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4-15-1999 * I no longer have a hand ring.

I'm sad to say that I had to remove my second hand ring. After nearly two years of seeming fully healed, it became infected and started to migrate. Rather than get a long scar when it migrated out, I chose to remove it. I'll leave these pages here for the benefit of anyone else considering the pierce since there is such a dearth of information on the subject, but my well-considered opinion after having two such pierces is that it is only a temporary bodmod, and it will eventually grow out.

Okay, no doctored pictures here, I promise. Yes, I have my hand pierced between my left thumb and index finger. Most people fail to notice it entirely unless they're looking at my hands while I'm typing or something.

This type of piercing is called a Hand Web Pierce; This is a very uncommon piercing (good!) because it almost always becomes infected or grows out (bad!). I used to have another one in my right hand until it grew out, apparently from inexperience, overuse, and poor jewelery choice. It did stay in for over four years though, and I hope to keep this one even longer.

Here are answers to questions I'm often asked: The piercing itself was almost painless; all I felt was a little pinching from the clamp, followed by some tenderness while it was healing. It took about 3 months to heal, and now it doesn't hurt at all.

If you're thinking about getting pierced, I have the following suggestions:

  • Don't do it yourself; you'll get better sterilization and placement if you go to a professional. I recommend Art of the Ages if you're in State College, or Venus Modern Body Arts if you can find your way to the big apple.

  • Do research the type of piercing you want to get. Every type of piercing has different advantages, disadvantages, healing times, and health considerations. If I had known more about hand webs I might have chosen something safer for my first pierce. You can find out this info by asking a professional piercer or by reading things like the [Rec.Arts.Bodyart FAQ.]

  • Don't get anything except your lower ear pierced with a piercing gun. Piercing guns are not sterilized, they use brute force to press blunt germ-collecting studs through your skin, and they kill baby seals. Okay, maybe they don't kill seals, but you get the idea; they're bad.

  • Finally, Don't let anyone scare you. Getting pierced is fun, even more so if you're relaxed. And having a piercing is even more fun!