My first piercing was a 14 gauge nipple piercing back in 1997, but I was not really sold on the idea of a nipple piercing. I had wanted to pierce my tongue, but went along with a friend and had my nipple pierced shortly after he did. I did it for the wrong reason -- peer pressure -- and took it out five weeks later. I probably should have given it more time, but I still wanted the tongue not the nipple pierced.
At A Glance Author Vredespaleis01 Contact Vredespaleis01@bme.anon When Two years ago Artist Unknown Studio Blue Lotis Location Wisconsin The next few years, I wanted a tongue piercing but my work would not have it. I know, this is BME and some will tell me to find a less restricting employer but I liked my job so I settled for a normal bland tongue. As time went by, my interest in nipple piercing started to grow. What I did not like a few years earlier became a piercing I preferred.
In 2001, I was interested in finally getting a piercing that I wanted and, by now, the nipple was my preferred choice. I selected the same nipple and had it re-pierced at a 14-gauge. A year later, I thought it was lonely and had the other nipple pierced at 14-gauge. For awhile, I had two rather none distinct 14-gauge nipples. There was only a small scar from the earlier piercing making one nipple slightly larger than the other.
The healing was nothing to remarkable on all of these piercings (and you could read a hundred stories about freshly pierced nipples at BME so I will spare you most of the details). There was some puss that decreased in frequency as the months went by. It took each nipple about six months to mostly heal and another six to fully heal.
Starting about two years ago, in 2004, I decided the 14-gauge was too small and hardly visible. I decided to slowly stretch my nipples to a more sizable gauge. I was not in a rush so I slipped in a 12-gauge in each nipple which was tight, but manageable. I waited about six months and then tried a 10-gauge. The 10-gauge was much more of a struggle. I finally managed to squeeze the 10-gauge in with some help from water-based lubrication.
I waited about another six months and then tried the 8-gauge, which did not really want to fit even with lubrication. There was some blood and I gave up. I waited a bit, trying again a month later after the scab from my last attempt healed. Success! I now had two 8-gauge nipples and probably will go one step further to 6-gauge or simply stop at 8-gauge.
My advice to anyone interested in stretching is to go slow and listen to your body (i.e. wait for any previous scar or bleeding to fully heal). Also, I make it sound a bit easier than it was because there were times I'd go backward -- putting the 14-gaugers back in from 10 gauge and then barely being able to fit 12-gauge in -- much less the original 10 gauge. It seems that 14-gauge feels "natural" because the original hole was that size. Still, if you want a bit more boldness to your nipples than self-stretching can work -- just listen to your body and don't rush.
Most of my stretching has been self-stretching though I have relied on piercing parlors to help from time to time. It is hard to close an 8-gauge ring on your own. I cannot even image whether I can tackle a 6-gauge. For a small fee, the parlor will take out the old jewelry and put in the new one but then a degree of freedom is lost because, even though I wait months to change the jewelry, I usually finally do it on a whim and stretch to the next level on a night when I'm bored.
There are only two downsides to stretching your nipples. First, jewelry options become much more limited. The internet helps with variety, but stores in the area stock a majority of 14-gauge with few 8-gauge options. Second, the healing takes longer at each step. I have had the 8-gauge in for about six months yet there still is some dead skin that needs to be cleaned out almost daily. It is not puss and only a small amount of dead skin easily washed away in the shower so it is not much of a problem. Still, I did not have the same experience with the smaller gauges.
I wonder what my nipples will look like when I finally retire the piercing some day, but I have no regrets about stretching because it is what I wanted and, who knows, maybe I'll still have them in 50 years. Ultimately, everyone does what feels right for them. I will probably stop at 6 or 8-gauge but the same process could work to fit a 2 or 4-gauge.