The Pain Factor

The number one question we get asked – will it hurt?

The truth is that most people experience some pain and discomfort during the piercing procedure but most piercings only take a fraction of a second when performed by a professional piercer.

Pain is relative to your state of mind and the level of pain experienced during a piercing, can be influenced by this. The more tense and wound up you get, the more it may hurt.

Breathing exercises are helpful to relax.  Concentrate on inhaling deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.  If you hold your breath you will tense up.  The piercer will work with your breathing.

It is normal to be nervous, but try not to work yourself up into a state of panic.  The piercing will not be nearly as painful as what you are anticipating. Our piercers are highly experienced, very quick and also have a lovely manner with all of our clients and they understand how stressful this experience is for some people.

The pain of the actual piercing is like a short sharp pinch with fingernails.  It is less painful than a bee sting and it doesn’t go on stinging afterwards.

Some piercings swell afterwards and jewellery is chosen to allow room for the swelling.  Ear cartilage piercings can be painful to sleep on afterwards.  Sleeping on travel pillow can make this more comfortable by resting your ear in the gap.

The piercings may throb slightly and if this is bothering you we recommend taking paracetamol or an anti-inflammatory medication to help with both the swelling and the pain.  You can also apply ice to the area.

Tongue piercings are the least painful piecing to have done, as the tongue is just a muscle.  However immediately after the piercing the tongue will begin to swell.  Some tongues can swell up to twice its normal size.  We fit a 20mm light weight Titanium barbell in to allow for the swelling. It can be uncomfortable, making it difficult to speak and eat.  A diet of soft food is recommended for seven to 10 days.  Suck on ice to reduce swelling and follow the aftercare instructions given by your piercer.  Anti-inflammatory medications can also relieve swelling.