Piercing: The Times Maybe Right

By Coreen Clark

For the transexual, various changes to the body are inevitable, assuming that transition is the final goal. Never the less, these changes can be the cause of some anxiety. This is especially true when presenting these alterations for the first time in the public eye, but usually with time it becomes easier, and the fears gradually subside. The more they can present themselves as a female, the closer the TS is to their aspiration.

For the crossdresser, the same initial anxieties can exist also. For most cases, the difference is that the CD usually doesn't want to show any permanent changes, or to be ever thought of as female in his day to day life. And so the dilemma exists as to how far the CD can go in creating the most convincing woman possible when dressed, and the most convincing male when not!

Over the past year or so, I have decided to push the edge a bit, and find out just where "the line" is for the CD.

This started with epilating my hands and wrists, later plucking my eyebrows more and more, and then growing my nails longer and longer. To my delight, I was amazed that no one has ever even noticed, let alone made any comment. The one single exception was a co-worker who did notice my nails once and asked why they were so long. I told him that I was growing them to try to stop my habit of biting them off, and now I liked them that way. He simply accepted my answer, and that was the end of it. If there are those that have noticed but said nothing, then I say that's no problem!

"To my delight, I was amazed that no one has ever
 even noticed, let alone made any comment."

Of course in making any modifications to ones body, you have to be prepared to have everyone notice. Like I've said, I've been pleasantly surprised in my case, but was always ready to defend myself. This consists of making any potential problem into their problem, not yours, by making sure you don't give them the upper hand, or the power over you. If you're happy with it, then it is their problem in accepting it!

And so we come to the latest alteration; getting my ears pierced. I had wanted to do this for some time, but had been scared to. Unlike all the other adjustments, there was no way it would go unnoticed, what with the gold shining and sparkling away. On the other hand, some of my heavier clip-ons were always sliding off, and my favorite, hoops in all sizes, just didn't look right on adapters. Most importantly, I just wanted to feel more truly feminine! In looking around though, it's pretty obvious that body piercing has never been more accepted than it is today (Well, OK, I'm no historian, so I can't comment on "days of yore" in past centuries). Today, a couple of pierced ears pale by comparison to what some are doing to their bodies! Now is the best time in our recent history to get your ears pierced!

Even so, we weren't talking about some young teenager who's friends have all done it. This was a 38 yr. old man who has never worn any jewelry, not even a watch or wedding ring, and works with some pretty macho guys using 10 ton cranes, etc.! Still I couldn't resist and decided to do it.

First I gathered all the information I could on it, by phoning shops, and talking to friends live and via the Internet. Here's some of the advice I received...

You can start by getting just one ear done first. It's not supposed to matter anymore, but some still consider just in the right ear to mean you're gay. If your worried, stick with the left!

There was some disagreement as to whether the gun, or hand method of piercing was better. Fans of the hand method argued that the former was akin to "ripping blindly through the skin" and not "finding the most natural route" as in the hand piercing. The ripping was supposed to greatly increase the likelihood of getting infection. I had mine done via the gun, and with simple initial care (the same suggested for both methods), I had no problems. In my opinion, there is nothing "natural" about either method, as far as the workings of the body are concerned, and either way should have the same effects. After learning there was a considerable difference from shop to shop as to price and appointment, I found one that did it for $8 (Cdn) for one, or $14 for two, including the studs from a wide selection of styles and colors. Added bonuses were that no appointment was needed, they were open late, and they were in my neighborhood! At first I was sure I'd go for a solid gold colored set, but ended up choosing a gold round pair with onyx balls in them. They look "proper" when presenting either a masculine and feminine image! All the studs were gold plated, and extra sets could be had for $4 (I went back some time later and picked up a gold "crescent moon" pair). One last note about these piercing studs; their shaft diameter is larger than most earrings, to encourage a good hole is developed.

Of course, in my ignorance, I assumed the piercing would hurt, even if it was only just a bit. The girl assisting me marked the spot with a pen (after I indicated the general area... no nose or eyebrow piercings for me!). After my approval on the final location, she cleaned things a bit, loaded the gun with the stud and clip, "aimed" and "shot". In an instant it was done... no pain what so ever! The whole process took about five minutes. It did feel different having it, and knowing it was there, and I was delighted!

With the first done, I prepared for the onslaught of merciless teasing the next day at work. Once again I was surpassed. It seemed the men didn't notice, but the women did. The ladies didn't seem to be negative at all. This gave me a great response when some of the guys finally started to notice (after a week, and I had to tell some of them!). I teased *them* that it was only girls that noticed, and this not only shut them up, it made them blush in embarrassment! Other standard questions and answers I experienced included; "What's that?"/"A sign of the times!", "Why'd you do that?"/"Come on, get with it! It's the 90's!". For the real tough guys I found that "It was either this or a tattoo" worked best...

I was told to leave the studs in for 6 weeks, cleaning the area with hydrogen peroxide and rotating the stud five times a day. I bought a little squirt bottle and carried it in my briefcase to allow for this. After three weeks the ear was looking and feeling so good that I did something I shouldn't have. I just couldn't resist, and started trying on some of the new earrings I had been amassing during the initial healing. This did cause a bit of infection, so I learned my lesson and was patient for the next three weeks!

After that time the first was completely healed. Now came the problem of getting the second ear done. Most people can accept one, but two pierced ears is more of a challenge. I was nervous about wearing two, even if both ears were pierced, and, initially didn't want to. The problem was solved by some more great tips. A virtually invisible 'plug' for the first hole can be made by cutting about 1/2" of the fine plastic found in garment price tag holders, and melting both ends into small blobs with a lighter. It passed the "wife test" who said it was practically undetectable, and the "work test" has also proven this true. The one obvious problem with this was that now I *was* wearing just the "gay" side. Again I took no heat, except from one obnoxious, macho, salesman who visits our office regularly. He made no bones about expressing his animosity towards homosexuals, so you can see he is not the kind of person that deserves to be taken seriously. Still, I am not gay, and I told him so... he knows I'm married and have a son. (I should take this opportunity to say the gay people I have met and know are great people, and I support them in their lifestyle. In our city, it is their community that accepts and welcomes us, the transgendered, in their establishments. Thus, they are partially responsible for helping many individuals gain self respect, and loose anxiety. When transgendered individuals finally take that first step outside the closet, it's these places almost all go to first!).

In the end, thanks in part to a dear, TS, net-friend's encouragement, I decided to wear both earrings. It's been about four months since the second ear was done, and the comments have been few, and the problems, absent. The usual thing I get teased about if I do, usually concern the assumption that if the left ear means you're straight and the right means you're gay, them both must mean you're bi! In a way, it does irk me that most people live in such regimented mass-thought patterns, that if someone does something, it automatically has to be some profound statement. "I just felt like it" won't do! Admittedly, it does hold a special meaning for me, but no one came close in guessing it; that it was for gender, and not sexual reasons. For God's sake; it's just two little holes! I've done more damage to myself with power tools, and on numerous occasions!

"For God's sake; it's just two little holes! 
I've done more damage to myself with power 
tools, and on numerous occasions!"

There is the question of how long it takes before the studs can be worn without the holes starting to seal up. Initially, this can happen in as little as an hour. One must plan on having to wear the studs full time at first. None of this "I'll take them out during work hours." for awhile. After the three weeks when I took out the first stud, I attended a meeting at my local TG club, "Illusions". I wore clip-on earrings and when I went to replace the stud four hours later, at the end of the night, the rear of the hole had sealed. I had to force the stud through, which made the hole very "unhappy" with me for a few weeks!

Only lately, have I tried experimenting to see how long I can go without the studs. As mentioned earlier, it's been approximately four months since the piercings. I first tried a one hour stint without any trouble. This was followed by 4, 8, 12 and 24 hour stretches with the studs going back in with only a gentle twisting motion. Remember, the piercing studs are a larger diameter than regular earrings. It does seem the holes do contract somewhat when the studs are out, but certainly don't seal up at all. I don't plan to go longer than a day without my studs in, so I stopped testing at 24 hours.

Speaking to some women, I learned that they can go for months, even years, and still find their holes free. This is after numerous years since they had their piercings. I can't say what the minimum time would be before one could spend an 8 hour work day without the holes closing. I'm sure that would vary for each individual's body, and after-care discipline. In guessing in my own case, I'd estimate that this might be possible somewhere between two to three months, closer to the three month side.

All the piercing studs I saw contained gold. After complete healing, when one is wearing regular earrings, they should be aware that there are many types of metals used to make the posts. Some people have reactions to certain ones. Pure gold or silver isn't the problem, it's the alloys that are added to strengthen them, especially with the silver. Many cheaper pairs will have very little, or no amounts of gold or silver.

At the bottom of the heap are posts containing only base metals. Most cheaper, and some medium priced, costume jewelry have these. Some girls are lucky and can wear them without getting infections. Being the least expensive to buy, one can afford to get many sets, but I find they soon loose their luster and generally damage more easily. They dominantly have a "less refined" look to begin with, but, hey, we're not all independently wealthy! I do sometimes wear a set if they are what I consider to be unique, but I *always* get an infection. I limit their use to one evening.

Pure silver is much too soft, so it is usually mixed with copper to form an alloy. In Britain, silver coins were made with 925 parts silver to 75 parts copper. "Sterling" silver contains concentrations of silver of at least this much, often more, and has come to indicate high quality. "Sterling" refers back to England in the 1200's when their coins were devalued and contained little silver. Only the ones coined in northern Germany by the merchants of the Hanseatic League contained the larger portions of silver. To distinguish them from the low silver alloy coins of England, they were refereed to as "Easterlings", later shortened to "Sterling". I knew you were just dying to know this! Unfortunately, in my case, even sterling silver causes an infection (but only in my right ear!). Perhaps with more time this may stop. Some good bargains can be found if one searches. I got my sterling silver (including necklaces) at Zeller's for a lot less than other stores. There is always the pawn shop too.

If you are the type that reacts easily, gold alloy, in sufficient amounts, should cure any problems. The draw back is they are much more expensive than silver. For extended periods, gold posts are the only ones that work for me. I don't mind; I *always* liked gold better than silver anyway! Gold is rated in carats (K), with 1K being 1/24, or 4.17% pure gold. Thus, 10K is 41.67%, 14K is 58.33%, and 24K is 100% pure gold. 24K gold is also much too weak to make posts, so you will always find gold alloy is used. The rest of the earring can be up to 24K if desired, but be prepared to pay a lot, even close to $100 for a very small pair!

A nice alternative to pure gold is a line made by Monet, and found in a lot of larger department stores and jewelers shops. They are far less expensive than solid gold, but still not "cheap". I bought three pair and paid between $30 and $40 each. One set had 14K gold posts, the other two, surgical steel. To make the other parts of the earring (or necklace, etc.), they use 22K gold in a triple electroplating process; 1) Gold Strike: a thin gold layer with excellent adhesion properties which is the "base" for more gold plating to follow . 2) Gold Buildup: a layer of thicker gold. 3) Color Fresh: a final layer that is carefully controlled to assure each piece matches the color of 14K gold.

Considered top of the line for posts is titanium and surgical (stainless) steel. Because they are used in parts to be implanted in the human body, the chance of having a reaction to them is almost none. As usual, there are varying degrees of quality. Monet does offer surgical steel posts and they have worked just fine with me.

So, how do you know what the posts are made of? Good question! It's safe to say that if a manufacturer has gone to the trouble of using good quality posts, they will say so on the package! If it doesn't say, chances are they are the cheap base metal kind. Even with those, you should look to see that they say "nickel free". Nickel is a big culprit in causing infections.

No doubt with your new punctures freshly done, you'll want to rush out and "stock up" on new earrings, as I did. I bought a ton of the real cheap kind, but as time goes on I'm finding I have favorites and don't use very many of them. I'm finding I now prefer to have, as with my other jewelry, fewer of much better quality. I now take a lot more time before deciding to purchase, to make sure they will "go the long run". If I compare the cost, I've probably spent *more* on cheap stuff than expensive. When the price is dear, you most likely won't buy too often. With the economy stuff, it's just too easy to drop $5 here and there fairly often, "nickel and diming" yourself out of a quality purchase.

Finally, what do you do with all those old clip-on earrings? Replacement posts can be found at bead and jewelry craft stores (the same place I got the clip-on adapters in the first place! For you gals sticking with clip-ons, get these adapters... you'll open a whole new world of available earrings by converting any pierced ear type.). It's usually a simple matter of bending open a link to remove the earring from the clip-on and put it on the post. Sometimes, an extra link is needed. I bought bulk chain at the same store for this. A small set of pliers and wire cutters, are all that's needed. Unfortunately, I've only seen the cheapest of posts available at these places.

I hope all of this information helps you to decide if pierced ears are for you. Remember, "the time is ripe" for doing it, with the best chance of social acceptance we've seen in long while! Still, as with most "fads", it's impossible to predict just how long this "window of opportunity" will last. Surely, some people may try to tease you about it, but does everyone agree with everything you do in your "regular" life either? It can seem like a big thing at first, but with just a little time, you, and everyone else will typically just forget about them...that is until you look in the mirror again, and with a smile, give a sigh of contentment!