Nipple Piercing: Feedback on Healing Time

[Tasty_GA_Honey]

After giving the idea much thought lately, I believe that I have reached the point where I am ready to make a well-informed decision on having my nipples pierced.

I have done a great deal of research on Lit as well as other online sources pertaining to nipple piercing, but it seems that there is so much disparity among the information available regarding healing time, which is the main reason for my hesitation in biting the proverbial bullet and going through with it.

As someone who is already tattooed (twice) and who has survived two disfiguring cancer surgeries, I seriously don't foresee pain or discomfort during the actual procedure being an issue -- that's part of the adrenaline rush and turn-on of the whole thing. My biggest concern, however, is the length of time that is required for the healing process.

And yes, I fully understand and appreciate that each individual is different and that our bodies heal and recover at different rates. I work in the medical field; this is a no-brainer. For the life of me though, I have a very difficult time accepting that it could seriously take up to nine months for the piercing to completely heal. Hell, having a large portion of my thigh removed down to the bone as a result of skin cancer didn't take nearly THAT long to heal even with drainage tubes and week after week of packing and cleaning a gaping wound!

Much thanks to mother nature and good genes, I was blessed with a very nice set of ample double D breasts. Having my breasts touched, massaged, licked, sucked, tugged on, etc. is something that I absolutely love!! IF it does indeed take soooooooo long to heal, is it really worth it????

Any and all feedback would be MUCH appreciated from all of you....

 

[liv21]

I'm speaking from experience; I had my nipples pierced back in October.

Nipples take a very long time to heal, but of course the length of time depends on the person. Generally, the shortest healing time is about four to six months. This can go to a year and a half though.

The reason it takes so long is because nipples heal from the outside in. First the body creates a lining of scar tissue, which forms in usually a matter of weeks. Afterward, the cells strengthen themselves, and the process can take months to a year or longer. You'll notice "crusties" on the piercing for months during this phase; that's what you're cleaning to prevent complication. The crusties are dried sebum, which is a substance that moisturizes the piercing and protects it while the tissue strengthens. The lengthy healing time is pretty much universal. For instance, my body responds very well to piercings, having my ears done several times, as well as my nose, nipples, and clitoral hood. The healing process usually doesn't take very long for me (for whatever reason). Three months after getting my nipples pierced, I'm still cleaning them every day.

The piercings don't hurt once you've gotten past the scar lining stage. For me, they stopped hurting (generally just a soreness, although the first day hurt like a bitch) after about 3-5 days.

Are they worth it? For me they were. I love the look of them. They've increased my self-confidence. They're awesome functionally. When I went in to get them pierced, my nipples were generally unresponsive and not very sensitive at all. The piercer had to use ice and everything just to get them to "wake up." Now they're much more sensitive. I admit I've been bad and allowed my fiance to play with them--not something you should do, but I should tell you they're amazing in action.

My best advice is to look for an experienced piercer. Preferably one part of the Association of Professional Piercers.

Hope this helps!

 

[Ellafun]

Ditto to the info that Liv21 mentions. I think it's well worth it to have them done; if you change your mind, it's easy to reverse.

I had both nipples pierced in December of 2009. The right one took until December 2010 to fully heal to the point where I could actually take the ring out and put it back in with no pain or discomfort whatsoever. I gave up on the left one in October of 2010, and took it out, because it was still infected and not seeming to heal properly at all. I just went back and got it re-pierced the first week of January (through my professional piercer...ALWAYS go to a professional!). He had to pierce it through the scar tissue, and I can tell you that it hurt like a bitch...but it's healing much, much better already.

I also opted to go with captive bead rings, because I really like the look of them (and he - the hubby - really likes that he can pull my nipple by gently tugging them with his teeth; just be wary that the bead can come out if pulled too hard!!!) I have friends who swore that the straight bars were better for healing; they are also twenty years younger than I am!

If you've done your homework, and you're committed to keeping them in for a long, long time...the healing process isn't a big deal. A little patience is worth it in the end! Just cleanse them twice a day, use the piercing saline spray (H2O) that is available at most piercing salons as often as you have to, and enjoy the look!

Good luck...and once you get them done, if you post pictures, I will, too!!!

 

[Tasty_GA_Honey]

You ladies are absolutely awesome!! Exactly the type of feedback that I am looking to hear. I must say, I definitely think I'm ready to make the commitment.

Thank you again for your very thoughtful input. And yes ma'am -- will GLADLY show off my new jewelry!

 

[liv21]

Thank you again for your very thoughtful input. And yes ma'am -- will GLADLY show off my new jewelry!

I imagine you'd have a hard time not to!
Good luck!

 

[Lizzie_Borden]

I've had mine a bit over 2 months now. I can change the jewellery with no difficulty or pain, but one still weeps a little. There's no pain with gentle play, but I'm still hesitant to get too rough with them. It'll take me a few more months before I'm ready for that.

I've had 2 periods since. One the week after, the other the month after that. Both times, even though the second time around they were much more healed, both hurt like absolute fuck.

 

[juvare]

I honestly believe that the healing time is not only dependent upon the individual and how they heal in general but also the size of your nipples.

Men get their nipples pierced and it often heals very quickly. They also tend to have smaller nipples.

I have large breasts and large nipples. It took a little over a year before they were completely healed. I have had mine for several years now and I enjoy them but if there ever came a time when I had to take out my jewelry long enough for them to close up then I would not repierce.

It hurt, a lot, for the first month. It still hurt 6 months later, just not as much as that first month. I'm no wimp when it comes to pain. My breasts and nipples especially were already incredibly sensitive before I got pierced. So much so that I could (still can) orgasm from nipple play alone. I think my already overt sensitively led to it hurting much longer than those who get it done because they have desensitized nipples.

Even though it has been many years since I had mine pierced, they still hurt every month when I get my period and my breasts swell.

It is not uncommon for the piercings to migrate. I have one that is much closer to the surface than it should be - almost like my body is trying to force it up and out through the front of my nipple. It doesn't hurt, but it's odd. Also means I'm more cautious when playing because it wouldn't take much to rip it right through my skin.

I doubt that if I knew then what I know now that I would have got it done. I do enjoy mine. They do add pleasure, they are pretty and they are fun to play with. I like having lots of different jewelry and I like how men respond the it.

 

[lauren26f]

Ears pierced that's it. Make sure you want it. If you have reservations, the answer might be no. Lots of jewelry out there that mimics it. Try those first.

 

[Frothydog]

I've had mine pierced for about 9 years now. I got them both done at the same time, and was surprised at how much more the second one hurt. I thought I would have known what to expect since I handled the left one ok 30 seconds earlier, but I actually said "owww" when the needle went through. The pain of that was fleeting, though. It was the healing process that was a drag.

It took over a year to heal, but I made it worse by switching to hoops after 2 months, instead of waiting for them to heal completely (like I was told to by my piercer). If I ever decide to put barbells in again it will be difficult, because the piercings have healed-over in a curved manner.

One of the problems with hoops, is that (even after 9 years) the piercings will occasionally weep, and form a crust on the rings. If the hoop slides through the nipple, the crust feels like razor blades. I have a fairly high tolerance for pain, but that will make me gasp. This is not a problem with the barbells, since they can only move so far either way. A couple of months ago, I was wrestling with our dog, and one of his claws got caught in a hoop-that brought me to my knees pretty quick!

Another problem I had was the during the first year I was coaching my son's football team. I would be holding a tackling dummy, or showing a kid how to block and the occasional helmet would hit me in the chest and grab one of the nipple rings. I solved this by shaving around my nipples and taping over the hoops to keep them from getting caught. For women, I imagine wearing a bra would serve the same purpose (and without the shaving of the nipples! heh).

I went through a piercing phase back then (ears, tongue, nipples, and cock, in that order). I once had a total of 7 piercings. All I have left is the nipples, although I do push something through the hole in my tongue every now and again, to keep it open. I wouldn't get rid of my nipple rings for anything.

 

[jfox6222]

Agreed, it took about a year for mine to heal with rings. After about four years one rejected, so I'm going to have it redone with a barbell soon. I did let someone play before they healed, and they ended up infected and I had to get antibiotics.

 

[liv21]

Ears pierced that's it. Make sure you want it. If you have reservations, the answer might be no. Lots of jewelry out there that mimics it. Try those first.

Yeah, there are nipple shields and rings that don't require piercing, but those will only really show you what they will look like. Nipple piercings are very dynamic and functional, in most cases making the nipples more sensitive, and sometimes making them develop and become fuller. There's no real way to test the waters. The good news is that you can "retire" them, or remove the jewelry, after the healing period if you don't like them. Nipples usually heal over fairly well and a lot quicker than they heal around jewelry.

I've had 2 periods since. One the week after, the other the month after that. Both times, even though the second time around they were much more healed, both hurt like absolute fuck.

I had my period a week or two after I first got them pierced. That did definitely hurt, and the nipples swelled and looked pretty awful. After that first time, I expected pain every month, but haven't had any since. Whatever, I guess I got lucky.

I've had mine pierced for about 9 years now. I got them both done at the same time, and was surprised at how much more the second one hurt. I thought I would have known what to expect since I handled the left one ok 30 seconds earlier, but I actually said "owww" when the needle went through. The pain of that was fleeting, though. It was the healing process that was a drag.

The funny thing is if you get two piercings at once, the second one will almost always hurt more. The adrenaline rush you get helps to numb a bit of the pain, but it becomes depleted after the first piercing. Being nervous actually helps!

Sigh... I love talking about piercings.