by corazon_de_oro » Sun Oct 17, 2010 6:21 pm
^ Dermal punches aren't for lobes. I mean, some people do it, but it's a horrible idea when you can just get pierced at that size. Piercing needles don't remove any tissue, but dermal punches take away tissue that you'll need when stretching. They're for cartilage and other areas that are really difficult to stretch, and if you get punched it should be around your goal size.
Anyway, yes, that's a rip-off! With piercings, you should usually avoid the cheapest places but you should also be aware that some studios will charge way too much for simple things. Not a lot of people get 6G lobe piercings so they probably think they can get you to pay more because you don't have anything to compare it to. I got my lobes pierced at 10G at a wonderful piercer and it was $60 including titanium CBRs.
What I would do if I were you is ask around at some different studies and compare prices. If they all charge something outrageous because of the jewelry, ask them about bringing in your own jewelry. I'd highly recommend single-flare glass colorfront plugs, found on bodyartforms.com, steelnavel.com, and glasswearstudios.com. They're cheaper than titanium and glass is an excellent material for fresh piercings. When I had my lobes pierced I changed them to these after like four weeks because the rings were prolonging healing and it helped a LOT. I've also used them at every size to stretch with. If they'll let you do that, they can autoclave them, pierce you with them, and it'll probably be a lot cheaper.
I'm Lindsay.
I have 1/2" lobes and 11 piercings: left helix x2, both conches, both nostrils, septum, navel, and VCH.
My lobes are small but I know a lot about stretching and how to do it safely, so message me if you have any questions!