Four years ago when I was new to BME, I found a photo of an ear piercing called a half vertical transverse lobe and fell in love. This piercing was just a piercing through the bottom of a stretched lobe, and I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. Back then my ears were just gun - pierced post piercing (bad, I know, but they were pierced when I was 11 and knew nothing of modification. In fact, I didn't really want it, my mother kind of dragged me to get them done...). So I started stretching, but before I researched it. I've written an experience on the stretching to 7/16", which can be found at:
At A Glance Author feuerwolf Contact shmancypantz@hotmail.com IAM feuerwolf When Three months ago Artist Jef Studio Rockstar Piercing www.rockstarpiercing.com Location Providence, RI http://www.bmezine.com/pierce/01-ear/A40310/earsecex.html
Anyways, on to my tranny. Jef and I had been talking for a couple of months figuring out technicalities of the procedure online, talking about pricing and the jewelry and all of that fun stuff. I decided to do the procedure with stainless steel tunnels and 16ga labret studs. The tunnels had to be custom ordered by Jef with a 14-ish gauge hole in them so the stud could fit through, and I got two 16 ga labret spikes from IAM: loconin, and me and Jef planned to do the procedure over my Spring break in April.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Spring break came and I went to my fiancé's house, who lives right by Rockstar (I found the place through her). We went toward the end of the week, and this was my first needle piercing so I was really nervous. I had made an appointment the night before so it wasn't too long of a wait. I think I would have died of anxiety if I had to wait long!!! When it was time, Jef called me in. The labret studs were externally threaded, which disappointed him a bit (fresh piercing can get agitated from external threading) He said he was really excited because he'd never done this piercing before, but also that he wasn't quite sure how to get the jewelry in because the labret studs were kind of long. We ended up deciding that the spikes would have to be inside of the tunnels until the piercing healed and I could tinker with it (the original idea was to have them pointing downwards outside of the lobe.).
Jef put the tunnels in with surprising ease (they were double flared, and my ears hadn't been at 7/16" for very long) and marked where he thought would be good. He did it at what seemed like an angle because of the curvature of my ears, so that they'd be pointing as straight down as possible. He then had me lay down on the table and lined up the hole in the tunnel with the mark on my ear, left ear first. He used a 14 gauge needle, I believe. The actual piercing was no problem, just a little pinch and that was it. However, the jewelry wasn't in yet. Jef tried to follow the needle with the stud, but it just wasn't working. So he used what I think he called a lead wire to try to get it through. It took a few minutes of some pushing and pulling and putting the wire through my ear, but he finally got it through. It wasn't too bad, and I've felt much worse pain, so I didn't really mind. It was more annoying warm tingly pain than "dear god that hurts" pain. I think he just needed to figure out a good way to do it because my right ear was 10x easier. He pierced it and put the jewelry through and that was it. So I went up and paid and promised if I got a good shot of the piercing I'd send it to him via e-mail.
Healing wasn't bad at all. He told me to clean it with just ear piercing solution, as it really is just a lobe piercing, and not to touch it to much. I slept fine, no problems at all. Of course by now I've found ways to sleep so that my ears aren't agitated after a piercing, and I'm lucky that I don't move around too much.
About a week ago it was fully healed and I could switch the stud around, which I had to do for work, they won't let me wear tunnels, only black plugs.
I've been getting really tired of the size of my ears recently, though, and today I decided to get some ˝" tunnels. Suprisingly, they went right in, no problem, just a little tight. They don't have holes for the trannies, but it's not really an issue at the moment. I also plan on bringing my trannies up to 14 ga, just so jewelry is easier to find for them, as the standard labret size is 14 ga.