I got my septum pierced in September of 2003, with a basic 14 gauge captive ring. When I had it done, I had no idea I'd be stretching it up for the next 2 and half years until I reached 0 gauge in May, 2005. But I did, and I type now with a hollow, 0 gauge eyelet in my nose. It was a fun and rewarding experience that I would repeat.
At A Glance Author Anne Contact Anne@bme.anon IAM kleptesvirgo When It just happened What made it especially wonderful was the fact that I took my time and enjoyed the experience for what it was. I didn't rush, and my body thanked me accordingly. The experience was almost entirely painless. I did it for my own reasons, and as you will see, I am very happy with the results.
The actual piercing itself was a small, anti-climatic pinch-like feeling. It stopped lymphing in a month, and was by far the easiest piercing I had ever healed. About two and a half months later, I was fiddling with the retainer I was wearing and it slipped from my nose onto the dorm room floor. It took me a bit of time to find it, and when I finally recovered the slender bit of steel, I had trouble getting it in the 14 gauge hole. I decided right then and there to stretch the piercing to ensure that the hole didn't close up on me.
My first stretch was simple. I talked with my friend Emile, who worked at a piercing shop in Worchester, MA. He told me I could come in and have the septum stretched up for a minimal charge, which sounded good to me. So at my earliest convenience, I hopped a train from Boston to Worcester and visited the shop.
I've always been a do-it-yourself kind of girl, and insisted on donning the pair of gloves and using the sterile supplies to stretch my septum myself. Because Emile knew me, the piercer indulged me in this. I was surprised when the 12 gauge taper slipped right through my nose without any trouble at all. Emile suggested that I stretch to 10 gauge, and I agreed. It took a bit of force (and lots of lube) to work the taper through, but when I did my pleasure at being 10 gauge outweighed the pain in my nose. My newly-stretched piercing lymphed a bit, but felt fine after a few days.
I slowly realized that if I gently tugged on the jewelry, the piercing would gradually stretch itself. I could then slip in the next size of jewelry without any pain whatsoever, which was appealing. So I'd pull on my jewelry whenever I had a moment to spare. When my jewelry felt loose, I'd examine my nose sideways in the mirror. If I could make out a tiny bit of light shining through my septum when I pulled the jewelry away from my face, I knew it was time to order new jewelry.
I switched back and forth from stainless steel to acrylic to glass. I rarely used o-rings, because I found them uncomfortable. As I gradually stretched, I listened to my body and made discoveries about the jewelry I tried. I found that acrylic was cheapest, but made my "septum funk" almost intolerable. Glass contributed the least to any of my smelly septum issues, but it was most likely to slip out when I was in the shower or blew my nose. Good-quality stainless steel was the best, especially when it was solid piece of jewelry. The weight helped stretch my septum, and it was less prone to falling out at odd moments.
I always waited at least 2 months between my stretches, usually longer. I had setbacks – sometimes I'd lose a piece of jewelry and was unable to find a replacement. My hole would shrink, and I was forced to start stretching again from a smaller gauge. But my original goal was fulfilled: without jewelry, my septum wouldn't close up any further than an 8 gauge. This pleased me.
As I previously mentioned, all the stretches were painless except my 14 gauge to 10 gauge jump – and my stretch to 0 gauge, which I completed a short while ago.
I knew that 2g and 0g were 2 millimeters apart. This is somewhat minor when applied to ear lobe stretching, but a septum is made up of cartilage, and a 2mm jump is much more pronounced. I had been tugging on my 2 gauge glass plug quite a bit, and I knew I was in between 0 and 2 gauge. I didn't have proper 1g septum jewelry, and couldn't afford to order some. I suddenly realized that I had 1g acrylic captive bead rings from a BMEshop purchase a few years back, and went to fetch them. One slipped into my nose easily, but it looked extremely comical. I knew I couldn't wear it in public, and I decided to stretch up to 0 gauge later that day after pulling on the 1g jewelry for a few hours.
Later in the afternoon, I prepared my stretching supplies: a taper, hollow stainless steel 0g plug, and some sweet almond oil for lubricant. I removed the silly 1g acrylic jewelry, cleaned my nose with warm water, and lubed up the taper. I slid it in with some pain and difficulty. It wasn't unbearable, but it certainly hurt worse than the actually piercing. This is why I preferred my "tugging" method of stretching; tapering can hurt!
I put some oil on the plug and lined it up at the end of the taper. I took a deep breath in and pushed the jewelry in on my exhale. And there it was: a fabulous piece of 0g jewelry in my much-loved septum!
I believe that my stretching experience illustrates how potentially wonderful body modification can be. I "grew" with my septum stretching. I made new discoveries about my body and took my time. I also had a lot of fun tugging on my jewelry during college classes. This is the way stretching should be: an extended, mostly painless process that allows you to learn about your body and make it beautiful.