**Disclaimer: I'm not a professional piercer of any kind. I just wanted to share my opinion based on my experience.
I've been on my modification kick since recently visiting my favorite shop and getting my nostril pierced about a week ago. Pretty much all of the staff has changed and even so, I felt welcomed.
I've done months and months of research out of intense interest of piercings and ear stretching (and the fact that they both are relevant to my life) and was able to talk to my new piercer in-depth about sizes, types of piercings and everything. I really feel that he took me seriously when I was able to name anatomy, wearable areas, diameters, and the like. So much so that he started reciprocating the same type of information, assuming I'd know what he was talking about (and I did! Eeeeeee!).
Anyway, that visit inspired me to write a post about something I've always felt was important to the ear stretching process: knowing your millimeters. In America, we go by gauge sizes and inches: 18g, 16g, 14g... 0g... 1/2 inch, 9/16ths, etc. But I've noticed other continents like Europe and Australia
use millimeters, which are much more telling.
With millimeters, you know exactly how big your next stretch is going to be instead of just eyeballing it and getting frustrated and impatient when the size doesn't fit into your ear.
Here's a quick rundown for people who begin to stretch and need a conversion:
The bigger the number, the smaller your holes will be. So initial lobe piercings are 20 or 18 gauge (g), and get bigger as the numbers decrease by two's all the way to 0 gauge. From your initial piercing, until 8g, all stretches will be UNDER 1 millimeter (mm).
The 8g to 6g stretch is usually the first time people have trouble stretching because it's your first full millimeter stretch!
Eyeballing it, the size doesn't look too much different than past stretches... But it is. People-- including me-- soon realize the taper doesn't slide as easily as it used to. So you go back to 8g and wait for your ear to be ready for the stretch.
(Eventually I realized I had pretty tight ears no matter how many weeks I waited, so it was here when I started using the taping method with a slight trick... This will be explained in another post). =)
Anyway, each stretch from 8g to 2g is 1mm. Everyone seems to be informed that the 2g to 0g stretch is a full 2mm jump! 2g can be 6mm or 6.5mm, and 0g is 8mm. This is one stretch that shouldn't be attempted in one go with a taper. Instead, the tapping method is highly recommended (a wrap or two of bondage or teflon tape SLATHERED in oil that grows wrap by wrap over the course of weeks).
Believe it or not, there are glass, single-flared, 7mm plugs available so you can stop at a middle ground before getting to 0g from 2g. It's otherwise known as 1g, if anyone ever seeks them at all. Give your ears a break before continuing-- it'll be more like the other single gauge-digit stretches you've done before the 2mm jump!
So in a nutshell, it's just important to be aware of millimeter conversions for the sizes you're stretching to so as not to rush or become frustrated during the process. It helped me out a lot, and made me make more cautious decisions. I hope it receives you well, also!
Later, gators!
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