12g taper didn't work ... downsizing advice?

[carried]

My ears have been pierced for 10 years, at 18 or 20g, I guess, and I decided to start stretching. I've been lurking this forum for a while, so I was surprised when the shop assistant said I could start with a 12g taper. I was skeptical, but I bought it anyway, and sure enough I couldn't get it more than halfway in without it hurting! (Even with lubricant, warm water, and massaging to get it ready ) As soon as the pain started I took the taper out right away - no blood or anything - and I've been doing sea salt soaks on it for the past 2 days.

My question is, how much should I downsize? Would it be worth my while to try a 14g taper, seeing as I got kind of far with the 12? Or should I start at 16g? Thanks for your help!

[saply]

Start at 16. Your shop assistant is an idiot.

[ast.riske]

Saply, though curt, is right. Skipping sizes is a bad idea. You were right to not continue trying to push the taper through when you were feeling pain. Your shop assistant should not be advising anyone to skip sizes. S/he is playin with people's bodies in an unsafe way.

The small stretches set the foundation for how your larger stretches will go in the future. Start with 16g jewelry. I suspect the stretch will be very easy since your ears have been pierced for so long. I suspect you could probably dead stretch and have no issue. I would recommend you purchase a taper just to ensure the stretch goes 100% smoothly. Once you've been at 16g for 6-8 weeks, and your ears feel ready, go ahead and move up to a 14g.

This is the basic pattern. Stretch, wait, stretch wait. You should stay at each size for a minimum of 6-8 weeks. Some stretches may take longer. Lots of people have a hard time with the 8g to 6g stretch. If it feels like you have to force the stretch, just back the taper out and give it more time. : )

In the end you should end up with happy healthy lobes if you take things slow and careful.

You should also keep a gauge list in mind while you stretch so you don't accidentally skip a size. The numbered gauges go like this:

18g 16g 14g 12g 10g 8g 6g 4g 2g (1g) 0g 00g

Though 1g is generally not listed in standard gauges, it is an important size to help you make the daunting 2mm stretch from 2g to 0g.

As you can see, the shop assistant told you to skip 2 sizes. That's way too big a jump. Also they don't know your body, so they have. I way of knowing what is safe for you. The best thing you can do is what you've already done: listen to your body.

Anyway, I hope this helps and as the slogan goes, keep calm and carry on. ; )

[carried]

Excellent advice, thanks! I went and got a 16g taper and jewelery and everything went perfectly

[ast.riske]

Hooray! Thanks for the update. Make sure to take it nice and slow and you should have great stretching journey. : )