It’s another random night while you’re lying in bed. You find yourself scrolling on Pinterest after another wave of boredom makes you feel as if you need a moment of excitement. You land on a photo of a gorgeous girl with a unique ear piercing, an adorable belly ring or a nose piercing you now decide is chic.
Or you freshly turned 18 and decide that there is nothing that could bond you and your best friends together more than getting piercings together. You do not think twice about your mother swearing that no job will hire you with all those holes in your body and text your friends.
No matter what the circumstance is, you now have acquired a lovely new piece of self-expression … months of being unable to sleep on your right ear or wear high-waisted pants.
Bling, Bling, Bling
There is something enthralling about going into a piercing shop and deciding just what piece will now have a place in your body. The glass cases are lined with shining stones in a variation of colors, almost making it too impossible to pick the perfect one.
But you know that the real fun comes once those few months after your appointment date has passed and you can exchange your original piece for any style of your choosing. You can now match the jewelry to your outfit or your mood of the moment.
Beauty is Pain
The saying may be cliché, but in most aspects of life it remains true … and body modifications are no different. Now the actual act of the needle piercing your skin might not be the kicker, but the weeks following most likely will be.
For an ear piercing, you may be stuck sleeping on a neck pillow for a bit. While this may not be good for your neck, it is good for the healing of your new jewelry. You might also experience being whacked directly in the sight of the wound by one of your friends during a five-minute dance party and suddenly your earring that was previously doing so well is now gushing blood.
Distilled Water and Non-Iodized Salt
An aspect of piercings that seems to be scarcely discussed yet extremely necessary is the cleaning procedure during the healing process. Most reliable piercing shops will tell you to purchase a gallon of distilled water and non-iodized salt to create the perfect and gentle mixture for a safe healing process. The directions are twice a day for 10 minutes, which upon hearing, seems easy enough. For the most part, it is, however, the inconvenience begins to increase when it’s 10 p.m. before a night out with the girls and you realize you haven’t cleaned your piercing yet.
It’s Worth It Anyway
No matter what hassles or pain you may run into after your impulsive or extremely thought-out piercing, you will love it anyway and eventually never be able to see yourself without it. The pain becomes worth it in the end, but upkeeping its recovery will aid the process.
Share your best piercing stories with VALLEY by tagging us on Instagram @VALLEYmag!
