I had my septum pierced at 14 gauge about 5 years ago. This past summer I decided to stretch it up a bit, since it's currently my only facial piercing besides my inner conch and 14 ga just looked so tiny.
At A Glance Author DVaughn Contact devmail@hotmail.com IAM DVaughn When A week ago Before going on a trip to Montreal, I placed a 12 gauge circular barbell in it with very little hassle. I knew we would be going to Black Sun Studio (one of the best up there) so I thought that it might be possible for them to install a 10 gauge retainer for me. I was correct in my assumptions, as we visited Black Sun a few days into our trip. They used a tapered retainer and it slid in with only a little difficulty and a watery eye or 2. I was very excited though! I've always liked the look of large gauge retainers flipped down. Not that 10 gauge was huge, but it stood out much more than the 14 gauge did.
There was only 1 problem with the new retainer: It was surgical stainless steel and was much more noticeable than the black niobium piece it had been pierced with. Since I work in an office this wasn't too encouraging. It wasn't until October that I thought I would look for an 8 gauge retainer in black niobium. I didn't feel like buying one at 10 ga since I knew I'd probably be stretching up anyway. I found a very nice piece at Tribalectic.com and ordered it up. It only took 3-4 days to come in and as soon as I got it, there I was in front of the mirror ready to put it in.
The retainer was hardly tapered at all on the ends but I managed to eventually slide it through with moderate pain. I could feel my septum tighten up when I smiled or took a bite of food, which is a strange feeling to say the least. I noticed a bit of crusting on the retainer as well, and took very good care of it, trying not to flip it up or down too much when it was dry.
Then in December I ordered the biggest size niobium retainer they had at Tribalectic: 6 gauge. This came in and about 5 days before Christmas, I stood in front of the mirror ready to install it. This was by far the most painful stretch yet. It was really too soon to be stretching it up but I couldn't wait with a new retainer sitting on my desk in a sterilized packet. I got it through but noticed it had started to blow out a little on one side. Luckily this tissue went away after a day or 2 with some Vitamin E oil rubs.
It took about 3-4 weeks for this stretch to fully heal. I rushed it and got lucky that everything turned out OK. I knew for the next stretch I would try a different approach: Teflon tape.
About a month after my septum was fully healed again, I bought some Teflon tape at a hardware store for 79 cents a roll. This past tuesday I put about 4 layers of tape around the very top of my retainer, the U shaped part. This took a little work to get it, but wasn't sore afterwards really at all. The next day I added 2 more layers and this was a little more painful but not nearly as much as a full stretch. I left this for 2 more days, trying my best not to move it too much.
On friday after work I just wanted to see how far I was from the next size and the custom 4 gauge retainer I ordered from Laughing Buddha went right in with almost no resistance! Thank you Teflon tape! An almost painless stretch from 6 to 4 with no crusting so far. I must say the new retainer looks quite beefy flipped down. It's a little more noticeable from the sides when in "work" mode but at least the matte black color doesn't stand out too well. I think I will also try a black plug as my work jewelry since there will be less less "bulk" up inside my nose.
I can't say enough good things about the Teflon tape stretching method. The only problem with it is that it's a white color and really stands out when you are trying to hide it up in your nose. I'll be using it again however for the next stretch since it just works so much better than ramming a bigger ring through.
In closing, I know you've heard this all before, but listen to your body and take your time with stretching. It's not a race! You'll have much less chance of developing scar tissue and it'll be much less painful as well. Your body will thank you in the end!