Yet Another Botched VCH Piercing

I got an email today from another unfortunate woman who got a misplaced VCH piercing that was terribly painful to receive:

Hello

I got a vertical clitoral hood piercing in Fargo, ND and it does not even look like its in the right spot. I went back and had the piercer take a look at it and she said the top is in the right spot but the bottom is off a little. I researched and researched before doing this and thought that it is supposed to go up under the clitoral hood. It is off to the side not even by the clitoris itself.

I’ve read and talked to people who have had it done and everything says that the pain when having it done was like a pinch. This pain I had was excruciating…not once or twice but THREE times. My husband was with me and said she stopped in the middle of it and went to get a bigger tube to pierce with. In getting a second opinion from another place…the lady looked at it and says, “that’s not right, I am sorry honey”. When we called back to where I got it done at, she argued and said that it was done right…after she had said that the bottom was not right. We tried to call the manager who also started a piercing school there and they said she is out of town and they didn’t know when she would be back. I was looking so forward to this and it turned into a nightmare. Is there anything that I can do?
Thanks, D.

My response:

Hi D,
I'm so sorry to hear about your botched piercing.

Please take a look at this page of my website: http://piercingbible.com/female-genital-piercings#VCH
This section makes it perfectly clear exactly where a VCH piercing should be placed, and also shows examples of misplaced piercings. You're welcome to print that material and bring it to the studio.

Feel free to send me a photo if you'd like to have me take a look. Though it sounds pretty conclusively as though your piercing didn't go in the right location.

Perhaps the best course of action would be to try to get your money back (and take the jewelry out, of course). And perhaps consider having it done elsewhere at a later date. Unfortunately, piercings that are not placed properly generally have to be started over. "Adjusting" a piercing is very seldom possible.

Sorry there isn't anything else I can suggest (other than reading my book so you will be better qualified to evaluate piercers). To purchase the book, go here:
http://www.safepiercing.org/publications/the-piercing-bible/

Sincerely,
Elayne Angel

The Piercing Bible--The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing
http://www.facebook.com/elayneangel
http://twitter.com/elayneangel

UPDATE: She just sent me a photo--and sure enough--it is a surface VCH.

I wrote:

Oh my word--yes, that's definitely a misplaced VCH. I suppose you could try to look under your hood where the top ball is resting to see any of the jewelry passes through so it is visible? If so, that means the hood was fully penetrated and perhaps you could attempt (with assistance?) to draw the bar back up and thread it properly underneath your hood. That's a HUGE "if" and quite unlikely, but it might be worth trying to take a peek underneath and see.

Also, if your jewelry is externally threaded, I would not suggest you attempt this, unless the jewelry is screwed into an insertion taper so the threads don't contact your tissue.

Short of that, it should be removed as soon as possible if you'd like to get a VCH done in the proper place at a later date.
Keep me posted,
Elayne