Marking the ear

Next it was my turn to take the plunge. At this point, I had no doubt in my mind I was in exactly the right place. I had full confidence in Billy's abilities. He sat me down, just as with Renee, and explained absolutely everything in detail. We talked about alternative forms of aftercare since I told him that this piercing was going to be an experiment with a new product. (Product review coming soon!) Billy assured me that if anything went wrong with the aftercare that he would be there to help me out. After we had exhausted all my questions, I got comfortable on the table.

The clamp was a little uncomfortable, but certainly not unbearable. He took great care to make sure everything was just perfect and then told me to take a deep breath. On the exhale, the needle went in. Now, it seemed like the needle was going though an awful lot of skin - seemed to take forever, but it wasn't painful. Once the needle was through, he fed the jewelry through. Now, that part was a little more painful than the piercing itself, but still not unbearable. Just a lot of tugging and pulling. Just like Renee, the piercing was nothing like what I expected.

Pushing the needle through

Inserting the jewelry

By the way, if you're wondering why these pictures appear sideways, it is because I was actually laying down on the table. This is how a lot of piercers have their clients to keep them comfortable. It also helps to keep you from hitting your head in case you pass out. Not that many people actually pass out, but those that have fainted because they were so nervous they got themselves all worked up and over-anxious. Most of us have to admit that the pain level of a piercing is much less than we had anticipated. So, relax! It's really not that bad at all.

I had heard a lot of people hear a loud "pop" in their ear when they get their tragus pierced - there was no pop here. Everything went smoothly and I was wearing my new jewelry. The only irritating part was the blood that dripped down into my ear - I felt like I had swimmer's ear for the next day or so. When I go back to get my other tragus pierced (I can't resist) I'm going to ask Billy to put cotton in my ear!

Just a little bit of blood

My new piercing!

Renee and I are both enjoying our piercings and I have found a new piercer I can bring all my business to with complete confidence. If you're in the Indy area, I totally recommend that you pay Billy a visit at Metamorphosis if you want a piercing. He is a true professional who obviously takes his job very seriously and loves what he does.

If you're not in Indy and you're also having trouble finding a new piercer, word of mouth is truly a powerful tool. Ask around and find out who your friends recommend. If they have had a really good experience, more than likely they will be just as thrilled to share that information as I am.