New, help!

[prettyhatemachine]

I've been thinking of stretching my ears for a while now, so I went to my tattoo artist, who's done all my tattoos and all my piercings except my two lobe piercings.

He told me he could 're-pierce' me at 10g, and that I should get 10g plugs. So that's what I did. I got 10g PLUGS. I go back to actually do it and he tells me no, I need 10g HOOPS. And refuses to even do it.

I'm just quite lost, since I'm nowhere near close to 10g, I'm whatever size (20? 18? 16? standard earrings are. Can 'repiercing' be done? And if so, do I need hoops?

If not, is tapering the best option? And are the ones from Spencer's or Hot Topic okay to use?

Please & Thank You!
-Kitty

[corazon_de_oro]

What material were the plugs? If they were glass or titanium, or even implant-grade surgical steel, there's no reason he shouldn't autoclave them and use them to pierce you. Rings are horrible for healing; I had my lobes done at 10G and had to change them after 4-5 weeks to plugs. They healed WAY better after that because they weren't moving around.
If you want to just use your existing piercings, which would be just fine, just get tapers/plugs and go one size at a time. I'd recommend starting at 18G or 16G if you have "standard" lobe piercings right now. Don't wear the tapers, just buy one and use it to stretch both ears, following it with some jewelry (like a labret stud or plug). Wait 6+ weeks between sizes, and remember that it should never be painful or require too much force. Oil massages and stretching with lube/oil right after a hot shower will help quite a bit.

[prettyhatemachine]

The plugs are acrylic. Now that I've done more reading than when I bought them, I know they aren't good to put in until after they've healed. I'm not even stretching that largely, really. I won't get any larger than an 8 or a 6.

So hoops aren't good? That surprises me because he's stretched his ears to, I don't even know, HUGE. You'd think he'd know that. :/

Then again, some unnecessary non-body-mod-business shit involving alcohol went down a few months ago. Now he's embarrassed about it, so I don't put it past him to lie to get me to go away. It's a shame, too, because I love the guy when he's sober and he's an amazing artist. And loved me so I got my tattoos REALLY cheap. Now I have to find someone just as good, which will be hard. :c

Do you know of any places that sell tapers as a pack? Since going one size at a time is obviously best, I'll have to get a few sized tapers.

[corazon_de_oro]

Rings really aren't good for healing piercings because they move around too much and can disturb healing tissue, drag crusties and other nasty stuff through the healing piercing, or get bacteria on them and drag it through the piercing as well. He might have just meant that he couldn't pierce you with the acrylics, which is definitely true. It would melt if he tried to sterilize it!
I usually recommend getting pierced at 10G-8G to anyone who doesn't already have lobe piercings, but you do have to wait about six months after getting pierced to start stretching so it sounds like you'd be better just using your existing holes if you're happy with the placement.
These are good for stretching cheaply because you get a pair of steel plugs and a taper for $5, but it starts at 8G: http://www.bodyartforms.com/productdeta ... 39&index=2

Most of the time when you buy tapers that come in a pack they go up to like 0G or so, so you might be better off just buying them seperately. You probably won't need a taper to put in an 18G or 16G (I'd recommend a labret stud or straight barbell for that size) and these steel plugs start at 14G: http://www.bodyartforms.com/productdeta ... 99&index=8

Here's a selection of tapers on BAF too... some of them are pretty cheap: http://www.bodyartforms.com/products.asp?jewelry=tapers

Just remember that tapers are tools, not jewelry, so get a set of plugs with every taper! Usually if you spend a certain amount at BAF you can get a free steel or acrylic taper. Just have a look around and find what you think is right for you.

[Hardware]

Then again, some unnecessary non-body-mod-business shit involving alcohol went down a few months ago. Now he's embarrassed about it, so I don't put it past him to lie to get me to go away. It's a shame, too, because I love the guy when he's sober and he's an amazing artist. And loved me so I got my tattoos REALLY cheap. Now I have to find someone just as good, which will be hard.

Oh lord, this is why I hate working along side tattoo artists. The other shop I work for needs it's own 'real life drama' TV show it's so bad. It really shouldn't be hard to find a good artist again. Find a shop and ask every question that comes to your head, a good shop will have no issue answering your questions. Let them know about your previous experience and that you are looking for a serious artist without all the drama, they should understand. Losing your artist is like a bad breakup and it sucks, but, you learn to move on just like anything else.

Regarding your ears, I would suggest to just taper your existing piercings. I have pierced over old lobe piercings before and it can often be a pain in the ass. Old scar tissue can often pop out from the old piercings and when this happens it should be removed right away, I could go on but it's gross. Tapering your earlobes yourself would be far easier in my opinion. Just be sure to keep them clean post stretching with sea salt soaks and don't touch your piercings for any reason unless you just washed your hands.