If you’re thinking of getting your nipples pierced, but you’re unsure or have some questions, you’ve come to the right place! I’m here to talk about my experience and provide some answers to questions that I had. Now, I possess the wisdom about nipple piercings and wish to share the good word! But, before we proceed, let me just say, Mom, if you’re still here, this is your chance to click off!
Firstly, if what is keeping you from doing it is the pain of the needle, then don’t be perturbed by that. Don’t get me wrong โ it definitely hurt โ but the pain really only lasted a couple of seconds before it was over, and then I was just sore. However, if you are self-aware enough to know that you have a low pain tolerance, then perhaps this kind of piercing isn’t for you. If you go to a patient and knowledgeable piercer (like I did, shoutout @sara.actpiercings. I’ve gone to her for quite a few of my other piercings as well) then you can choose which side can get pierced first. For me, my right boob is more sensitive than my left for some inexplicable reason, so I got that one done first and out of the way.
Secondly, if internet horror stories are what are keeping you from doing it, it’s important to me that you know three things:
- One: there is a sweet spot where the needle needs to go through in order to avoid some serious issues during healing. The hole needs to be forward enough to not have the needle go through any sort of nerve endings that can cause damage. This is where a lot of abscesses and other serious infections can come from. But it also needs to be far enough back that it’s not superficially going through the point of the nipple. If it’s too shallow, it’s more likely to reject. Every nipple is different, so it’s not necessarily exact on every body. For more information, read this informational piece from the Piercing Bible.
- Two: The only way to increase your likelihood of healing success is to do your research and go to a knowledgeable, experienced piercer. They will be able to determine where the needle needs to go, after examining your nipple anatomy.
- Third: Do NOT get pierced with plastic, or anything other than high quality metal (stainless steel for example) as this will also increase the likelihood of rejecting.
I promise you, that in most of the horror stories that you’ve heard, one of these above rules were likely not followed. And if that isn’t the case, then they weren’t cleaning them properly during aftercare. Of course, there are exceptions to this, as some people’s bodies might just reject dermal piercings. But knowing how to properly clean your piercings is so important and can really impact whether your piercing will reject or not. The quality of your cleaning techniques and the quantity of that routine can drastically change your odds of success. Obviously, that goes for any piercing, but especially more sensitive ones like nipples.
As someone who has multiple other piercings, I’d like to say that I can consider myself an expert on cleaning piercings all over the body. I have multiple dermal, ear, and nose piercings. They all healed a little differently, and some give me trouble more than others at times. However, I will never stray away from my tried and true saline solution spray and the beautiful tool that we call a Q-tip.
During nipple piercing aftercare, try not to move the barbell back and forth too much when cleaning it. While this may be gross, it’s a reality of healing this piercing (and others): “crusties” are normal. However, if you get the crusties on the inside of your nipple by moving the bar inward, it can really irritate it and can cause some bumps in your healing journey, so try to avoid it if you can.
Of course, everyone’s nipple piercing stories are different, but for me, I got mine done in late September, and it’s now November and I can say that I have no problems at all! It didn’t take more than two weeks for me to go back to sleeping on my stomach (my favorite way to sleep) and sometimes I skip days of cleaning (I know, I’m a hypocrite) and they’re totally fine. All in all, if you’re thinking about it, this is your sign! Get ’em done!