Repiercing? Ridiculous amount of backstory, because you know me....

[SheepKaboom]

...I type way too much. *Sol can attest: I'm no great yakker, but give me a keyboard and I'm off.

One of my greatest flaws, the kind I could kick myself for, is an innate trust in people to know what they're doing and to know what would be best. *Like asking for caution at a hair studio, and when they say they pierce too and that they have something that will help the piercing be protected, it's only afterwards that I read the bottle and realize that whatever's in it is alcoholic. *Like getting my industrial done, after asking for advice here at PP and being recommended for a 14g, I then trust in my piercer, who does it at 16g (of course, how could the poor guy know that I wanted 14g if I hadn't said so?) *I then read later about the good idea of piercing a gauge higher and healing with a gauge lower for better healing.

These are the kinds of things I could kick myself for, and certainly learn from. *In the future, whenever I get mods, I'm going to have a checklist: I want thus-and-so jewelry, at this gauge, thank you, I appreciate it.

Rant overwith. *Now for the purpose of it.

I've been passing the idea back and forth of DIY repiercing when I get back to the States and have a friend I trust to line a needle up to the holes already there and repierce at 12g, heal with 14g. *That way, even if I decide that 14g's also too thin, gauging up to 12g would be a breeze for the lack of cartilage. *I'm not a delicate girl. *Even if I weren't chubby - a possible future outcome, what with all the running I've been doing recently at the gym - I've still got a very strong jaw, broad shoulders, birthing hips... you get the picture. *I raise an eyebrow at wondering how anything delicate would look on me. *We'll see, come December, how well I carry a delicate industrial. *Who knows. *Might look awesome. *Might look like putting a pink, lacy doggie sweater on a malamut.

So my question, after this ridiculous amount of backstory: are there complications one might have to deal with if one repierces an old hole as opposed to a fresh one?

Y'all know me - I talk about stuff way in the future. *This is one of them - I won't be back in the States 'til next August, and will probably get my nipples repierced before anything else. *Then comes the "OOH! *If I'm careful and not stupid, I could totally pierce this myself! *Gahhh, Senior Plan... must... get brain... off... of writing... *It's been a good three months since my last piercing and it's doing just dandy. *Let's see how that conch goes."

[Buzz Kill]

Sorry Sheep that I can't answer your question for you, but all I can say, is holey wow I should have had you type my english essays for me.

[Illyria Jade_mod]

Ok...lessee...

If you don't like the 16g once you get it in, then yes, you can totally take it out and repierce. *However, you'll need to wait at least a couple months before you repierce it to let it heal, and do a lot of vit. e massages to reduce the scar tissue.

Otherwise you could just stretch it up to 14g. *Which would be the most simple answer, and would keep the piercing all correctly lined up.

As for the other stuff. *Piercing cartilage at a gauge larger than the jewelry you put in is to give it extra room to heal. *However, it DOES heal down to the size of the jewelry, skin grows into the piercing (since cartilage doesn't regrow). *So a 12g piercing with 14g jewelry heals to a 14g piercing. *You can still stretch it to 12g, but you will have to stretch.

BUT, having a friend do it? *I love DIY piercings, as Bird can attest...but an industrial? *I don't think so. *It's much too hard, even for a professional, to line up. I would NEVER have an amateur do one.

[iamblackbird]

Ugh. As much as I love Ria, there's a few things that I would not let her do. An industrial is one of them, since I'm creepy with things being even.

Measurements are incredibly difficult, since there's no real precise art to it. It takes loads of training to learn to account for different body types.

[SheepKaboom]

*thwaps Eric* *I'm Boom, remember? * :P

The point of the DIY was to avoid the $80 repiercing... but if industrials are really that hard to pierce, then no, I won't do that, then. *O.o *Let's see how my ears like being stretched, if it comes to that malamut-in-a-tutu effect!

I was actually curious as to if it were possible to pierce an un-healed-over piercing - using the holes still there as guides to match up a needle.

Re gauges: I know it would heal down to a 14g, but the point of that was that it's a heck of a lot easier to stretch just flesh than stretching cartilage, should it have come to that.

[Illyria Jade_mod]

*thwaps Eric* *I'm Boom, remember? * :P
Who the heck are you calling Eric? *Cuz...umm...Buzz is a girl, and her name isn't Eric...
And *you're* the one with the weird username, it's not *our* fault!!!

malamut-in-a-tutu effect!
WHAT???



Piercing an unhealed piercing? Not a good idea, the needle won't go through straight usually, it can be diverted by what's already there...if that makes any sense? *It doesn't come out right, perfectly straight with nice smooth edges like a normal piercing would.

[wayfastwhitey]

I'm Eric, she thought I called her sheep again but it was Buzz this time :P

[SheepKaboom]

ACK! * :shock: Sorry Buzz! *Sorry Eric! *It was late, I just got back from six hours of gaming straight, and I saw a black and white icon and for some reason thought it was Eric's... *The thwap was because I'd already corrected him and thought that he'd slipped again, but turns out that I was just really tired and thought that Buzz was he...

Um. *And yeah. *Buzz - I'm Boom. *^^;;

Who knows. *Might look awesome. *Might look like putting a pink, lacy doggie sweater on a malamut.

The tutu'd malamut was a reference to the original text. *Because, sweet gods (or sweet dogs, perhaps) malamuts are not built for lacy pink doggie sweaters! *We'll see if my ears and body type can handle the delicate industrial. *Who knows: I might start another fashion. * :mrgreen:

And good to know about the piercing and unhealed piercing. *I've been wondering about that.



[Edit] *THERE! *Profile changed. *Now no one has an excuse to mutter about my admittedly-confusing name! *Mwa ha ha!

[Illyria Jade_mod]

Oh, I missed that, obviously. *Yeah. *

And, I keep forgetting to comment about Bird's refusal of me giving her an industrial :: s'okay, there's no way I'd do one if she asked me, because I know I don't know how to get it right...it's infinitely more complicated than just "lining up the needle" unforunately.

And...what did you change in your profile? *Doesn't say anything about your name...
Oh. *Nm. *You changed your -signature-!
Yeah, I doubt that will change much, it's just confusing now.

[Buzz Kill]

I've always called you Sheep :)
I guess I'll have to change that now
and unfortunately I've seen a malamut/pitbull in a pink frilly sweter

[SheepKaboom]

Blarggmnyerfmmmnn.... *Maybe that'll do it. **eyes signature*

And Buzz - did you see both of those in frilly pink sweaters? *Or just one? *Yes, I first said pitbull, but I'm not [evildonkey] enough to be a pitbull, and while neither am I elegant enough to be a malamut, seriously, those are canines that the God of Doggie Sweaters should not need to contend with!

And 'tis so, you've called me Sheep... but whenever I caught it, either I didn't feel it was good to change the subject enough to mention it in a topic, and then forgot about it before PMing... *something like that. *My own rather silly thread I've no qualms interrupting. * :mrgreen:

I'm curious now. *Why are industrials more complicated than just lining up a needle?

[Illyria Jade_mod]

Well, look at your own...it doesn't look like it's lined up perfectly, does it? *You have to line it up so that the bar will fit right, sit right. *So you have to really *know* how the industrial bar sits in the ear, exactly how big it is to know how far the dots should, and how to place it properly in the ear.

Theoretically, yes, you should be able to line up the needle and there ya go...but in reality it just doesn't work quite like that. *You gotta know HOW to line up the needle.

[solnyez]

I don't really think there is such a thing as a "delicate" industrial, or even a small industrial for that matter. I think it would more depend on the jewelry you wear in your other piercings, rather than your body size.

Having stretched my conch before, I can tell you that stretching cartilage is a viable option. I wouldn't dream of stretching my helix, if only because of all the problems I've had with it in the past, but I know a few people that have done it. By the way, I did have my helix repierced, although it was in a slightly different location rather than the same spot.

And Boom, I wouldn't consider you all that big, goodness... although the imagery is quite hilarious.

[Buzz Kill]

I was a pitbull malamut cross.
and the poor thing looked terrifed to be dressy in a frilly pink sweater

[solnyez]

I'm not pitbull malamute mix, or a malamute, or... well, I have no idea what I am, really. Either way, I look terrible in a frilly pink sweater. Or anything frilly... or pink.

[Buzz Kill]

Last night I was in a frilly pink dress....gah.
Anywas back on topic, definately get your industrial done professionally, they're extrmemly hard to line up correctly.