I've been at 14g for like 8 months and finally worked up the nerve to go to 12g with a pincher last night. Used vitamin E oil and a glass taper from a kit I got off Amazon for $12, and it slid right in with barely any pinch. Has anyone else had luck with a certain size jump that they thought would be way worse?
I was dead set on piercing my own helix about 3 months ago and had to choose between buying good numbing cream or just going for it raw. I went with the numbing cream because I'm a chicken, but I didn't let it sit long enough and it barely worked. The needle went through fine but holy crap the ache afterward was way worse than the actual poke. Ended up having to ice it for like an hour while my roommate laughed at me. Has anyone else had numbing cream backfire or was I just using it wrong?
I was at a tattoo convention in Denver last month and watched a piercer use a surgical marker to map out placement before even picking up the needle. Tried it myself for my last nostril piercing at home and honestly it saved me from a crooked hole. Those cheap ballpoint pens can irritate your skin and smudge. Has anyone else tried marking with iodine or surgical markers?
I tried the dental floss method on my tongue last month and it healed weird - one side is now thicker than the other. I'm wondering if proper scalpels are actually safer or if this is just a scare tactic. Has anyone else dealt with uneven healing?
I was all set to do my own scalpeling at home with a kit I found online. But last month I went to a reputable piercing studio in Austin to ask about placement and prep. The artist there showed me how easy it is to mess up the angle or depth without a steady hand and a clamp they use. She also had to talk me out of using a scalpel I bought off Amazon that wasn't even sterile packed. Now I'm saving up the $150 for her to do it properly instead of risking a scar that looks like a worm. Has anyone else had a pro talk them out of a home job they were dead set on?
I got my lobes pierced at a shop 6 months ago, they healed fine. Then last week I bought a pack of 20 fake silver hoops off Amazon for like $8 to swap styles. Put one in on Friday, by Saturday night my ear was red, hot, and leaking yellow goo. I thought it was just irritation but it got worse overnight. Now I'm doing warm salt soaks 3 times a day and put antibiotic ointment on it. Lesson learned - cheap mystery metal is not worth saving a few bucks. Has anyone else had a bad reaction to those bulk piercing packs? How long did it take to clear up?
I used to spin my piercings a bunch every day during healing because I thought that stopped them from sticking. After getting my helix done about 6 months ago, a piercer friend told me spinning actually tears the healing tissue inside. She pulled up a photo of an irritated piercing on her phone and it clicked. Have any of you wrecked a piercing from bad aftercare before realizing it?
Went with the piercing needle from a kit my friend gave me after doing research and it was way smoother than I expected, barely any pain. Has anyone else had issues with irritation using those cheap disposable guns?
I was showing off my chest piece at a cookout last weekend and my friend Dave said it looked like I was trying to hide some ugly truth under all that ink and scarring. He asked me if I even liked how it looked or if I was just covering stuff up for other people. Made me wonder how many of yall actually get mods because you want them versus just coping with something.
I spent last Saturday fighting with my own stick and poke on my ankle. The ink kept bleeding into lines I hadn't meant to hit. Then my buddy who does this way more than me said to wipe the area down with 70% isopropyl alcohol before you start. It degreases the skin way better than just soap and water, and it made my lines way cleaner. I did three tiny stars on my other ankle afterward and the difference was night and day. Anyone else got a weird little prep step that changed their results?
I was visiting my cousin in Portland and stopped by this little shop off Hawthorne that's been around since the 80s. The guy running it showed me their old Tuttnauer autoclave in back, still running strong with just a new gasket and a fresh calibration sticker from last year. Made me think about how folks today spend hundreds on brand new equipment when the older stuff just keeps going if you take care of it. Has anyone else found an old piece of body mod gear that still works better than the new stuff?
I figured I'd save money and bought a rotary machine kit online for my first home tattoo. The needle kept falling out mid-line and the power supply died after two uses. Anyone else get burned by cheap starter kits like this?
Got a helix piercing done at home 3 months ago with a kit from Amazon, and now it’s got this weird bump that won’t go away no matter how much salt soak I do. Part of me thinks I should take it out and try again later, but the other part says just keep babying it with tea tree oil and hope it settles down. Anyone else hit this wall and have a fix that actually worked?
I did my own helix piercing at home with a kit from Amazon, 16g needle. Day 3 it was red and oozing green pus. I was at my kitchen table when I noticed. I cleaned it with saline twice a day for a week and switched to a titanium flatback from a shop. Has anyone else had a piercing turn sour fast and what fixed it?