Disclaimer - I have read as much as I can find on self-piercing, and I recognize the risks that are inherent. I am of the age of majority in my jurisdiction, and have legally procured sterile needles and equipment. I am familiar with basic sanitation and clean field technique. I don’t want this to turn into an “omgz0rz don’t do it i had a friend that did and it got infected and they had to cut her vulva off with no anesthetic” kind of thread.
That being said, I’m planning on piercing my scrotum. Just a cute little one (either 10 or 12g, haven’t decided yet) on the front. I have the resources and ability to go to a piercer, but have always wanted to pierce myself. Just once. I settled on scrotum because my earlobes are already at 0g, and I don’t want another little piercing saying “Why am I here? There’s another big hole here already!”
So, has anyone here done this before, anywhere on the body? Is there any certain anatomical worry about the midline of the scrotum? I settled on it because it seemed straightforward enough. I know that getting it straight is going to be tricky, but I have some gentian violet and clamps and patience, and if worse comes to worse, I’m willing to take it out.
Just looking for SDMB-worthy advice about the scrotum.
Dude, it fucking HURTS. I did my ears myself (with the help of a friend) when I was about 12, and the actual process of piercing hurt A LOT. The healing was uneventful, but my parents had a shit fit and I had to let them close up.
I’d never do it again. Ever. The gun is the way to go. Fast, way less painful.
I did most of my ear cartilage piercings and my nose myself, using a piercing stud and/or a safety pin. (I was not of the age of majority for many of them, and this was several years before piercing was common.)
If I were going to put needles through my Happy Bits, I would definitely at least consult with a professional. That’s something you don’t want to screw up, you know?
Piercing through cartilage hurts like crazy, FWIW.
Have you ever heard of play piercings? (You seem like you would have.) You can pierce yourself over and over and then take them out.
ETA: Here is a NSFW link about scrotal play-piercing for the curious. I’ll break it.
Interesting, I didn’t know that placement on the balls was as important as it (apparently) is, but I don’t have any interest in ball piercing. I’m not a big CBT kind of guy; just light tugging please.
Never ever use a piercing gun for anything except earlobes (and even then they are really not the best.) The gun uses force to punch a solid stud through the skin and cannot be properly sterilized. A professional piercing needle is hollow with a beveled tip. It creates a much cleaner hole with less of a risk of tearing, infection or other problems and each needle is only used once and then discarded.
It’s been a while since I used to work with a piercer, but IIRC, #10 is way too big to start with on the scrotum, and #14 is more common. The holes will heal faster because they’re smaller, and because the jewelry itself weighs less.
My mother pierced my ears with a needle. She used a little local anesthetic, being a nurse, she just got it in these little tubes. It was a sharp pinch, but not bad.
But scrotum does make me wince, and I don’t even have one.
I do know someone who pierced their nipples (a guy) with a safety pin and boiling water. It turned out OK, although I don’t think I would recommend that method!
Whoa, really? I thought that genital piercings in general were done with larger needles. The bmewiki (Yes, I know it’s open source, but there’s hardly any peer-reviewed scientific information about piercings) says that scrotal piercings usually start at 12 or larger.
A friendly reminder to really use fresh, sterile equipment for this sort of venture. Hepatitis C can live on a surface for 4 days, so don’t share needles etc.
On the other side of what gotpasswords said, make sure you choose a piece of jewelry that is long/big around enough to not cause problems when/if your scrotum swells after piercing. If a barbell is too short it can cause problems by being “sucked into” the piercing.
Um… May I ask why you want to self-pierce your scrotum? Is it just because you want to push the needle through yourself? I’m so very very confused.
And MerryMagdalen’s link made my nuts do their best ovary impression. Needles through the testicles? Urk. I’m trying to talk them down now, but so far they aren’t having anything to do with it. I guess I should head over to GQ and start a new thread:
Testicle question, possible TMI
Is it possible to eat enough iron supplements that your testicles will react to magnets? Mine are hiding and I would like to pull them back out but I can’t get a good grip on them. kthxbye less than three Tenebras
I hope you realize that piercing yourself doesn’t make you any more interesting than you already are. It doesn’t matter where, but piercing your genitals seems like a fit of desperation.
Thanks, I actually hadn’t thought that part through. I have some 1/2" and 3/4" jewelry. I’ll probably just go with the 1/2", but I haven’t sized it up yet either.
I’ve got sterile needles and equipment, as the OP says.
I guess the same reason that someone would want to build their own coffee table instead of buying a pre-made one. I’ve just always wanted to pierce myself, just once to see how it would go. (My first attempt was an ear piercing when I was little with one of my mom’s earrings. Didn’t work, but she noticed the dimple in my ear.)
Well, I can’t have any facial piercings due to work, and the nipples are already taken. I’ve had a PA before, but had problems due to being uncircumcised, so I’m not worried about about any stigma about genital piercings. It’s not like I’m going to be smothering strangers with my yambag to get them to look at the ring. Thanks for the snark, though.
An ampallang is out, as is an apadravya. Not only would I never pierce either of those myself, but as an uncut guy, I didn’t want to deal with the PA. Or the paraphimosis. But don’t google image search that, unless you want a QtM worthy description of what it made my penis look like. I just had the jewelry changed out at the two-month mark, and it plumped like a ball park frank.
Is it totally out of the question to have somebody else do it? I’ve had friends do this, and they say that it’s easier if someone else does the piercing because their hands will be steadier.
