Cheek / Dimple Piercing: Pro's Con's, Do's & Dont's: 16 weeks on

 This is a post a little different to what i normally post as i like to think this is a hair / makeup themed blog, but Piercings and tattoos are also a big part of my life aswell , and for many years now i have wanted cheek / dimple piercings, why has it taken me so long to get them? well...

I got my first piercing at the age of 16 i had the top of my lip pierced, also know as a Madonna piercing or Monroe, then a couple of months later i had my nose pierced, so those were my first real piercings ( apart from ears) a year later i saw pixie acia from the show L.A Ink, and i saw she had her cheeks pierced and i automatically thought WOW, not only i had never seen them before but i thought they were so beautiful especially on her.

After that i became a little bit obsessed, i would google pictures of cheek piercings going back and fourth whether i thought they would suit me or not, dont get me wrong iv always wanted them but that thought of them not suiting me always stuck.

there were also other things stopping me, at the time i didnt have a full time job, i mean iv always had my makeup but that wasnt a reliable job were i knew i could support my self. while job hunting i would always get judged on my hair ( iv always had crazy hair colours), or the piercings i already had, my stretched ears or my tattoos. so there was no way i was going to make my life harder by getting more over the top piercings, and then having no chance of getting a job.

Now you may think that it was all in my head, well it wasnt unfortunately, i didnt get offered a job once because the uniform was short sleeved and i have huge tattoos on my forearms, and i even got sacked from a job because of the way i looked they thought i didnt fit in. yes i know its discrimination but unfortunately thats the way the world is, im over it now because i now have a job that literally lets me do whatever the fuck i want, and the first week i started i asked my boss if it would be okay if i got my cheeks pierced and she said go for it, then i had no excuse i was gonna get them pierced!!

The day i got them done

The day i got them done was a funny day, as i actually called loads of piercers and no one seemed to do cheek piercings, one place even sounded shocked that i would ask for such a thing, i found a place and they were super nice and extremely professional, and i am so glad i went there. i trusted the piercer immediately as she also had cheek piercings so she would know anything i would need to ask.

To be honest, i was really nervous, as the more i thought about it the cheek is a thick bit of flesh plus i have always had chubby cheeks. now dont get me wrong i have an amazing pain threshold, i actually enjoy getting tattooed, love it actually ( weird i know ) but even having that i do have a weakness NEEDLES.. i have never been scared of needles or pain or blood, but past recent years i had a bad experience with one, and ever since i become all faint, light headed, hot and sick, and it bugs me so much because i never used to be like that, and it dosnt affect me having tattoos its only if the needle is going through the skin eg. injections or piercings.

They took me to the back room and i sat down and the piercer got everything all ready blah blah blah.. and then came the marking of were the piercings would go, which took ages as you have to get them symmetrical and even and were you actually want them to sit.

After that boring mess, she grabbed my cheek with the clamp, at this point i was surprisingly calm, she didnt ask if i was ready, count me down or asked me to take a breath she just done it, just shoved the needle through as if it was nothing, which to be honest i prefer.

Swelling and Barbells

Now you should know when you get them pierced they swell a ridiculous amount, i got PTFE (plastic) bars with the ball on each end. i felt like an idiot leaving the piercers as i had huge plastic bars just hanging out of my cheeks, it look like a radio antenna, i look stupid, and i thought is this really necessary having them this big, they were about 2 inches long. but they were necessary after 2 days my cheeks had swollen so much they were twice the size, i looked like a chipmunk who got stung by a bee, NOT attractive, this lasted for about a week, during this it was also very weepy and yucky and crusty, and just eww Which goes onto the next subject...

Cleaning

 At first you have to be so religious with cleaning your piercings its mad, the first 1 or 2  months you have to clean them twice a day, and for the first month 4-6 times a day. I feel i had probably the best things at hand. the first month i would clean my piercings with warm water with sea salt, and it has to be sea salt not table salt, for the inside of my mouth i used an anti-bacterial mouthwash ALCOHOL FREE! . i can not stress that enough do not clean your piercing with anything that has alcohol in it as it will irritate the skin. now you can use alcohol mouthwash but just make sure you dilute it with water before use. I used colgate anti bacterial mouthwash. you can also use sea salt for the inside but i prefer the mouthwash as i dont really like the taste of salt.

I also used Distilled witchazle this was a recommendation from the piercer, and i must say it really helped, you could probably get it from most chemists or health stores. I used this not only to clean the outside but it also soothes the skin so i used to switch from sea salt to witchazle each time i cleaned it.

After a while my piercings didnt need that much attention when it came to cleaning so i bought Savlon Fist aid wash / antibacterial wash, just to spray on the piercing every now and again.

Other great Items to clean your piercings
H2ocean. Tea tree oil , Saline Spray

 

PTFE / Bioplast Bars or Steel / Titanium metal Bars?

Now this is an argument that many people favor one over the other, when really its down to preference. I personally feel PTFE is better, it is what i have and i would'nt have it any other way. I also think every one should have PTFE when they first get these piercings as they are less prone to infection, the bars move and bend to your cheeks and is more comfortable when they swell, some people may want to switch to metal bars after healing and thats fine but i would highly recommend ptfe first.

Metal Bar Pro's

1: There are more variety / Choices

2: Easier to purchase

3: More durable than PTFE

Con's

1: It could contain Nickel which irritates the skin

2: Your mouth moves alot especially your cheeks when you eat and talk and having a metal bar through them is not as flexible which could also irritate

3: Having the wrong size / too small could cause the piercing to sink into your cheek and have to have them removed ( i say this because PTFE is cut personally for your cheek size were as metal you buy in sizes)

PTFE Bar Pro's

1: They are cut for your size and can then be cut down as the swelling goes down gradually getting smaller as your cheeks do ( rather than buying loads of different bars )

2:They are plastic so they bend so when you smile they mold with your cheek rather than just sit there, making them flexible and much more comfortable.

3: they are safer than metal as certain metals irritate certain peoples skin, so you never know, better to be safe then sorry.

4: any ball can screw on them just like any metal bar so dont worry you dont have to find special parts for PTFE you just use any ball you would normally buy.

Con's

1: Its a pain in the arse to keep getting them cut down at the piercers every few months when i want them shorter

2: Sometimes its really hard to get the ball on to make a thread.

Infection

Now i have had loads of scares when it comes to them getting infected, but i would just like to say they havnt got infected thankfully :)

Because i have wanted these piercings for such a long time and the fact that i have wanted them so badly to have them getting infected scares me to death as that means i would have to remove them so lets say i have been a bit panicy about them, as they are an oral piercing so they are very very prone to getting infected more so than any other piercing.

One time i had noticed a small lump around one piercing and i got really scared thinking it was a keloid ( if you dont know a Keloid is a lump that forms on your skin that at times can be very painful and sore) I went to the piercers and they said dont worry its just swollen ( this was 2 1/2 months in by the way) i assumed the swelling would have stopped, but they said it happens unfortunately. one day you can wake  up and one side will be swollen for no reason, its just the way it is.

The main things you have to look out for for infected piercings are:  They are Painful and sore, (obviously this dosnt include the first few weeks as they will be sore) They are weeping more than usual and its a dark colour like green or thick. if your piercing is weeping that is completely normal as it will happen for as long as you have them unfortunately, but aslong as its clear or it has a yellowy tinge to it your okay.

The best thing is not to worry :) and if you are worried contact your piercer

Do's & Dont's

DO clean it every day especially if you smoke

DONT touch it with dirty hands

DO your research before getting them done

DONT get them on a whim

DO make sure you really really want them as they take a lot of dedication

DONT take them out or change them for at least 6 months

DO make sure your bars are long enough no matter how long you've had them as they can sink inside

DONT take them out and leave them out for more than 12 hours ( obviously dont leave them out for any amount of time for the first year)

DO make sure you have your piercers number if anything should go wrong

DONT use alcohol to clean your piercing

All in all i love these piercings and through all the shit and pain and all the bollocks, i love them all the same im still obsessed with the piercing as much as i was and i have it now, whenever i look in the mirror i feel happier. but the amount of stuff iv been through to get this piercing and all the crap i went through having it, i still love them and would never think about getting rid of them. but i have to say and i cant stress this enough DO NOT get this piercing if you are not 100% dedicated. as it is a and one of the only piercings that needs your utmost attention for, you really have to baby it, so be aware of that before you go ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions

1: Did it Hurt?

well i must say i get this one alot and really? .. it didnt! like i said i have a high pain threshold so it might be different for others but i have had other piercings and this didnt compare, apparently ( this is what the piercer told me) after the first layer of skin there are no nerves in the flesh / membrane of the cheek, so the best way of describing it is that its like a knife going through butter, very soft and painless, my lip hurt more getting pierced.

2: How much did it cost?

it cost me £50 for both not each

3. Does it swell?

YES yes it does.

4: How long until it heals?

as it is an oral piercing it never really truly heals, but you can change the piercings after 6 months and for it to ultimately be healed, a year.

5: Did you have dimples before and do you have dimples now?

No i didnt have dimples before and yes i do now :)

6: What is on the other side of your cheek? , What does it look like?

i chose to have balls on each end not a flat back / Labret , so i have the exact same thing on the inside as i do on the outside.

7: Is it annoying or hard to eat / brush your teeth?

No not at all, with all piercings after a while you dont even notice their there

8: What do you use to clean / wash / disinfect them?

At first i used Sea Salt & warm water to clean the outside and anti bacterial mouthwash for the inside ( non alcoholic) i also used Distilled Witchazle to sooth and clean the outside. now i dont have to clean them as much i now use a savlon anti bacterial spray just to make sure they get a quick clean.

9: Do you ever bite down on them?

At first i did as i had huge bars but now that they are fitted to my cheeks no never, even were it is possible to bite my cheeks my piercings arnt were i can bite them.

10: Do they leave a scar / dimple

Yes and i will forever have dimples now , so think about it before you get them done

11: Why did you get them done you look stupid/ it dosnt suit you / you would look prettier without them

Coz fuck you thats why :) xxx

ONE BIG TIP

Take Zinc Vitamin Tablets, it helps with the swelling, helps stop infections and Oh my God it makes all the difference.

If you have any questions then please ask, sorry if i missed anything i hope iv coverd everything xxx