Flesh Play
It's been 5 days since my birthday orbital piercing. I'd like to take the chance here to update about it and reflect on my past and current piercings.
"Orbitals are usually less painful and heal much faster than industrials", assured Frankie, my piercer, as I sat on the spectacularly comfortable chair where I would once again gain two more holes on my left ear that day.
FYI, an industrial is that piercing I have with the long steel rod that goes through two holes. There are vertical (mine) and horizontal industrials (more popular and less painful versions). An orbital goes through two holes as well but in much closer proximity and not using a long rod but the conventional circluar ring, called a 'captive bead ring', because a bead locks the two ending points together. The effect: 180ยบ of the ring would be seen on one side of the ear and ditto for the other side.
Getting my industrial last year was not bad, since it was a straight piercing. But piercing the bottom hole took slightly longer because my cartillage proved to be a little too thick for the needle. Anyway, it didn't hurt much after everything was done, save for the third day of healing when the piercing hurt like I was getting it pierced all over again. I thought this third-day pain was a curse, because it has been happening to every piercing I got since my first piercing, an eyebrow piercing on my right eyebrow, which I got for my 18th birthday.
My eyebrow piercing was a bummer anyway, I got it at Red Dragon Tattoo in KL. Turned out it was a bad piercer and a bad hole. Because of a chance meet with Frankie at his shop, Zoo Body Art in Sungei Wang a month after getting my eyebrow hole, he looked at my piercing and told me it was too deep and too wide, and it was getting septic. He advised me to remove it. Sadly, I did that a week later when I returned to his shop.
Since that day, I only let Frankie stick needles into me. That's because he's more professional, very friendly and knowledgable on what he's doing, and his shop follows the strict hygiene rules, very well lit, very clinical, and their work is guaranteed.
Even my mom trusts his work, and that says a lot!
I got my cartillage piercing as a replacement for the eyebrow piercing sometime during November that year, if you guys might be wondering how that came about.
Back to this year, and there I was sitting on the chair. After all the routine cleaning at the intended spot, "pop" went my cartillage as the first needle went through.
Frankie: "I would always pierce the most painful part first.."
Me: "Oh that wasn't so bad"
Second needle went through smoothly, piece of cake. Then came the fitting of the ring part. Yes, that part hurt like a biyatch. And it took what seemed like an eternity to fit it in.
"Hmm.. the holes closes very fast.." declared Frankie as he continued searching for the exit points with the captive bead ring stuck halfway in my ear as I started to get used to the constant pain. After a while the exit points were found and he fitted everything in place and cleaned the wounds. Sharp seconds of pain sprinkled in between of course.
Judging from Frankie's bloodied latex gloves and tissues he used on me, I was glad that it was all happening on my ear and I couldn't actually see what was happening during that process.
After that, the wounds hurt for the rest of the day, like the ring was still being fitted in. To date, the orbital is the most painful piercing I've ever had. I've to say that Vertical Industrials aren't as painful as it is said to be, as mine was the most well-behaved piercing ever. But my orbital hurts this much because of its unique position. I had trouble sleeping that night because it hurt too much.
Anyway, I survived the second day with doses of paracetamol every 3 hours to subside the constant pain. It's freaky how this piercing never ceased to hurt. I wondered if that was normal. I guess it decided to give me a break on the third day as it stopped hurting every second and to my surprise it has broken the third-day pain curse.
Now, it's alright. I was finally able to fully rotate the piercing during cleaning today, so that's progress. I'll have to start salt-soaks in two days' time. Everything's worth it anyway, it looks great, and hopefully it'll heal fully in good time.
Oh yeah, one more thing. This bad boy is only one of a set of orbital twins. I'm getting a mirror version of it nearby on a slightly higher point on my ear next year. I can't wait!!
"Orbitals are usually less painful and heal much faster than industrials", assured Frankie, my piercer, as I sat on the spectacularly comfortable chair where I would once again gain two more holes on my left ear that day.
FYI, an industrial is that piercing I have with the long steel rod that goes through two holes. There are vertical (mine) and horizontal industrials (more popular and less painful versions). An orbital goes through two holes as well but in much closer proximity and not using a long rod but the conventional circluar ring, called a 'captive bead ring', because a bead locks the two ending points together. The effect: 180ยบ of the ring would be seen on one side of the ear and ditto for the other side.
Getting my industrial last year was not bad, since it was a straight piercing. But piercing the bottom hole took slightly longer because my cartillage proved to be a little too thick for the needle. Anyway, it didn't hurt much after everything was done, save for the third day of healing when the piercing hurt like I was getting it pierced all over again. I thought this third-day pain was a curse, because it has been happening to every piercing I got since my first piercing, an eyebrow piercing on my right eyebrow, which I got for my 18th birthday.
My eyebrow piercing was a bummer anyway, I got it at Red Dragon Tattoo in KL. Turned out it was a bad piercer and a bad hole. Because of a chance meet with Frankie at his shop, Zoo Body Art in Sungei Wang a month after getting my eyebrow hole, he looked at my piercing and told me it was too deep and too wide, and it was getting septic. He advised me to remove it. Sadly, I did that a week later when I returned to his shop.
Since that day, I only let Frankie stick needles into me. That's because he's more professional, very friendly and knowledgable on what he's doing, and his shop follows the strict hygiene rules, very well lit, very clinical, and their work is guaranteed.
Even my mom trusts his work, and that says a lot!
I got my cartillage piercing as a replacement for the eyebrow piercing sometime during November that year, if you guys might be wondering how that came about.
Back to this year, and there I was sitting on the chair. After all the routine cleaning at the intended spot, "pop" went my cartillage as the first needle went through.
Frankie: "I would always pierce the most painful part first.."
Me: "Oh that wasn't so bad"
Second needle went through smoothly, piece of cake. Then came the fitting of the ring part. Yes, that part hurt like a biyatch. And it took what seemed like an eternity to fit it in.
"Hmm.. the holes closes very fast.." declared Frankie as he continued searching for the exit points with the captive bead ring stuck halfway in my ear as I started to get used to the constant pain. After a while the exit points were found and he fitted everything in place and cleaned the wounds. Sharp seconds of pain sprinkled in between of course.
Judging from Frankie's bloodied latex gloves and tissues he used on me, I was glad that it was all happening on my ear and I couldn't actually see what was happening during that process.
After that, the wounds hurt for the rest of the day, like the ring was still being fitted in. To date, the orbital is the most painful piercing I've ever had. I've to say that Vertical Industrials aren't as painful as it is said to be, as mine was the most well-behaved piercing ever. But my orbital hurts this much because of its unique position. I had trouble sleeping that night because it hurt too much.
Anyway, I survived the second day with doses of paracetamol every 3 hours to subside the constant pain. It's freaky how this piercing never ceased to hurt. I wondered if that was normal. I guess it decided to give me a break on the third day as it stopped hurting every second and to my surprise it has broken the third-day pain curse.
Now, it's alright. I was finally able to fully rotate the piercing during cleaning today, so that's progress. I'll have to start salt-soaks in two days' time. Everything's worth it anyway, it looks great, and hopefully it'll heal fully in good time.
Oh yeah, one more thing. This bad boy is only one of a set of orbital twins. I'm getting a mirror version of it nearby on a slightly higher point on my ear next year. I can't wait!!
Chewed out by Mystery Wolf at 9:29 PM
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