Regarding eris and piercings. tl;dr

[hoveringsombrero]

I've wanted pierced ears for as long as I've known what they were. I finally went and did so when I was around 17, at some little place in the mall, of course. They mostly healed but they stayed sore, and then they'd randomly get infected (later determined to be issues with the metals I was putting in them), so I gave up and let them close. Tried again, etc, had four in each ear for a while. Just years of never completely healing till I finally gave up.

However in retrospect, I pretty much did everything wrong. I was impatient, would change them out before healed. I cleaned and disinfected them with things that we now know to be Bad Ideas (rubbing alcohol, hyrdogen peroxide, neosporin), and cleaning too often on top of that. This was all on reccomendation of piercers I asked and my doctor, so I was trying to do what I was suppose to.

They've also never been done with an actual hollow needle, just the evil gun,
I even had my own gun and repierced a few times on my own.

I had my eyebrow pierced, it pretty much healed, I didn't do any of the stupid things as before. However it rejected. Everybody has different opinions on why it did so. From it not being pierced deep enough (which it seemed to be, people thought so when it was first done), to it being the surgical steel, to it just being my stupid body unable to tolerate a surface piercing.

I also have my tongue pierced (since about 19 or 20 years of age), NOT.ONE.ISSUE.EVER. It healed fast, and nothing, never any issues. Maybe I have a super tonuge, who knows. Even when I had it out for like 15 hours a few years ago, it went right back in, felt crampy for a day or two, and then was fine again.

So, I'm going with a 14g, because I want to pierce out some of the little tiny bit of scar tissue in the middle, and I think a slightly larger hole will be easier to salvage later if it gives me troubles. And I've been researching this like mad for years, and talking to piercers when I can, and the most popular recommendation for someone with metal issues and healing issues, is go with niobium. I probably don't have an issue with surgical steel, but might as well not risk it.

So since I get my health issues from my mother (she's just not as bad as me), she decided, all on her own, that it'd be better to be safe than sorry, so she'd go with whatever I decided for me. I just decided the 16g would be fine for her, is the only difference.

I was originally just going to do one at a time, scsi insisted that my reasoning was flawed, so did J a little, I still was thinking it'd be eaiser to deal with, but then IMing with mom today, she sorta strong armed me back to the both at once side. So, I guess that's the plan.

Yay holes.

Comments

[absinthe-satori.livejournal.com]

My sweetie has similar problems with healing using anything other than niobium. Apparently other jewelry metals adsorb pathogens and deliver them into the piercings. But niobium has worked very well for her.

The hollow needles also come highly recommended in the body-mod circles I know. (I'm unpierced and have no plans of changing that, but I hang with some pretty extreme body-modders.) Coring out the piercing works much better than just jamming metal into a puncture.

[eris.livejournal.com]

This is good to hear yet another report of no problems at all with niobium. It's becoming harder to find though, had to do quite a bit of calling around to find a place that had them in. And then the only had them in clearance. So I intend to go back and get a few more just to have them around.

They're still findable online somewhat, my motherdear is just impatient, and did not wish to wait for something to arrive in the mail, as she'd like to get it done and hopefully be healed before school starts up in the fall. She substitute teaches.

[absinthe-satori.livejournal.com]

Sweetie usually gets her niobium off Ebay. But I understand the need-it-now factor - I rarely shop online for that reason.

Oh, and her tongue piercing was the least troublesome, too. I think the enzymes in the mouth kill most of the ickies before they get a chance to ride. Eyes and mouths are the quickest tissues to heal.

[shogunmouse.livejournal.com]

Ive had my tongue stud in for... uhm... gosh, I dont even remember 8-10 years. No problems. A lot of my friends had them (you know, being unique just like everyone else ;) ) and they had no tongue issues, but teeth issues. Recessed gums, cracked teeth.

Maybe we're blessed with great mouths. :D

[eris.livejournal.com]

Yeah seriously. I've heard all kinds of horror stories about the gums and the teeth. I've even bit the damn ball pretty hard a handfull of times, and not caused any problem.

My best friend has swallowed her balls a few times, heh. I guess my balls are the stayput kind.

[shogunmouse.livejournal.com]

Same here.

Though when it was healed soon after getting it pierced I switched to a shorter bar, but I didnt tighten them all the way and swallowed one of them. I put the original bar back in and no problems since then. :)

[eris.livejournal.com]

Heh ... ball swallower.