Vent: Changed my mind about scalpeling after a bad shop visit in Austin

I was all set to do my own scalpeling at home with a kit I found online. But last month I went to a reputable piercing studio in Austin to ask about placement and prep. The artist there showed me how easy it is to mess up the angle or depth without a steady hand and a clamp they use. She also had to talk me out of using a scalpel I bought off Amazon that wasn't even sterile packed. Now I'm saving up the $150 for her to do it properly instead of risking a scar that looks like a worm. Has anyone else had a pro talk them out of a home job they were dead set on?

3 comments

3 Comments

danielb432mo ago

Ngl, that Amazon scalpel bit gave me secondhand anxiety just reading it. I can just picture someone unboxing that thing thinking it's gonna be some precision tool and it's probably sharper than a butter knife but duller than the artist's warning. Honestly, a $150 professional job beats walking around with a DIY scar that looks like you tried to carve a smiley face into your own skin with a rusty razor blade. Tbh, sounds like that artist saved you from a real life "hold my beer and watch this" moment.

martin.paige2mo ago

Forget infected too. DIY scalpels in non-sterile Amazon packages is a whole new level of risky.

cameron5381mo ago

Wait, you were about to scalp yourself at home with a scalpel you bought off Amazon? Like, not even from a medical supply store or something? Honestly, that's wild. Tbh, I'm just glad you actually let the artist talk you out of it before you ended up in the ER with a wound that needed stitches. Ngl, I've seen enough DIY scar removal fails online to know you dodged a bullet, even if it cost you $150. That's cheap compared to what a bad outcome would've cost you in both money and regret.