At A Glance
Author	Noddy
Contact	pseudonymous_a@hotmail.com
IAM	Noddy
When	Six months ago

I'd initially had my septum pierced at Australian Tattoo; Foster St. Dandenong by Colin some years back and had been contemplating stretching up.

Being inspired by an array of sources, from Masai tribes, simple curiosity and my in built need and desire to experience the new hence began my pursuit of research into the procedure; using bme's user stories as a great point of reference for possible mishaps and just any general advice on how to go about stretching as well as multiple other resources from online sources.

After convincing myself that I knew enough I began.

However I do recommend that and urg you to talk to a professional piercer in your local community before hand.

It's hard for me to say how long exactly it took me to get my septum stretched from from 16g to the 8mm that it's currently at though the most critical advice I can give is that 'the more patient you are with stretching the greater the rewards will be'.

You have a few considerations to make before stretching up that I think deserve attention.

This is a mod that will get you many 'social' reactions,most common I've been witness to are:

People not sitting next to you on the train (great if you like your space),frequent stares,small children pulling on their parents arms
pointing to look at the guy with the big shiny thing in his face.

When approaching someone even if you're simply requesting the time
they will answer you as quickly as possible attempting to avoid any eye contact and then move quickly away before you 'leap out and beat them down'.

People whispering and talking about you when you pass, and looking at their children hoping the will never turn out to be freak like you.

As well as the ever occurring comments such as 'freak', 'how do you blow your nose?' 'Did that hurt?','What the f@#k!',or the more subtle when people simply cross the street rather than walk by you.

As humorous as I make make it seem, it can be disheartening at times to hear people constantly making judgments based on your aesthetic appearance, but it all depends on the person as to how this will affect you.

So If you've just read this and have no problem with the potential outcomes then you're ready to be on your way to a large septum.

Firstly and most importantly make sure that you pay great attention to your own body,everyone's skin and tissue are different therefore as long as you are aware then you will know if it is time to stretch up or down or simply let your septum heal, as well as avoiding painful and ugly blowout's.

There are places that perform stretching procedures for your septum, but the advice I will give is pertaining to 'home stretching'.

After experimenting with different kinds of tapered items I found that acrylic knitting needles work perfectly and can be found at a variety of places including your local Op shops or at your grandparents place.

Make sure to get acrylic needles, and try to space them in increments of at least 1mm for example I was stretching from 16g to 8mm so I would have every needle in between,
5mm 6mm 7mm etc. this makes the stretching more consistent and stops you stretching too fast with unnecessary discomfort.

Using a small hacksaw and find grade sand paper cut 2 lengths of each needle, one with the tapered point (length not important) and another length that will fit inside the stretched hole without being noticeable (making your own retainer/plug).

Be sure to cut as straight as possible and to use the sand paper on both ends or your new retainer giving it smooth beveled edges to avoid tearing any skin.

Start slowly, I found that using Vaseline worked great but you might want to look into this more as I have heard that it can carry bacteria. Once I got the tapered needle in I would leave it in for as long as possible, constantly rotating it to loosen the skin and
to help make the next stretch easier.

To get your same size retainer in I found that by joining it to the tapered needle with one layer only of electrical tape then applying a small amount of Vaseline and feeding it through slowly was the best way. Then removing the tapered piece with the electrical tape attached.

I followed the same method for every stretch, making sure to rotate the retainer as frequently as possible and removing once every night or so depending to clean it with hot water and soap.

If you follow this you should in time have yourself a beautifully large gauge septum just like mine.

If you're experiencing discomfort don't stretch anymore, let it heal for a few weeks at a time until the skin has adapted.

Hope this was of use to you in some way, and if you have any queries just IAM or email me.
-Noddy