My phobia stops me from doing things I want to do.. =[

I have always had an extreme obsession with tattoos and piercings and I DESPERATELY want to get a lip ring (as well as tattoos, but not right now), but I have a problem... I have an insane phobia of needles and I don't know how I'll ever be able to overcome it to get the piercing... Just to give you an idea, when I have to go for blood tests, it takes 4 people to hold me down, I usually either faint or have a panic attack and can't breathe, and I shake so much it's almost impossible to get the needle near me.

I have two piercings in each ear already, but they were done with a gun. I had a support group of 8 friends the first time and the second time my friend basically dragged me there and forced me to get it done (I said I wanted to but was scared so she gave me no choice). I don't know how I'll ever be able to handle getting a piercing with a needle, the whole process freaks me out.

What can I do to try to overcome my fear? I can't "just go for it" because I'm too terrified..

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14 replies since 12th November 2011 • Last reply 12th November 2011

is it just injections or5 any needles???
You could get a sewing needles, and slowly use tht to tap your skin to get yourself used to it. Make sure its sterile of course.... might help Happy

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It's any needles that involve piercing the skin (even a mosquito's mouth).

I don't have a problem with sewing needles but I am still careful with them

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i had the same phobia and i took me a long time to get over it but i dnt knw how but one day we went to get a blood test done and i was completly fine maybey you should just let time take its course

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I think you should give yourself some time. You're clearly not ready for that kind of thing yet and it's always possible that with time you will change your mind about wanting said tattoos or piercings.

Every friend of mine who rushed into getting tattoos when they were old enough (and a few even before they were old enough) regretted it later. And while I really wanted a nose piercing when I was 18 I am so glad I didn't get one now that I'm 25. And all my friends who got their belly buttons pierced when they were 16 have stopped wearing them now and allowed the piercing to close up. As you get older you realize that body piercings and tattoos don't really make you all that unique or cool and that they stop looking cool when you no longer have the body of an 17 year old.

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I have 6 tattoos and am afraid of needles as well. When I got my first tattoo a friend of mine advised me to take a benadryl before I went in and it relaxed me so that I almost fell asleep. To me a tattoo gun(if it helps to think of it this way) feels like a cross between that funky feeling you get when you bump your elbow and a scratch. I do advise though that you think long and hard about what you want to get and do your research. The worst thing in the world is to have an image in your mind or in hand, and it not be the way you envisioned it when its on your body. Hope this helped. :0)

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I've never had a phobia of needles, but I do get queezy and dizzy if I get poked by a force I can't control (like dental tools). What helps me get over the nauseated feeling is to breathe deeply and relax, putting my mind on something else.

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ive got piercings and tattoos. im 21, had 3 piercings in each ear, now 2 because they never healed and were wonky (think trying to line one set up level with the ground, another level with my ears and uneven gaps). i had my bellybutton pierced and it increased my confidence greatly because i hated my stomach and thought it made it look pretty. until it never healed and started to grow out so i took it out before it came out. its still a bit scarred.
i have 4 tattoos, first one i got a month and a half after i turned 18 so it was legal, never regretted any of them. i hate needles and i get really nervous but to me a tattoo isnt done with a needle.
one thing i learnt after my first tattoo, eat sugary stuff first, breathe, have something to occupy yourself,

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Hi

I have exactly the same problem. I also really want a tattoo too.
I always have people holding me down when I go for blood tests. Originally they would have to run after me as I sprinted for the door. Then I realized this happened because I could see the needle. I'm now down to only needing two people to hold me down and clamping my eyes shut. I suggest trying to keep your eyes shut and having someone with a soothing voice talking to you.

Work your way up to a tattoo or get one where you can't see it..
You're not alone ^^

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it helps to have a tattoo where u can lie down in a comfy position to have it done.

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Having kids cured me of this. My first tattoo bc(before children)was on my butt, so I couldn't see the gun & that made things a little easier. You can't avoid the needle if it's coming at your face. A tattoo or piercing really isn't for you if it is going to cause so much stress. If you want a good tattoo or piercing, you want to be calm. Stressed & jerking around will only lead to a bad tat or missplaced piercing. Both very bad things. Some people have some luck with hypnosis. You could always give that a try. Henna & clip-on piercings can give you the illusion of having a tat or piercing without the pain. Best of luck in whatever you decide.

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If it's just the thought of something going through your skin are you not weird about your earrings? I've had my lip pierced a couple of times and I did them myself. I found it a lot easier for me to calm myself down and actually go through with it.

The hollow needles piercers use tend to freak me out a little. I have my bottom naval done and I've had my hip pierced and those made me feel weird. I don't like to turn my jewelry and I can't even replace the jewelry myself, I have to get someone else to. But I am only that way with my bottom naval and hip.

I think you should just try to wear the fake lip rings. Tease yourself and sort of push the end into your skin a little. If you can handle that no problem then I think you should go through with it.

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My earrings used to bother me at first, I felt nauseous when I had to take them out and put them back in, but now I'm okay with them.

I have strongly considered piercing my lip myself (with my boyfriend supervising in case something goes wrong) but I am scared that I won't do it right or will make it skew. I think that maybe I should try to pierce another hole in my ears myself first, before attempting my lip. I heard that if you place it wrong it will grind on your teeth and/or gums, so I'd have to carefully consider that..

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please don´t do it by yourself!!! there are so many things that can go wrong, maybe there are some people that had luck and everything was fine, but the risk of a terrible infection, the wrong placement (not only because of gums or teeth can be, you can pierce through a vein or nerve) isn´t worth to do it. (that´s my opinion, i never understood people doing it on themselves (especially because of money))
maybe you can go to a piercing parlor you feel comfortable with and ask if they can just show you the things they use, explain the process or if you can have a look when someone else is getting pierced (or tattooed)
and be sure that tattoos and piercings can look great even your body won´t be the body of a 17 in some years...

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I used to do all of my piercings myself. Yeah it was stupid but I was also 16 and there was no way my mother was going to take me to get it done professionally. I did all of my oral piercings (monroe, snakebites, smiley), I pierced my own ears and I pierced my own nose. However, my body doesn't accept cartilage piercings well so I have had to go back to a shop and have them correctly pierce my nose with the right jewelry and give me advice.

I've never run into any problems with my lips.. They are the best piercings I've ever had. I hardly have to clean them and I can take them out for over a week and they will still be fine. However! My monroe started to erode my gumline after 4 years. Nobody told me that those don't last very long... It made me sad :/
My boyfriend however, is a total baby. He cried when I pierced his ears (which is funny that hurt him but he gauged his ears up to 1"1/4 on his own). He freaked HIMSELF out when he went had his nose pierced. He's skittish around needles too, but the pierces are professionals and they know what they are doing and how to calm people down. After he took a few breaths, had some cold breeze on his face and a cold cola he was totally fine!

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