14g to 12g, Unfamiliar feeling

[batshitbuki]

i started from an 18g, dead stretched to 16g and stainless steel tapered to 14g. put in stainless steel horseshoes. both were in for about a week or two before they started to feel loose and like i'd had them forever, at which point i'd attempt to go up a gauge.

each time, the taper slid through really easily and i only had a little bit of snugness, redness and soreness in my lobes that went away after a few days. all normal stuff.

going from 14g to 12g, the taper went in smoothly, the jewelry went in fine, woo! the same snugness and soreness, a little redness, we're good.

this morning when i woke up, there was no redness and my horseshoes are less sore and more stinging, like theyre gripping on really tight to the horseshoe.
i checked for signs of me fucking up: no tearing, no bleeding, no itching, no creases, no blowout, no discharge. this leads me to believe that this tightness is normal, perhaps now that i'm getting bigger.
am i right? if not, what do i do?


(ps. this community is amazing! i've been lurking for about three weeks and everyone is so helpful and lovely here. thank you.)

[ast.riske]

The fact that you're tender after the stretch gives me pause. It sounds like you're stretching before your ears are really ready. I would downsize to 14g and stay there for another 4-8 weeks if your ears loosened up after a week or so, they should be completely ready in another month or so.

If you choose not to downsize, give your ears some extra time at your current size. You are quickly coming up on even bigger stretches than what you've done so far. 10g-8g is a bigger jump than any you've done yet. 8g-6g is bigger than that and then 6g-4g is even slightly more of a jump. (using standard US gauges)

Take 12g and 10g as an opportunity to really rest your ears and prepare them for the bigger stretches to come. You'll benefit by setting a really solid foundation.

For a scale of how long you should give yourself, I recommend a bare minimum of 6-8 weeks between each size. I liken stretching to barbecue. The best stuff comes from the low and slow method.

[batshitbuki]

okay. i'll definitely go back to 14g and give it a few more weeks, then. thanks a lot for your help!