So if you’ve been following me for the last while, you know I love me some piercings and tattoos.

As the fable goes, I saw my first Suicide Girl at 15 and I was lost in the body mod sauce.

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But it’s been a decade and I don’t follow Suicide Girls anymore (there’s barely any women of colour on the site, so it’s a hard pass).

Recently, I took out three of my piercings.  They were fun but they hadn’t healed well at all so I got rid of them. Pro tip: do not get cartilage piercings if you’re prone to keloids. 

I’m not over body mods per se, but I do have to consider some of my future plans (hint hint: travelling and working).

As much as I hate to say it: body mods do have an impact on certain aspects of your career, depending on what industry you want to go into and what part of the world you want to live in.

But I digress, my piercing story continues. I prefer getting tattooed over piercings, purely because the healing process isn’t as shitty. Poking some holes in your body can end badly, which I’ve already experienced.

Recently, I got my nips pierced and a bunch of people asked me what the pain was like.

The thing is, pain is different for everyone. You might have a higher tolerance than I do. I might bleed a lot and you won’t, shit happens.

Pro-tips

• Go to a reputable piercing clinic – sounds obvious but if you want a better healing experience you need a professional.
• Don’t get any piercings done with a piercing gun, (sorry, Claire’s). Piercing guns can totally mess up your ears and are actually illegal in certain parts of the world.
• Don’t ask for a discount. Cheap piercings aren’t cheap in the long run.
•  Follow the gotdamn after-care instructions. Don’t change the jewellery before you’re supposed to. You’re literally not a qualified body modification specialist, so listen to the actual experts. 

I put together a log of what piercings I’ve had and my personal pain levels/healing time.

Ears

Cartilage (one in each ear – now removed). Lobes (three in each ear)

Pain level: moderate and the healing time is easy depending on location.

Face:

Nose. Side labret.

Pain level: moderate and the healing time was really quick for my lip. Nose can take up to 6 months.

Other:

Nipples

Pain level: pretty shitty but once it’s over, it feels a bit better. First one hurt and bled a lot more.

If you live in Cape Town, here’s a list of places you can go to:

Let me know if this helped!

x A