First stretch jewellery help

[ragdollxx]

I have had my ears pierced for 7 years and will be doing my first stretch from 18g to 16g shortly. I will use acrylic tapers as they won't be in my ear for too long. The only plug I could buy that was stainless steel had a screw on back and i want to know if it will be a bad idea to use this as the screw part could hurt the inside of my ear? Do you think it would be better to buy different plugs and if so where could i get this from for a good price in the UK?
Also most places seem to sell pairs of plugs and since i am only stretching one ear this seemed like a waste of money. Any advice on this as well?
Thanks

[leighmarie]

Tbh, I've used threaded tunnels a couple of times while stretching and I haven't had a problem, but you're right, there is a possibility they could do some damage to the fresh stretch.

If you buy from online stores then a lot of them (eg. Body Jewellery Shop and Body Art Forms) sell plugs individually, not as a pair, which could save you some cash.

At a size that small it will probably be difficult to find tunnels in a different material, but you could always try a ring or something instead.
From about 3mm you could buy glass jewellery from Body Jewellery Shop.

[twosharks]

I would suggest a ring as well. You could spend the money for an internally threaded barbell. Or on a long metal taper that has a concave back, which will help cover the threads a little as they go through your piercing. But honestly the cost of either would be a good deal more than a simple captive ring. If you're planning on stretching larger, I would wait to start buying more expensive jewelry. And while long metal tapers are always better, this first stretch will probably be the easiest and won't justify spending $10 on a taper.

Buy online if you can. Better prices and better selection. This is where I plug my favorite jewelry store. They'll ship to the UK.
http://bodyartforms.com/