rings were not that thick; why on earth are we using such a thick piercing rod!?
I sat there with my stomach in knots, and he told me to take a deep breath. I knew it was coming, and….. holy hell! It felt like someone had punched me in my face. It hurt! No lie! It frigging hurt!
I figured we were done though, and that was it. It was all over. However it was not. Next he had to remove this large needle and manage to hook into my nose a weird curved nose ring. I don’t know why he was attempting to put this curved thing into my nose, but he was. I wanted an easy straight pinned ring, not some curved thing that I knew would be close to impossible to remove.
He tried anyway, and after about a minute or so of toying with the stupid thing, and ripping on my nostril, he couldn’t get it in. I was then told, ‘I have to do it again, I can’t find the hole’.
Wait, what the F did he say!? So here I was again, (my nose felt like it was on fire) getting re-pierced! As if once didn’t hurt enough. The piercing needle went through my nose yet again. It felt like my nose was the size of a baseball, and I knew that with 2 holes and all of this yanking and pulling it would blow up the next day.
After finally getting the ring into my nose, I went home to observe my face. My guess was wrong; you see I thought that my nose wouldn’t blow up till the morning, but looking at it, it was clearly already all blown up and fat looking.
I was pissed. I knew this crack head didn’t know what the hell he was doing, and now my nose looked like someone had just smacked it with a bat.
This was my experience though. I’m sure this won’t happen to everyone…I just happened to get Hannibal Lectur working on my face.
My mistake was sitting there and allowing it to happen. I should of spoke up the moment he attempted to put a curved ring into my nose.
For those of you thinking about getting a piercing…demand a straight pin ring!
If possible ask if they use a gun. Piercing guns cut the process in half, it over in just a few seconds…none of that piercing needle, and searching for the hole crap.
Risks involved:
Like any piercing you risk infections. I surely thought I would get an infection after the way he mauled my nose…however I took care of the piercing and had no infections to deal with.
Make sure your piercer gives you an after piercing care kit. It’s a formula that you have to put on the area everyday, and often for about a week or two.
Tips:
-Make sure you use the formula daily, 4 or 5 times a day.
-Do not change the ring. Wait about a month before you switch rings. Infections can happen if you do it too early.
-Twist the nose ring around 2 times a day. You want to make sure the ring moves inside of the hole. You can’t let it stick and heal with the hole, otherwise removing it later on will hurt like hell, and most likely will bleed and cause infection.
-If possible get the piercing in the winter. I made the mistake of getting it in the summer, and swimming with the ring worried me. I thought that it would fall out in the water...I don’t know why, but this is something you too will go through if you get the piercing in the summer.
Heal Time:
The first week of having the piercing was probably the worst. The day after the piercing it felt like I had been beaten in the face. It hurt from my nose to my cheek. It was not an awful pain, but it was uncomfortable. The pain lessened throughout the week, until finally I didn’t feel it at all. My nostril was also much larger and blown up. The large nostril took about 4 days to go back down to normal.
Tips During Healing:
-Do not sleep on the side of your face where the piercing is. Blankets could snag the ring and cause bleeding and infection.
-Be careful when drying your face of with towels. This actually happened to me. The ring got snagged into the towel after washing my face. The towel ripped the ring right from my nose. Luckily the healing process was near it’s end. It did hurt like hell though, and it did cause bleeding.
Things That Suck About Nose Rings:
The thing that sucks most about nose rings is the fact that the rhinestone rings never last longer than a week. The gem ALWAYS eventually fall out. If you are getting your nose pierced buy the rings in bulk, because the gems don’t last long.
-There are also many different rings, and for my nose straight rings are the best. Other rings come with curved backs, and odd L shaped ones. Straight pins are the easiest to get into your nose, so make sure you buy straight pins. Sometimes you cannot see what type of back the ring has because it is hidden in black foam inserts. Ask the clerks what type of backs the rings have.
-Some rings have backs that are too long, so you have to cut them. It’s an easy thing to do, but it still sucks.
Although the whole piercing process was a nightmare for me, and it hurt like hell, I have had my nose ring for nearly 5 years now. I at times forget it is even there until I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror with a sparkly gem sticking slightly out of my nose.
I love how it looks, it suits me well, and is so tiny that I can wear it at the office without the boss having a heart attack.
Recommendation:
Although it hurt, I still recommend it. The healing time is a pain in the nostril, but for me, it was worth it.
