About six months ago I wrote this article about getting your nipples pierced. It was my first foray into this unique and crazy world of body modification. I won’t lie, I’ve been back and forth about having them actually pierced and I did a lot of homework beforehand, but I finally did it! After chickening out on three separate occasions, I finally decided that piercing my nipples was the right decision for me. So, I went to the piercer by myself and got them done. It’s been a few weeks now and this is my review of the process and the results.
The Wait
It actually takes like at least an hour to get this done, which I was not expecting. The piercer eyeballs your boobs for a bit to see how they lay and then makes marks with a permanent marker. He then adds iodine (which is cold, so your nipples tense up) and looks at your boobs more to determine how much the nipple twists when it tenses and how to put the piercing to address this. Then you have to wait for them to calm down, which takes ages because you’re nervous. All in all, it took a good 45 minutes just to get everything in order to do the procedure. Meanwhile, I was sweating bullets from nerves, like, literally. I’m sure it was super gross, but I was dreading the pain. Speaking of which…
The Pain
It actually doesn’t hurt that much. It was like getting your belly button or ear pierced. When he did the first nipple, all I said was “Woah Nelly, that hurt.” And I grunted a bit when he did the second. There was no blood the first day. It was like my body was thinking “… did you do something new? Something feels new, but I’m not sure. Kinda stings…did you hurt yourself again?” He was honestly pretty stunned like “All those nerves and you didn’t even scream. You have the highest pain tolerance of anyone I’ve ever pierced there” (which totally inflated my ego — I walked around like “I’m invincible!” for at least three days).
The Awkward
I didn’t actually expect it to be awkward. I thought, “Oh, he’s a professional, no big deal.” So, I walked in and told them what I wanted. Then we went back to a private room and he basically said, “Alright, take your top off.” To which I shot back an “excuse me?” on impulse (I’ve dealt with one too many pushy people, apparently). Then he responded “You don’t need to take it all the way off, I just need to be able to see your chest so I can do the procedure,” and I remembered why I was there…duh. If that wasn’t awkward enough, it took ages for my nipples to relax once they were marked and sterilized. They had the AC blasting because of our bipolar weather here in Pittsburgh, which did not help in the slightest. He even joked, “It’s like they know what’s going to happen.” Talk about mortifying.
*My face while waiting for my nipples to chill.*
The After
It’s been about two weeks and I’m super happy with the results! They were sore for a few days and had a smidge of blood during the first week, but not even enough to get on the inside of the cup of my bra. I was completely comfortable walking around and the only times I’ve experienced pain is when I’ve snagged a piercing while changing or when my boobs bounce going down the stairs. However, I’ve been super aware of my boobs as a body part. When I go to the gym, dance, or do any kind of movement, I can feel the piercings bump around and it makes me aware of them. I have not had any kind of attention there from other people since I’ve gotten them, so I’m sorry I can’t comment as to whether they make the experience better or worse.
So there you have it, folks, my experience getting my nipples pierced. Awkward, but worth it! I would recommend doing your homework and going to a reputable piercer, but if you want the piercings, nothing should hold you back.