Anuradha Varanasi
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Written By: Anuradha Varanasi | Updated : February 27, 2016 4:31 PM IST
As a rebellious 17-year-old, nothing seemed cooler to me than getting my belly pierced. On informing my friends about my decision, they only took it as a pinch of salt. It will be too painful. You don t need to go through these lengths just to impress your crush, they said. But for me, it had nothing to do with impressing a boy. All I wanted was to look in the mirror and see my shiny, brand new piercing adorning my then flat stomach.
I had a small list of things I wanted to accomplish as a teenager, survive my tenth grade board exams, get my nose pierced, go through a belly piercing and then of course, survive my HSC board examinations. By the time I was 16, I had managed to accomplish the first two of which I was proud of. Now the next thing on my list was to get my belly pierced. Fancy a piercing? Read this first.
Of course, I was terrified. Could I put up with the pain? From what little I knew about a navel piercing, it was supposed to be quite painful and I had even heard a few horror stories of it getting infected. None of my friends were brave enough to even consider it. They were content with their wide collection of earrings. These are the 7 things you didn t know about ear piercing.
Talking to the parents about my decision to get pierced
Surprisingly, my middle-class South Indian parents had no objections about my decision to go for a navel piercing. They said as long as I could save up for it through my meager weekly allowances, they wouldn t stop me. After all, my mother had accompanied me for my nose piercing and they never thought I would actually have the guts to go ahead with it anyway. However, I managed to save up around Rs 1000 for the procedure a few months later, I asked my sister where I should get it done. One of her friends had got pierced several times in a tattoo parlour in Bandra, Mumbai, that she said was reliable, though more expensive than the others.
So it was decided. During the weekend, my sister and cousin sister volunteered to accompany me to the tattoo and piercing parlour for my navel piercing. In fact, my cousin also decided to get her belly pierced along with me. I was glad about having some company because I was starting to have second, third and even fifth thoughts about whether I should go ahead with it or not!
Going through the navel piercing
We reached the tattoo parlour in the evening and my nervousness and anxiety was at an all time high. The parlour was tiny and filled with teenagers and hipster 20-somethings. It looked like any other shop in Bandra. We were then welcomed by a short, heavily pierced and tattooed man who told us to select a very basic belly button ring.
After that, he asked us if we wanted to opt for an anesthetic or not. Even before we could reply, he assured us we wouldn t need it. If you ve had braces, it is obvious you have a good threshold some the slight pricking sensation you will feel, he assured us.
He then took us to an even tinier adjacent room where the walls were covered with magazine cutouts of famous rock bands. He then started sterilizing all the equipment for the piercing along with our new navel rings. By then, my heart was racing and my palms were sweaty. I repeatedly asked him how painful it would be on seeing the long and pointy stainless steel piercing needles he would use on our navels. Relax, he assured me. It will be over even before you know it.
My cousin decided to go first and the whole procedure was over within a minute. She winced for a few seconds and after that smiled at me reassuringly. It s nothing. I just felt some slight pain, she said. I admired her new navel piercing and was suddenly eager and excited for my turn.
I pulled my top up confidently and felt the clamp against my belly button. He then pushed the pointed tip of the needle through it and the next thing I experienced was extremely excruciating pain. I screamed out in pain and almost passed out from the impact. Suddenly , the entire parlour went quiet and my sisters made me sit down on the nearest stool.
The aftermath
I was then given a glass of orange juice. I still remember how the piercing guy had broken out in sweat and looked worried about whether I was okay or not. After those five to six seconds of mind-numbing pain, I actually felt okay other than some slight bleeding, which is normal during body piercings. He quickly screwed the navel ring in and there, the procedure was done. I had done it! Later, my cousin sister admitted to me that she also experienced that excruciating pain but didn t want me to get scared, so she controlled herself.
Taking care of your belly piercing
We were instructed to use a saline water solution on the piercing for the next one or two weeks. He gave us a packet of salt rocks and told us to mix it with warm water and dab it around the piercing twice a day. We were also advised not to sleep on the stomach or remove the piercing for the next two to three months. Also, to avoid applying any ointments, lotions or astringents on my belly.
Now, almost eight years later, I still wear a navel ring. I upgraded to a more flashy belly ring and I am repeatedly asked by people about how much it hurt, whether they should go for it or not. Make sure you re going to a well experienced piercing parlour with trained professionals and if possible, avoid opting for an anesthetic altogether as that could increase your risk of infections. These are the 7 things you should keep in mind before getting a navel piercing.
Remember that after the piercing, you need to follow the instructions very carefully because there s always a risk of it getting infected. One of my friends had to get rid of her navel piercing ring and the whole experience turned out to be an ordeal for her only because of poor care and not going to the right place for the piercing. You can completely avoid that if you re careful. And don t panic! Swelling around the location and feelings of some discomfort for a few days is normal. These are the steps for taking care of piercings and keeping them clean.
Image Source: Author s own picture.
