Title: DIY navel piercing. :)
Author: Natalie
Complications: Not yet, it's only been a day though.
End Result: I'll update you in a week and month!
Happy with the Result:Yeah I'm really proud and impressed with it.
Date Done: 11/22/02
Story: Now I don't think you need to be warned (just because you should KNOW this stuff - it's common sense, folks!), but I'll do it anyway. DON'T PIERCE YOURSELF. It's risky and you really don't want to have to deal with the consequences if something should go wrong. GO TO A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL, ASK PERMISSION FROM YOUR PARENTS, DON'T TAKE MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS! It shouldn't take a horror story to convince you that trying to do this by yourself isn't a good idea.
With that said, I'll tell you the story of my body mod. Now, I had taken all the necessary steps. I asked my parents for permission (super conservative folks, they gave a resounding NO) and had also tried to just go an get pierced WITHOUT their permission. Both hadn't worked out. My friend is of legal age, and she has her tats and various piercings -- except her navel. She wanted to try and do it herself to see how it would come out and to learn the techniques. She asked if I would like her to do it for me and after a lot of thought I told her no. I said, "If anyone's poking holes in my body it's gotta be a pro or myself." Ding ding!
My parents weren't budging, the pro wasn't going to do it until May, (just couldn't wait that long), and besides, I thought it would be kinda cool seeing/doing it myself. I ordered a $20 navel piercing kit from Ebay and while I waited for it to come I did A LOT of research on piercing. I scoured the web for photos of correct navel piercings, I looked for step-by-step photos of the procedure, I watched videos online, and I read anywhere on exact instructions for doing it yourself (and of course, I looked for all the cute jewelry I could find -- I was dead set on doing this!). I seriously stood in front of the mirror everyday deciding where it would go and how I would pinch the skin to get it perfect.
I was ready when the package came. At first, I was going to try and order some EMLA or Topocaine to numb the area, but since a) I'd heard from SO many people that it only hurt a pinch and b) it would just be spending more money which really wasn't necessary, I figured I could just do a little numbing with ice in a ziploc bag and the clamps would do the rest. I was very, very safe in the whole procedure.
I examined the package. It came with clamps, a sterile 14g needle, a barbell to put in, some q-tips (for any blood), an alcohol wipe, instructions, and some lubrication stuff with pain relief for the barbell. After I'd iced it for some time, I got ready to do it. I swore to myself that no matter what, I'd push to needle through and be done with it. There was no getting scared in the middle of things. Before anything else, I put on latex gloves for extra safety. I wiped the area as instructed, clamped hard on the place I wanted to pierce, and got the needle ready.
I feel it hit my skin, but kept pushing. I just closed my eyes and then I felt something hit the bottom of my navel. It went through! I was happy, but I wasn't celebrating because the ring wasn't even in yet. Before the procedure, I'd unscrewed the big ball from the barbell, thinking I'd be inserting from the top. I'd pierced through the top though, so I had to replace the big one and unscrew the smaller top one. I slipped the unscrewed end of the jewelry into the open end of the needle and pulled it through. IT WAS IN!
The pain was SO minimal. The thing is, even if I felt a little I didn't let it stop me. Of course, I spent about 6 minutes trying to screw the balls back in but that was besides the point. I took a look and I was very pleased with my handiwork. There was NO blood leaking and it wasn't red either. It looked like it has been there for days! It really was worth it.
It's an hour or 2 later [as of when it was sent November 23, 2002] and I don't feel any major discomfort, but I need to wait longer to see if it gets infected, rejects, etc. I don't see this happening because I was REALLY, REALLY careful about EVERYTHING. I saved myself like $80 through all of this. Though this actually was a success story, I urge you to speak to your parents or wait until you're of age to get piercing done. You've got to be determined and fearless to do it yourself, and I wouldn't recommend it for just anybody.
Needle: packaged sterile needle, 14g
Gauge: 14G
Purchased: ebay (and entire sterilized kit)
Cost: like $12
Jewelry barbell
Purchased: came with the kit
Cost: included in kit price
Aftercare: Dial soap until I can get surgical soap, sea salt, and 'love my piercing' spray
Purchased: : any convenience store for the dial, surgical soap and sea salt @ tribaletic.com, and LMP spray at bwild.com
Cost: all are relatively inexpensive
TOTAL COST: haven't bought all of the items yet, but I'm guessing it'll cost around $30 when I add in everything else.
| Information: My parents are very conservative, nowhere around where I live would pierce minors (very strict with ID but then again they're VERY clean too), wasn't about to go to the city. So I took the cheaper and easier route (for myself). |