My Sternum cleavage Dermal

Okay, so I'm addicted to piercings, but I suspect that 90% of the people who use this site are. It all started with a simple ear rim piercing, then progressed to navel, tragus, industrial/scaffold, 6 more ear rims, rook, nipples and my absolute favourite: my nape. I got my nape done with a PTFE bar, and I know surface bars are so much better, but my piercer doesn't use them, and I trust him implicitly, and thought I would never go anywhere else.. Until I got my dermal.

About a month after I got my nape done, I started to get the urge for a new piercing. I had exhausted all the places I could possibly get done without going on my face, which I really don't want to do. I like unusual piercings, that not many people have, so I knew my next piercing would have to be another surface piercing, however I knew the risks, especially with a PTFE bar. My nape is healing fine but I really didn't want another piercing with the possibility of rejection. Looking back, I wish I had done my nape with dermals, I might get it replaced with dermals when it starts to reject.

I started researching dermals on google, and also on BME. I decided that was what I wanted, but I was a little scared, especially if my piercer used a dermal punch. I mentioned dermals to my friend, who is also addicted to piercings, and we both decide we want sternum dermals. I want two so it imitates the look of a surface piercing, but decide to get the lower one first so it can be easily hidden.

So we go to our regular place, Salamanders, I have had 15 piercings there and I swore I would never go anywhere else. I still wasn't 100% sure if I was going to get my dermal on that day at this point, they are quite expensive and permanent, and I say that I will watch my friend get hers done, and come back later if I decide I want it. So she goes up to the counter and asks for a dermal, the man gets the form out, and she starts to fill it in. As she is half way through he asks how old she is, she answers 17, which is the truth, and she didn't think this would be a problem as for all piercings there (apart from genital) you have to be 16, without consent. But he informs us that you have to 18, as dermals are considered a permanent body mod, so we sulk out the door. My friend is absolutely kicking herself, cos she looks older, she knew that if she said she was 18, they would have believed her and it would have been no problem.

So we're all upset that we can't get dermals on that day.. My birthday was only a few weeks away so I was prepared to wait, but my friend's birthday is 9/10 months away, and she is gagging for her dermal. Then we remember that theres another piercing studio, about 5 doors down, so we go up there to have a look, and they do microdermals! They are cheaper than our regular place, and you only have to be 16. So my friend pays and has hers done, we went into this tiny room, which didn't look too clean, but all the equipment was sterile, and the woman who pierces us, informs us that she has been piercing longer than our regular piercer, that her piercings are A LOT cheaper, and also tells us about loads of special offers they have on. We go to get plasters and tea tree oil for my friend, and I get some too, deciding that I will get one done that day, as she said it didn't hurt much, less that a normal ear rim piercing.

So we go back and I pay Ј35 for my dermal. First I have to choose the head I want on it, I choose a pink gem, all my other piercings are plain silver and it upset me that they wouldn't match, but it was so pretty. She takes me back into the little room and asks me where I want it. I also ask her if a sternum piercing would be viable on me, to which she says no, that I don't have nearly enough skin there, so dermal it is then! When I tell her that i want it quite low, just above where my bra strap would sit, she winces. I ask if that means it will hurt more, and she said no it would just be harder to heal becos my bra could get caught on it. She gets me to push my boobs together to get it in the centre, which is kind of embarassing, and marks me up. I have a look in the mirror and get her to move it down a little (which I wish I would never have done now). Then I lie on the bed and she starts to numb it, which stings but I'm used to it by now. Then she gets the needles and pin
ches my skin. I thought this was the needle at first as it was quite uncomfortable. And then I feel the needle, and hear a pop. OHMYGOD it was so painful, way more painful that my nipples or my nape. Tears came to my eyes and I squeaked to my friend "I thought you said it didn't hurt!" The sharp pain only lasted a second and then returned to the dull pain you associate with piercings. It only took her a couple of seconds to put the jewellery in and there I had my pretty little dermal :) I was shocked it didn't bleed as I am a bleeder. After that she told me that before when she said before that she didn't mean it would hurt more, she lied. Cos I have less skin further down, and also less loose skin than my friend, as I have small boobs, that was why it hurt a lot more.

She gave me a sheet of paper with aftercare instructions on, telling me to keep a plaster on for about a week, and cleaning it with hot water and tea tree oil.

She also said to me "be careful, for the first week or two its not very secure, so if you catch it, it could pop out, but if that happens just pop it back in." That really scared me.

My chest really ached for the rest of the day, I kept looking down my top to see if it was okay. I must've looked really weird doing that!

Now, a month later, I love my dermal. I haven't been as anal about cleaning it as I probably should have, but its been okay. The only problem is I think it is too low, and I don't like that no one can see it, unless I wear a really low top, so I want another which will be on view to everyone. It sits about 6mm above my bra so gets caught on that easily, which is pretty painful. It's taken a month but I no longer have the fear that its just gonna drop out suddenly. I would definitely get another but I'm not sure I'm ready for the pain quite yet, so I'm not going to complete my sternum surface piercing look.

Tomorrow I'm going to get one under each collar bone, where there is more skin and they are very visible :) wish me luck!