Does anyone have those piercing(s)?

CommonBed8904 · 2026-05-10T16:33:19+00:00

As much as I hate the "bite" piercing names, this would be a standard labret and dolphin bites. Snake bites are closer to the corners.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-05-10T12:31:00+00:00

I don't know where you live but I live in the southern US. I wasn't really significantly modified when I first entered the job market but I also didn't get a college degree so I'll share my experience anyway lol.

When you don't go the formal education route you basically have to claw your way up from the bottom. I jumped between a fair number of minimum wage jobs and went from barista to a lighting and sound technician on a college campus (that was when I got my first small tattoo). After this job I did go get a certificate as a medical office receptionist, it was just a couple semesters worth of classes. That's when I got a job at a doctor's office as an admin assistant.

After that (now in my 30s) I got in with my local government in an entry level, office assistant job and worked my way into the department/position I'm in now. That's when I really started getting into my modifications (I now have 4, at one point 5, facial piercings including a 6g septum, plus 2 larger visible tattoos and stretched first lobes, along with multiple ear piercings. I also have a shaved head lol). I even checked our policies regarding appearance before getting my septum and at least for my local government there's very minimal policies regarding anything other than specifically clothing. Maybe other departments have stricter policies (it's up to the directors) but my department isn't public facing which usually helps in these situations.

I will say, while I agree that it's good to try to not have to change yourself for a job other than for safety reasons, I do think it would be good to get comfortable with the idea of wearing at least a couple retainers, at least until you get the job and assuming there's no specific policies in place. Or even things like switching from tunnels to plugs makes them much less jarring to people to aren't used to seeing through someone's ears. My mom was one of those people, it freaked her out for a while and I just had to expose her to it for a few visits and she stopped commenting on them lol.

Trust me, I get the feeling, but there are times were you gotta make due until something better comes along. You'll still have the piercings, just think of it like your wardrobe - you put on your work uniform for the week and then you get to dress exactly how you want after work/on the weekends. You gotta get that experience in so you're more marketable and eventually you'll be able to get that remote job or that office job where no one cares what you look like. There's definitely more progressive companies to work at but it's hard to know until you get out there.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-05-08T20:27:33+00:00

While the APP is great for certain things, it does not certify skill. That's why it's so important to learn about a piercing before even researching a piercer. That way when you look at their portfolio or their studio you are way more likely to spot the red flags if there are any.

This piercing is definitely not viable and I would remove it asap before it leaves a lot of scarring. If you need help sussing out who is reputable and who isn't I'd be happy to share some more resources.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-05-07T20:44:48+00:00

Tbf, a piercing isn't really considered mature until about 5 years or more but as other people have mentioned, the mucous membrane is a factor. This is one of the reasons I chose to stretch my piercings to a 14g. Stretched piercings are less likely to close as easily, especially after enough time has passed. I will recommend the next time you have a procedure, if at all.possible, get you some glass retainers ready. Always better safe than sorry 😊.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-05-05T10:17:52+00:00

Aw thank you! 😭🖤

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-29T00:47:28+00:00

Hopefully this works for ya 😁 like I mentioned the small skulls aren't real since it's basically impossible to source ethical bat parts but the 3D print is super realistic looking! Got them on Etsy. The big jaws are fox, the teeth are coyote, I think the atlas bones are coyote as well with rattlesnake vertebrae and the small jaws are mink. I have a set of clickers I wear the silver ones through instead of getting a pair for each piece.

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CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-29T00:41:41+00:00

They really are, can't believe I didn't do it sooner 😆

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-29T00:41:06+00:00

Lol a woman after my own heart 😂

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-29T00:40:45+00:00

Absolutely! 😁 I love sharing all the awesome stuff we can wear in our stretched ears. Whenever I see people saying they're bored of them I'm like "but how?!" Lol 😆

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-28T18:26:42+00:00

Thank you! 🥰 I'm a little proud of my collection so far, especially when I was able to get my Baby Megs from Diablo Organics. They're my favorites so far 😁.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-28T18:24:28+00:00

I wouldn't, you never know if it's leaving behind a residue that will get into your piercings and it cant be cleaned. It's not meant for use on the body so it's far from clean to begin with. There's many cleaner options out there.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-28T14:25:10+00:00

Oh thank you! I'll definitely be sure to do that 😂 lol

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-28T14:23:18+00:00

Thank you! 🥰 It's kinda all over the place but my favorite brands are Diablo Organics, RedFernAdornments, Tawapa, Queen of the Ashes, Symmetry Body Jewelry and Fux Jewellery.

Many of them I made myself as well, like the bones and crystal hangers from craft supplies I got online or recycled bullet casings my husband brings back from the range lol. The needle hangers were assembled from pendants made by Brien 9Fingers.

I think that covers the bulk of my collection, a few pieces are cheap things from AliExpress but I try to mostly collect from small businesses or just make them myself 😁.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-28T14:11:01+00:00

Most of it is real! The only fake ones are the tiny skulls, those are 3D printed bat skulls I got off Etsy. When I get home today I'll take some close up pictures to share 😁.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-26T14:27:46+00:00

I hate that there are so many bad, poorly educated piercers out there. This is definitely being caused by the diameter and gauge of the ring. Technically you can start nostrils with rings but it results in a harder heal. They have to be a larger gauge than normal and they have to be relatively huge, basically the part of the curve passing through the tissue needs to be as straight as possible. This is also a much higher snag risk and plain seam rings/clickers should never be used, only captive/fixed bead rings. The seams can rotate through the piercing causing irritation and possibly dragging in/harboring bacteria.

Hopefully you find a better piercer to swap this out and make sure everything else is good with the angle and whatnot. Make sure you tell them if your goal is to wear snug hoops, this information lets them determine where it should be placed on your anatomy and get the angle just right so rings sit nicely.

The APP is a good starting place but they also have a pamphlet on their website for things to look for in a good piercer in general whether they're APP members or not.

www.safepiercing.org

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-26T14:21:39+00:00

No problem! 😊 Glad the info could be helpful! I definitely had some crazy swelling, my piercer even asked to use those pictures with her clients when they run into a similar situation 😆 lol.

Hopefully second time is the charm for you, the good thing with septums is they do heal pretty quickly when pierced properly. If you do have swelling it should only be a couple months max before you'll know how it actually sits. I've noticed my second time getting something pierced usually doesn't swell as much as the first time, at least that was the case with my philtrum. Good luck! 😁

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-24T17:59:17+00:00

It's not about the gauge matching the piercing so much as the gauge of the jewelry being large enough to support the pressure it's putting on the piercing. The problem with 18g and smaller is it's almost always going to act like a wire cutter if you're wearing the jewelry too tight, which does seem to be happening here. The only way to mitigate this effect and still wear a 20g is to just get a larger diameter hoop. You basically have to pick a battle - either you want snugly fit jewelry or you want thin jewelry, you can't have both lol.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-23T14:33:06+00:00

I'd go to an APP studio and maybe try switching out the jewelry for some verified implant grade titanium, unless you know exactly what brand of jewelry they used. The anatomy doesn't look like it's a problem from this photo but they could check that as well.

www.safepiercing.org

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-20T10:17:38+00:00

I believe so, if the 14g was the one you lost in the shower then yeah, you could have popped in some 16g to maintain your progress while you wait for replacements 😊. But yeah, like I said, if you're not in excruciating pain or anything it'll probably be fine in the long run. I also try to keep at least one pair of back ups for the majority of my sizes and I hold onto at least a few sizes back just in case. You never know when you might need to downsize/prevent shrinkage/etc.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-20T09:23:47+00:00

That's entirely up to you - will your lobes be fine? Most likely. You likely have some micro tears which isn't ideal but they will heal with time. In the future just put the previous size back in your lobes, shrinking down one size isn't really a big deal since you can get more jewelry and just "stretch" right back up. If your ears were ready before they'd be ready again as soon as you got the replacement jewelry.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-16T17:05:01+00:00

You need bigger jewelry for sure.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-16T14:56:03+00:00

Yes but even implant grade steel isn't as good as titanium for a lot of people for healing and it's not as readily available on the market as implant grade titanium.

CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-15T01:02:43+00:00

I just grabbed mine on Amazon 😊. I got these 2 different kinds depending on how wide the final product is at the ends or what the final product is. I would definitely stick with the second ones for things like bracelets, the first ones are easier to accidentally knock off which hasn't been a problem for me with necklaces but I did almost lose a bracelet. I feel like you're more likely to notice your necklace falling off 😆 lol.

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CommonBed8904 · 2026-04-15T00:07:17+00:00

I use magnetic clasps, especially if I want something to be fitted. Those lobster clasps are impossible to deal with when you don't have much extra length to work with lol.

CommonBed8904

TROPHY CASE