Starting to stretch

[Boffey]

The smallest tapers ive seen in shops are 1.6mm. I went straight to 2mm.
If youve had your lobe pierced for a long time anyway, my lobe was pierced at least 3 years before i stretched it, in theory, it would have stretched slightly over time anyway.

[corazon_de_oro]

It's usually not hard to dead-stretch to 16G with labret studs or something for most people; you don't always need tapers. And yeah, the hole can stretch itself over time. A lot of people who wore heavy earrings a lot before they started stretching can start at about a 12G, but if you have an 18G piercing hole it's really not okay to start at 12G.

[leighmarie]

in theory, it would have stretched slightly over time anyway.

That's true, but I had my lobes pierced when I was 18 months old and didn't start stretching until I was 18, and I still had to stretch up to 1.6mm. So I wouldn't suggest everyone jump straight to 2mm.

[cymlee]

Hi all,

So I recently have been looking into stretching my ears. I'm not sure where I should start though. I've had my ears pierced since I was a baby. I've read through the replies so far and from what I'm understanding, it's best to not skip any sizes and start at 16 gauge if you already have a standard ear piercing. Where do you find a 16 gauge taper? I've been looking all over and even though I've found some kits, all of them start at 14 gauge. Any suggestions?

Thanks

[leighmarie]

If you were pierced by needles then it's likely to already be at 16, and if you were gunned, the same as me, it's likely to have stretched over time anyway and my first stretch was 14.