My Piercing Experience

It all started when I was just 14 years old. Like most kids at my age, I started out with just piercing my lobes, then my upper lobe (or what they call the second hole) then proceeding to the third... and then advancing to my helix and tragus.

It felt good,I felt cool & I looked good, but who would have thought that piercings would be as addictive as eating potato chips? Fast forward to today, I have experienced about 20 different types of piercing, only two remaining and am left with 3 scars.

From time to time, I get questions about my scars. Many people thought that I had an operation and I got called out once when I was cosplaying LSP from adventure time for having such an ugly scar which I got from my Madison piercing by a photographer which really... baffled me.

However, I don't regret getting into this because to me, piercings are another form of body art just like tattoos. I don't encourage anyone to do it, but I hope that my experience can help those who are keen on getting it done!

The most common question that I always get is, "does it hurt?" YES, all piercings hurt but the level of pain depends on the individual. Also, not all piercings are successful. It might migrate, reject or get infected which might hurt twice as more and you might even have to remove it.

Navel Piercing

Let's be honest, belly button piercings are hot and there's no reason as to why I shouldn't get it.

While I've read a lot of horrible navel piercings gone wrong story online due to infection, I made sure I had it done by a professional.

I contacted Aidil, a professional piercer who was working at Rise Above at that time. He was featured on Xiaxue's guide to life where he pierced her tongue and is also everywhere on google. Unfortunately, he has retired from the industry based on our last conversation back in 2015 but who knows he might be back again?

It was my very first needle piercing so I was really nervous.While Aidil's assistant was trying to make me feel comfortable, I found out that getting any piercing done with a needle is much more safer, hygienic and less painful than a gun!

I was asked to take a deep breath and within a few seconds it was over! It was a little more painful than I expected.

Over the course of 6 months, the jewelry started migrating (probably due to my intense daily work out), slowly tearing through my skin and then falling out one day when I was in the shower. It may sound painful, but surprisingly, it didn't hurt but it left me a scar that isn't really obvious though.

Pain Level: 8/10

Cost: SGD65

Where: Rise above Piercing & Tattoo

10/10 would do it again

Tongue Piercing

The tongue piercing is perfect for you if you're looking for something cute & easy to hide. I managed to complete my Secondary 3 Oral exam with this lil thing on my tongue!

I had this pierced around 3 times. The first time I did it, I hardly felt anything. However, the subsequent time started to hurt... probably because it was re-pierced at the same spot.

I sucked onto Popsicles or ice cubes each time after I got it done to relieve the soreness.

I was able to eat and chew after an hour and talk properly after two days although it took me some time to get used to having the stud in my mouth.

Well, in the end after 2 years I decided to take it out due to religious reasons and also because I read that it damages the teeth and gums. It felt kinda weird for a few days because I was so used to playing with the stud whenever I was bored!

Pain Level: 1/10 , subsequent time 5/10

Cost: SGD40

Where: Rise Above Tattoo & Piercing

Industrial Piercing

I really wanted to get this after seeing Seungri in Bigbang's Blues MV!

This was made to my ear shape as my ear was too small and short for the usual straight bar jewelry. Aidil had to bend one end of the bar and he warned that it might be even more painful as he hasn't tried this before. And yes, it was really fucking painful. Out all of the piercings I have done, this was the worst and I was crying! It took about 5 minutes to get it done.

The healing process wasn't easy either as it got infected despite proper care. I mixed sea salt and warm water and used a Q-tip to treat it and after 3 months, it was fully recovered.

I still have this after 4 years and I don't intend to remove it anytime soon.

Pain Level: 11/10

Cost: SGD80

Where: Rise Above Tattoo & Piercing

Vertical Labret (Lip)

This is by far my favourite! It is a pretty piece that rests on the top of your outer lip and doesn't pierce through the inside of your mouth so yay to damage free gums.

It was painful and I teared a bit, but it was over really fast and it was only sore for a few minutes. It didn't cause any problems for me for two years until one day the stud magically disappeared when I was cosplaying. By the time I realize that it was gone, the hole had already closed and I got it

re-pierced at Primative on the day itself and it hurt so bad!!

I removed it 10 months later due to religious reasons.

In the third picture, I am using a clear retainer for both my lip and eyebrow to conceal it when working. I got these for SGD8 each from ink by finch and they helped me to change it too.

Pain Level: 8/10

Cost: SGD65

Where: Rise Above Tattoo & Piercing , re-pierced at Primative Art

Madison Piercing (Front of the neck)

Bearing an extremely high rate of rejection and migration, it lasted for only 3 months before completely tearing through my skin and then falling off.

Not many piercers were willing to perform this, not even Aidil as they say it is very dangerous. That didn't stop me and it took me awhile to find someone until a friend introduce me to Joe who did it for me at a reasonable price.

In the second picture, you can see the scar this piercing left me. It is slowly fading though thanks to Hiruscar hehe.

Pain Level: 7.5/10

Cost: SGD65

Where: Ink by Finch

Clavicle Piercing (collarbone)

Like the madison, it has a high rate of rejection and migration and it also left me with a scar. However, this started showing signs of rejection after a good long 21 months!

As there was not much skin to support it already, I wanted to remove it myself but it was too hard to unscrew the ball for the stud so I had to use force to pull the bar out through my skin =( !! It hurt really bad and that area was bleeding non stop for a few minutes.

Pain Level: 7/10

Cost: SGD70

Where: Rise Above Tattoo & Piercing

Nape Piercing

Another piercing that can be easily hidden! There was no trouble sleeping flat with my nape on a pillow on the day I got it pierce and it didn't hurt too when I accidentally knocked it. I just don't know how the hell did the barbell come out when I was resting my neck on the sofa without me feeling anything. I doubt that it fell out from my skin like the rest because I did check if whether there were any signs of rejection or migration but nope! And I didn't get a scar too!

Pain Level: 6/10

Cost: SGD65

Where: Rise Above Tattoo & Piercing

Eyebrow Piercing

I tried both the vertical and horizontal style. The latter has a higher risk of rejection as there is lesser skin or meat to support it. And true enough, it started to reject really fast and it fell off by itself after a month and a half. I then re-pierced it vertically and it stayed on for a year before I had to take it out due to work commitments.

Pain Level: 2/10

Cost: SGD20 each

Where: New Generation Piercing

Septum Piercing

Don't know why everyone says this would hurt really bad but I felt that this was pretty tolerable? Maybe I got lucky because the dude pierced it through my 'sweet spot'.

It's been two and a half year since I've got it and it hasn't cause any problem for me. My favourite part about having this would be the fact that it can be easily hidden! Sometime I even forget that I have

it too!

Pain Level: 4/10

Cost: SGD20 each

Where: New Generation Piercing

Nose Piercing

I lost count of how many times I got this pierced with a gun at the same area over and over again but each time I did it, it only get less painful. I guess my nose was immune to it already haha.

It was kinda difficult for me to wash my face and apply my make up because the damn stud/ ring would always be in the way and every time I touched it would just fall out. And I really hate inserting the jewellery back because there is always this weird feeling and it would bleed. I was so fed up that I decided to close it once and for all.

Pain Level: 3/10

Cost: SGD5-8

Where: Blue , X-craft & New Generation Piercing

#piercing #bodymod #singapore