Piercings are cool. I have 10.
- L ear lobe (x3)
- R ear lobe (x3)
- R ear flat (x2)
- L + R nipples
I was inspired to try them after much previous contemplation after I visited Kabukichō during a trip to Tōkyō in 2023 and saw the Jirai-kei fashion that has become popular in recent years, especially around that part of Shinjuku. Jirai-kei itself is a controversial topic but the people I saw and the way they dressed stuck with me and I found it beautiful even with its dark color.
In any case, piercings are far less permanent body modifications than tattoos; I love how tattoos look on other people but I could never settle on a piece of art to display on my body for most of the rest of my life; that's such a large committment. With a piercing you can simply remove it and it will heal with proper care; after that it's almost as if you never had it.
Ear Lobes
I had my original four lobe piercings done back to back. It didn't realy hurt at all, just a quick sting like getting the flu shot. Both sides were pierced at the upper and lower lobes so this procedure was done 4 times; I was in + out of the shop in ~20 minutes, accounting for filling out paperwork and picking out the stainless-steel studs. I can 100% recommend going to a dedicated shop like a tattoo + piercing place, at least somewhere that uses a hollow needle to pierce, not a gun.
These initial ear piercings healed fully in about 4 months at which point I was able to change them out for other jewelry. I really like the look of the studs I got at the shop when I had the work done, so I wear these studs most often. There were many other types of studs at the shop made of different materials such as opalite or stainless steel finished with gold; I prefer the ones I got as I don't think I'd like the look of any white or gold finish on me, though it's hard to tell just looking at them next to your ear; titanium was a close runner-up.
My ears are unfortunately not suitable for an industrial piercing that runs front to back as the top, most-forward part of my ear is too close to my head; I was advised such a piercing likely would be rejected by my body for that reason. Learning this information was a bummer, and I also found out that the industrial connects the ear's helix to the anti-helix and so for the same reason I am also a poor candidate for a helix piercing, which I originally thought was possible in place of an industrial.
It's unfortunate that I have to play within the bounds of the rules of the game, marked by my anatomy, but I did find very recently that a piercing through the flat cartilage near the top and edge of my ear, called a "flat" piercing, was do-able and would look similar; I did it while vising NYC for work reasons. Also while on this 2-week trip I expanded my lobe piercings from 2 to 3. These 4 were my first lobe piercings since my original 4 in late 2023. Being pierced through cartilage certainly hurt more but not a significant amount. Maybe having my nipples pierced (below) readied me for anything.
Nipples
After learning I could not have an industrial I decided to have my both nipples done. Having these done hurt significantly more than my initial 4 lobes. I felt that I was ready for the nipple piercings but maybe I was not that ready for them, they hurt quite a bit. This may be because of my anatomy again as mine lay quite flat on my chest (below); I was worried about the feasibility of having them pierced but it seems that skilled piercers can do almost any type of nipple, even inverted ones. The piercer cleaned the area off, marked the entry + exit points and pushed through the entry mark to the exit mark using a 16 gauge needle with the jewelry already attached. 16 gauge was needed because mine are small.
I have heard the pain described as “minimal” maybe rivaling that of an upper ear lobe but honestly the entry stung significantly more than either lobes; after the needle was removed the pain went away and I was left with a vague soreness for a half hour afterwards. Now there is only pain if they get snagged on clothing which I've quickly learned to not do.