I proudly got my nipples pierced on my 18th birthday. It was a gift to myself, and act of purposeful rebellion on my childhood self. I had been wanting my fresh piercings since I was sixteen, and now that I was legally an adult, had money, and was free for the day, it was added to my list of new liberties along with buying cigarettes, lottery tickets, and Playboy magazines. Coming up soon is my 21st birthday, where I will be granted another new freedom: Legal drinking. In honor of this milestone, I’ve compiled a list of everything you’ve wanted to know about having pierced nipples.
On a scale of 1-10 for pain, it was an 8.
Everyone is concerned about how much pain I was in. The honest answer is that it hurt. A lot. After the adrenaline goes away in the first one, it’s tempting to just live asymmetrical for a few years.
It’s surprisingly not that awkward
The body piercer was the first person I showed my breasts too when I turned 18, so in theory he was the first person to see me legally topless. It wasn’t that awkward. He was professional, nice, and it obviously wasn’t his first time doing this.
They need to be cleaned
Some piercings like ears don’t require that much focus when cleaning. Nipples however need to be well maintained. Salt soaks with shot glasses and cleaning them well with antibacterial soap in the shower is a must to keep them from infections.
Changing them isn’t that fun
Taking them out for the first time is not only scary, but difficult. They really press hard to secure the ball in place on the ring to make sure it won’t be falling out any time soon. Once it’s been taken out, it feels like you’ll never get it back in again. Compare it to the anxiety of changing your ear piercing for the first time.
Buying new jewelry, however, is fun
I love shopping for new and fun jewelry at the store. While there isn’t too much out there, there’s still plenty to choose from. Hoops, rings, barbells with hanging pieces, shields, sparkly balls. The best is catching a sale at Spencer’s where if you buy one, you get one for $1.
There’s special jewelry for certain occasions
I keep a set of acrylic barbells that I wear in the winter when it gets too cold. They feel more comfortable and don’t chill up like the stainless steel can. Acrylic is also a nice retainer when going into surgery and you can’t have metal in. You do have to make sure to tell everyone in the OR you have them though, to make sure they’re all on the same page.
Sensitivity doesn’t go away
Some people do experience loss of sensitivity, but from what I found in my initial research, it isn’t something frequent. I didn’t loose any nipple sensitivity which is often very important to people.
They do flash through your clothes
Sport bras beware, tight shirts included, bathing suits too. No matter what you’ve chosen to wear, it will show through your clothes if you aren’t wearing a padded bra. There’s no hiding it from the world. It’s a good opportunity to joke about having extra nipples, though.
They also get caught on things
To every positive there is a negative. This negative is that if you aren’t careful, they do get caught on things. I’ve ripped lace tops by getting them stuck. Sometimes it can get caught in a blanket, pulled on my clothes, or just tugged from leaning on certain surfaces. It isn’t fun, but it doesn’t happen often.