Just the ears, nothing crazy. What do you guys think of this? Here's my situation... at the moment, the only piercings I have are one in each lobe, and one in the cartilidge of my right ear. The cartilidge is a 14 g cbr, and the lobes are currently gauged to a 4 (I plan on going to 0, possibly a 00). I've been thinking about more holes, just in the ears, and the more I think about it the more I want it. What I want eventually is my lobes up to 0, a second hole in each ear gauged to an 8, and a third hole at a 12. I could have my own glass plugs in the first two holes on each ear, and 12 g cbr's and keep the current 14 g in the cartilidge... However, I don't think I could afford (or talk my partner into) $30 for a pair of holes in the only studio in town. I looked on ebay, and found a seller who does sterile piercing needles for pretty cheap. (here). Now, my question to you guys is, if I bought 12 g needles from this guy, how hard would it be to pierce myself? I figure I could mark off the placement ahead of time to make sure they are even. I know how to sterilize everything for doing it... I have jewelry that only I have worn, and it's been safely in a little baggy in a box ever since then. I remember when I was like 13, I tried piercing myself with safety pins, and all I remember about it really was meeting more resistance than I had expected. Will this factor in less because I'll be using a sharp new hollow needle? (I would think so).... Any words of wisdom regarding how far to space the holes apart, what with my plans to gauge up? If I do do this, I'll most likely end up putting in the second hol while my lobes are still at 4, and then leaving them alone to heal a while. Will stretching my lobes up before the second holes are fully healed irritate them? Is there a reputable website anywhere with info on self-piercing? lol, I think this post has gotten long enough! I'm just really curious and looking forward to the prospect of new holes in me head.
Well, I think the best advice is to go to the piercer. He will have all the tools, needles, and knowledge to do it right. Also, you say you "know how to sterilize" the tool, but the medically acceptable ways to sterilize metal is with an autoclave, which I doubt you have. Boiling or bleach or whatever is not gauranteed to kill everything. $30 is very reasonable for two piercings. Once you get done buying and shipping a couple off needles, you will be saving yourself maybe $20. IMHO, I would just go work a few hours and not risk my body. That being said, you will probably be OK piercing your own ears, so it is your choice. BMEzine.com probably has so handy info in their FAQ. Peace
No, I didn't say I "know how to sterilize" the TOOL, I said I know how to sterilize "everything" (meaning cleaning up the already clean rings, and keeping the area where I'd do it clean and sterile) The TOOL that I'd use would be a sterile needle, in a package, never before used, etc. I'm not planning on just picking up a sharp object from the street and cleaning it with bleach. I'm sure $30 is a reasonable price, but I just can't pay it right now. If I were to use the jewelry I already have, and pierce myself, I could do all four holes with sterile piercing needles for $7. Can't beat that! If I were thinking of ANY other place on my body, I would spring for a piercer without question. Thanks for the reply though, ahmisa. Any advice from ppl who have pierced themselves before?
I have had friends who have done piercings in the past. They learned about what they were doing, got helpful information and ended up with a really nice piercing. As long as you educate yourself and are safe, I see no reason why it wouldn't be okay.
ive pierced my own ears a million times..ok humblebee heres how it goes...boil that damn needle for 5 minutes...then if its a hallowed piercing needle, then get metal gripping tongs with the tongs holes not unholed ones, and angle the pointed tip down SLIGHTLY and pierce right through fast and jarlessly.it shouldnt hurt in the least, and dont forget to buy some sea salt for some soakin and some antibacterial for some cleanin and u should be good to go my dear ps spacing them apart depends on what gauges u wanna go with...if u want bigger gauges eventually space farther by measuring how big u wanna go with a centimeter ruler
what the hell.. boiling the needle wont do fuck all. if youve bought a autoclaved sterile needle, then boiling it is counterproductive. now then, ive done hundreds of play piercings on myself, as well as many temporary projects with jewellery. however the only permanent piercing i did on myself was my second helix (cartilage). everything went fine, the only thing to consider is when piercing yourself (especially if youre concentrating on placement etc) will be that it will probaly hurt more or you will have more difficulty getting it through. piercing another person is simple (in most cases) once you have the knowledge. half a second and its done. piercing yourself can be a process. im not saying it will take a minute to get the needle through or hurt like hell, but theres generally a noticeable difference.
ive pierced myself but never really sterilized anything. but theyve all been in my ears. i just pierced myself with piercing earings that you get when you go to the mall for pierced ears. always worked well for me that way...but then again im not too concerned about germs or infection some odd reason.
I have done the same...ive never lost a piercing ive done on myself and trust me i know what im talking about
boiling kills off some bacteria, but is in noway sterile. taking an autoclaved, sterile needle, and putting it into water to boil away imaginery germs will never bring on a positive result, and quite possibly a negative. and if not using a sterile needle, well its asking for trouble. yeah, ive pierced myself many a time in the past with very unsterile equipment and escaped without any problems from any of them, but playing with fire is asking to get burnt.
Hummblebee, cheap needles suck. They tend to be a bit blunt, many times they catch on the skin instead of sliding right through. If you do decide to pierce yourself (which I do not recommend) buy some Industrial Strength needles like these: http://www.bmeshop.com/ProductCart/pc/mac_viewPrd.asp?idcategory=8&idproduct=1060 Also, use some good quality jewelry. Older jewelry tends to get tiny microscopic nicks and scratches that can harbor bacteria. Use some fresh new stainless steel. I'm going to side with ahimsa and say your best bet is to go to the piercing shop and get your ears done properly. $30 is a damn good price for two piercings. I'm assuming the price includes jewelry? By the time you buy the needles and jewelry and pay for shipping, you are going to be spending close to $30 anyway. KWIM?
I say go for it. I've had very good experiences with self-piercing. I recommend buying your jewelry & sterile needles from Mspiercing.com (good prices and great quality products). Good luck.
I have pierced both ears three separate occasions. I didn't use a sterile needle, or a hollow needle for that matter (I'm not advocating that you shouldn't, only explaining my experience). I've never had a problem with any of the piercings I have done. It's fairly easy and safe if taken the right precautions.
Ears are no problem so long as you're not an asshole. I got individually sealed, gas sterilized needles and I pierced my own ears a few times. Boil your jewelry beforehand. Make sure your hands and ears are sterilized. Pierce it fast. No scootchin' around. If you're buying 12g needles, use 14g captive hoops.
iv taught my friends how to pierce so they could do it to me and its worked out fine both times when i was in 9th grade my friend pierced my cartilidge in the school bathroom the needle of course nothing to worry about just make sure ur doing it right
ive pierced my ears a few times and three other peoples ears with no problems and really fast healing. i just use sewing needles, but i would use hollow sterilized ones if i could get them. im sure it would be much easier and obviously safer. when i did mine (i was like 13) i used a thickish sewing needle and normal studs, never cleaned the piercings and they healed in no time. when i pierced my ex bfs ears, i used a needle for a sewing machine lol, it was interesting. but i was able to get 14g cbrs in with no trouble. heres what i reccomend- 1. arrange everything youre going to need within easy reach, wash your hands well. i pour some alcohol into a cup and have a container of qtips nearby for cleaning the jewellery, your ear, and everything that will come in contact with your ear. youll need a cork too. 2. mark where you want the hole to be with a fine tipped felt pen. 3. put a few icecubes in a ziploc bag and arrange it so theres one on either side of your lobe. hold that there untill it stops hurting and is really frozen. 4. act fast before the freezing wears off, put the cork behind your ear and pierce where youve marked, into the cork. it takes a bit of force, so push hard. 5. push the needle through, taking the cork off it it makes it easier. 6. now theres two courses of action. if it works, you can push the needle all the way out with the jewellery so theres no period of time with nothing in your ear. this doesnt really work with sewing needles, so i just pull the needle out and put the jewellery in, ive never had problems or lost the hole. 7. swap it all off with alcohol and enjoy your new piercing! 8. it shouldnt require much in the way of aftercare. you can do hot compresses with chamomile tea bags or cotton soaked in sea salt water to calm swelling or irritation. other than that and rinsing it in the shower (you can use some mild, natural soap too) id just leave it alone. as for stretching your other hole, id say just do what feels ok. if it hurts then stop.
