by corazon_de_oro » Fri Jul 06, 2012 11:03 pm
I wouldn't worry too much about swelling; a professional piercer will give you jewelry with plenty of extra room, especially if you tell them you're a sweller. Actually, if you get pierced with glass plugs, most of them have a very long wearable area and you can just move the o-rings to make them tighter once the swelling goes down. You can also get pierced with titanium, it doesn't have nickel like steel. Actually, even high-quality steel that's used by most professional piercers has very little nickel.
You'll find that your lobes do much better getting pierced with needles than a gun. I had gunned lobe piercings as a kid and they were constantly sore and itchy, but when I got pierced with needles and proper jewelry they healed very well and I've been able to stretch with no problems. I was pierced at 10G and I'm really glad I was because it saves a lot of time with tiny sizes.
Just make sure when you do get pierced, you wait about six months to begin stretching, and 6-8 (or longer if you need it) weeks between sizes after that. Stretching should never be painful and you should never have to force it. Good luck!
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!