Written By: Jenne

Piercing seems to have become fashionable over the past few years, personally I blame Madonna but then I blame Madonna for just about everything so forget I said that. The truth is body piercing has been practiced in many cultures for many centuries. Body piercing was often identified with royalty and portrayed courage and virility. Egyptian Pharaohs pierced their navels as a rite of passage. Roman soldiers pierced their nipples to show their manhood. Mayans pierced their tongues as a spiritual ritual, and both sexes of Victorian royalty chose nipple and genital piercing.

So why have it done? This was the first question that sprang to mind when I began to research this article. I asked Amy who has several piercings, including a clitoral one. This was her answer:

'Besides liking the way they look I'd say there were two reasons. The first was to enhance my sexuality. They definitely do make you more sensitive. When I first had my hood pierced I was so sensitive it was almost unbearable. I had an orgasm just from walking across a mall parking lot in tight jeans. I am not nearly as sensitive now, but there is still an increased sensitivity. The same for my nipples, although I have heard many women say they last most increase after their nip piercing's healed. I admit to having a bit of a nip fetish and have always been turned on by women I saw in public with hard nips. My "high beams" are almost always on now. The second reason was my general attitude towards being a bit rebellious sexually. I live a very conservative professional life. My piercing's allow the real "sensuous" me to exist in the confines of my conservative surroundings. My piercing's are sorta like my lingerie. No matter how conservative I may appear on the outside, I am always the real me underneath. '

So having decided it's a great idea to have a piercing, what should you do next?

First thing I suggest you do is talk to a few people that have already had the type of piercing you are thinking of. Ask them about their experience, the cost, the pain, healing time and anything else you might think of. One important thing you might want to ask is if they had the chance to do it over again, would they?

This may sound obvious but if you're in a relationship, please ask your partner BEFORE you have any piercing's performed. Yes, he/she maybe pleasantly surprised when you come home with your new nipple piercing but he/she may equally run away in horror. Yes, you're right it is your body, but it's still a safer option to talk it over with them first.

You're going to do this, you've decided it's definitely for you. How do you go about choosing a piercer?

First, visit a few places. Don't just walk into the first place you find. Talk to friends, get recommendations. Here's a couple of pointers that you should bear in mind when you make your choice.

The work area should be kept in a clean and sanitary condition and have good lighting.

If they refuse to discuss cleanliness and infection control, go somewhere else.

If you can talk to a customer while you're there, then do. Ask them questions, many piercer's encourage this for first timers.

auto clave

Take a look at their sterilizing equipment, most piercer's are proud of this piece of equipment. If they don't have an auto clave [ see pic] then please for the sake of safety go somewhere that does.

Again I asked Amy how she made her choice, her response:

'The piercer was recommended by a friend who had a good experience with her. Yes a woman did my piercings. No, I didn't do it myself, but I did have a friend/lover who did one of her own nips several years ago with a self piercing ear ring. Even to me that was a bit scary. This was about 11-12 yrs. ago before they are as common as they are now.

You've made your choice, booked the appointment and there's no going back. What can you expect to happen?

If you've done you research and found a piercer that you are comfortable with then there should be no problems. You may want to take a friend or your partner along for moral support.

The piercer should put you at ease before they begin. Exactly what type of piercing you are having done will determine the method used but as a general rule the piercer will mark the skin, and then pass a sterilized hollow needle through the body part followed by the insertion of the body jewelry into the hole. A small amount of bleeding may occur as a result. A piercing gun should never be used for this procedure as it crushes the tissues that are pierced and it cannot be properly re sterilized.

Some piercer's use a local anaesthetic, but a good one will be finished before you have time to draw a breath. Another thing to bear in mind here is that is illegal in most states for anyone other than a Doctor to administer anaesthetic via an injection.

I asked Amy if it hurt. This was her reply,

'I must say my nip piercing's were very painful. They say they are the most painful type of piercing. My hood wasn't bad at all. In both cases it was a burning sensation that I felt. As my tattoo artist friends says, "it's not about pain, it's about desire." Was it worth it, hell yes. Even in the case of my nips, the pain did not last long and was soon replaced my a feeling of tenderness and soreness rather than intense pain. '

I also asked her if she was embarrassed at all at the time of piercing:

'I assume you mean during the procedure? No, not at all. I am a lifestyle nudist (naturist) and exposing myself was not a problem. Besides, the whole thing was so clinical it was more like going to an ob/gyn than anything sexual. '

One of the most important choices you will make is the type of jewlery you will use in your piercing. Again this will depend largely on the type of piercing you are having. If the jewelry is too thin or too heavy, the body may reject the jewelry and work to expel it like a splinter. If the jewelry is too small in diameter, the jewelry may cut off the blood supply and cause a lot of swelling and pain. Ask your piercer for advice.

How long does the piercing take to heal? Once again this depends on the type of piercing and the individual. Nipple piercings take anywhere between three to six months to fully heal, clitoral piercings between four to ten weeks provided proper after care is given.

I asked Amy how long hers took to heal:

'Nips - 4 months to completely heal. I was able to begin playing with them within 2-3 weeks (a very long wait for me). My hood healed quickly. It was healed within 3 weeks, and I was able to play with it in less than a week (another long wait). I was not very patient, I must admit.'

So here you are with your piercings done, jewlery intact, what now?

A good piercer will go through the after care procedure with you before you leave the studio. Below are a few pointers that you should bear in mind:

1. Clean the piercing area with an antibacterial soap twice a day. This is enough to keep the piercing clean and allow the body to heal. Gently wash the area surrounding and including the piercing with the soap. Remove all crusty formations from the piercing and jewelry. Rinse off the soap, making sure that all the soap and crust formations are gone.

2. Salt water soaks are good to loosen up crusty formations. You can make salt water by adding 1/4 teaspoon of salt to one cup of clean water.

3.You do not need strong cleaning agents if the area is infection-free. Do not use alcohol or Peroxide to clean the area at any time. They will dry out your skin.

4.Wash your hands with soap before touching or cleaning the pierced part during the healing process. Don't let anyone else touch the pierced part during the healing period.

5.Avoid contact with other people's body fluids. (saliva, sweat, etc.). Even your own sweat may irritate the piercing. Be sure to rinse the area after all exercise to remove all sweat.

6.Always wear clean clothing and change bed-sheets every week during healing.

The above precautions are all common sense when you think about it but they are important to remember. A piercing is basically a wound and should be treated as such.

If your in doubt about your piercings at any time, please for the sake of your health, go to you doctor.

Being the nosey person that I am, although I prefer the word curious, I asked Amy about the reactions she recieved from lovers about her piercings:

' My hubby loves them. While he didn't really push me towards getting them, he was supportive of my decision. Now he is an enthusiastic proponent of my piercings. We are also swingers and I am bi. Most men are enthralled by my piercings, some a little too much so. Most women are either curious about it and somewhat shocked. "How could you do that?" is a common question from women. Most of them are more centered on the pain than on the possible benefits.'

I also asked her what difference it had made to her sex life:

'Sex before and after. Great before, better after. My orgasms during sex are more intense. I have always liked having my nips treated a little roughly during sex, although I am not a sub, quite the opposite. The nip piercings just are an extension of that part of my sexuality.'

Finally I asked her if she would do it over again:

'Would I do it again? Yes, as a matter of fact I am considering having another type of hood piercing called a triangle.'

For those of you who like me know little about the types of clitoral piercings that are available let me help you out.

CLITORIS: Not very common because the clitoris must be large enough to hold the jewelry. An argument against piercing the actual clitoris is that the piercing will kill some of the nerves - you want to heighten the sensation, but the process "reduces" the number of receivers of the sensation.

HORIZONTAL CLITORIS HOOD: The ideal horizontal piercing places a captive bead ring above the clitoris so that the bead of the ring rests on the clitoris. Sensation is altered by the size of the bead, the amount of pressure against the bead/clitoris, and whether the clitoris is exposed or covered by the hood, which you control. One potential "problem" with the horizontal hood piercing is the shape of one's hips and/or thighs. If there is pressure against the ring by the thighs, causing it to "flip", this can irritate the piercing and prolong healing. This can sometimes be alleviated by using a teardrop-shaped CBR.

VERTICAL CLITORIS HOOD: This piercing puts the jewelry in more constant contact with the clitoris, so stimulation is more constant and less "controlled" than with the horizontal.

I hope this article takes some of the mysteries out of body piercing. Special thanks to Amy for her help with this article.