After having my nipples pierced at 14 gauge for about 5 months I started to think that the rings looked a bit dinky. I wanted something bigger. I wasn't sure just how big, but I knew I wanted more metal in my chest. I decided that I would have to stretch them.
At A Glance Author Devilicious Contact bar0naloha@gmail.com IAM Devilicious When Three months ago Artist Jesse Studio Mom's Body Shop Location San Francisco, CA Soon after having them pierced, my right nipple rejected, and had to be re-pierced three months after the initial piercing. Unfortunately, this would likely put a damper on my stretching plans for at least a little while. I figured that I would wait until the left had been pierced for six months and the right three months, in hopes that I would be able to stretch both at the same time.
Being away at college however, means that there are few opportunities far between to visit my local piercing shop, Mom's Body Shop in San Francisco. I decided that for thanksgiving break, roughly six months after the initial piercing, I would go in to have them stretched. Upon arriving at Mom's I was told that while I could get the left stretched, it was still too earlier to stretch the right. I decided to forgo symmetry for size and get the left stretched while leaving the right at 14 gauge.
Jesse, the piercer on duty at the time and also the same piercer who had done all three of my nipple piercings was to do the stretching. I stared at the 12 gauge CBR on his tray of instruments while he was unwrapping the fresh taper and putting some sort of lubricant or ointment on it with lust in my eyes. It was beautiful. So big, so shiny. I couldn't wait to have it in my nipple.
I sat back in anticipation. Now, I admit that I may have been ignorant about how the stretching process worked exactly. I may have done loads of research on the nipple piercing itself, thoroughly analyzing every aspect of the piercing and aftercare, being sure that there would be no surprises after leaving the shop, but in my zeal to get bigger holes, I seem to have rushed through the research process, reading a few experiences, but never really going in depth. You see, I was under the impression that the process would be a gradual one, slowly working the taper through the nipple over several minutes.
This was what I was expecting as Jesse lined the taper up with the existing hole. He told me to take a deep breath, and as I did – HOLY SHIT. He shoved that thing straight through my nipple, fire spreading through my chest. I guess it didn't really hurt that much, but a hell of a lot more than I was expecting. It hurt almost as much as it did when it was first pierced. Later Jesse told me that he had stretched his own nipple rings from 14 gauge to 10, but that when he tried to get them up to 8, he just couldn't get the taper through – it was just too painful.
Once the soreness died down, which took only several hours, I loved my new nipple ring. I loved it's new size, but knew that I had to go bigger, despite the warnings from Jesse.
Over Christmas break I knew I had to stretch again. I didn't know when I would have another opportunity. I was planning to wait until the end of the break, but a friend of mine went in to get a tattoo and I went with him. While in the shop I decided I would just go for it. I was to get both nipples stretched, my right to 12 gauge and my left to 10. This time I was expecting extreme pain, but it ended up not being as back as I thought it would. I guess the surprise from the last stretch left me shaken, expecting the worst. It hurt, but not as much as I was expecting. Upon the second stretch, I would say that while the stretching is painful, it's more than worth it.
While I love my nipples, I think that I may have stretched too fast. I stretched the left after six months, but it had a rather rough healing period. I kickbox, and while I wasn't fighting with the piercing, it was still getting banged around a bit. My right nipple however, was pierced when I went to college, and wasn't really training much. My left nipple began to reject somewhat, but I was able to salvage it. I'm thinking of trying to retire it and repierce it, since I prefer the look and feel of my right one, which is somewhat on the deep side.
I now have my right nipple at 12 gauge and my left at 10. I am looking forward to getting my right up to 10 in the near future, but think I'll stop there for now.