Christina Piercing After Cancer Piercing Loss
New Christina/Venus, done today, with the top of my VCH poking out down bottom.
LONG CANCER SURVIVOR STORY: I was diagnosed with breast cancer in June of 2024. Due to family history, I decided on a double mastectomy with reconstruction from my tummy fat, which happened in December. I'm now cancer free and healing with no complications.
But I couldn't keep my nipples; so I lost my nipple piercings, and now have two cute, expensive, purplish blue, real opal, nipple bars I can't use or sell. 🙄
But they also removed my belly apron skin in a pseudo-tummy tuck while reconstructing (I've lost more than 60 pounds since 2020; started at 225 and I'm now 160) and I can now see my pubis mons very easily just by looking down, which hasn't been the case since I was 16.
I knew for weeks, every time I showered or changed, I wanted to replace my nipple rings with a Christina/Venus.
SO, there are two APP (Association of Professional Piercers) accredited piercing spots in CT, the state in which I live.
If you're unfamiliar, the APP is really structured and careful on what shops and piercers they stand behind, requiring hours of proper, supervised training, apprenticeships, safe jewelry, and cleanliness standard that are "healthcare strict". It's why there are only two places in the state that have gone through accreditation - it's serious and involved; both the shop AND the piercers have to qualify yearly, and it's rigorous.
All that to say those are the only piercing shops I'll use.
The first piercer I consulted (at the shop that did my prior VCH) felt that a Christina piercing would poke too far out on my anatomy on bottom, and they didn't recommend it.
So I went in to the second shop, the owner of which did my eyebrow piercing over 10 years ago, just to get a second opinion anatomy check.
They said it would be a close fit, but they didn't see any reason I couldn't do it and maintain a safely healed piercing. We can downsize jewelry after healing, in 8 weeks, to get something more comfortable for my anatomy.
So I did it there - and now I have a Christina piercing!
Losing my nipples and my nipple rings really affected me, and made me feel like I was less than myself. I truly wanted something to replace that little bit of bling.
I almost happy cried.
As usual it was a quick second of agony, and then once the needle was through it was nothing. 4/10 pain for me. No sting after, at all.
New Christina/Venus, done today, with the top of my VCH poking out down bottom.
LONG CANCER SURVIVOR STORY: I was diagnosed with breast cancer in June of 2024. Due to family history, I decided on a double mastectomy with reconstruction from my tummy fat, which happened in December. I'm now cancer free and healing with no complications.
But I couldn't keep my nipples; so I lost my nipple piercings, and now have two cute, expensive, purplish blue, real opal, nipple bars I can't use or sell. 🙄
But they also removed my belly apron skin in a pseudo-tummy tuck while reconstructing (I've lost more than 60 pounds since 2020; started at 225 and I'm now 160) and I can now see my pubis mons very easily just by looking down, which hasn't been the case since I was 16.
I knew for weeks, every time I showered or changed, I wanted to replace my nipple rings with a Christina/Venus.
SO, there are two APP (Association of Professional Piercers) accredited piercing spots in CT, the state in which I live.
If you're unfamiliar, the APP is really structured and careful on what shops and piercers they stand behind, requiring hours of proper, supervised training, apprenticeships, safe jewelry, and cleanliness standard that are "healthcare strict". It's why there are only two places in the state that have gone through accreditation - it's serious and involved; both the shop AND the piercers have to qualify yearly, and it's rigorous.
All that to say those are the only piercing shops I'll use.
The first piercer I consulted (at the shop that did my prior VCH) felt that a Christina piercing would poke too far out on my anatomy on bottom, and they didn't recommend it.
So I went in to the second shop, the owner of which did my eyebrow piercing over 10 years ago, just to get a second opinion anatomy check.
They said it would be a close fit, but they didn't see any reason I couldn't do it and maintain a safely healed piercing. We can downsize jewelry after healing, in 8 weeks, to get something more comfortable for my anatomy.
So I did it there - and now I have a Christina piercing!
Losing my nipples and my nipple rings really affected me, and made me feel like I was less than myself. I truly wanted something to replace that little bit of bling.
I almost happy cried.
As usual it was a quick second of agony, and then once the needle was through it was nothing. 4/10 pain for me. No sting after, at all.