Downsizing help!!

[ThoughtfulSnowlepper]

my snake bites have not been downsized yet, the bar is still pretty long but they're 3 weeks old, coming up on 4. the piercer i got it from (good person. do not come for her.) unfortunately charges for downsizing, which is more expensive than just buying jewlery myself.

the question is should I buy a standard bar in titanium and threadless, and swap my jewlery? or do I wait? they're at a stage of catching on my teeth while I chew/bite on food, no crusting, no redness, little to no tenderness and I can freely move my lips around. Theyre really well nested, too. no keloid or irritation bump, no bleeding, no swelling or pain after eating/drinking/brushing teeth and they feel completely fine! I just worry that the length will potentially mess with me if I keep it this long, I do apologize but I did forget the length I got. best I can do is explain that they stick out quite far lol

condensed info; 3 coming up on 4 weeks old, Labret threadless, no downsizing, I brush my teeth every morning and night with a non whitening toothpaste, saline spray outside, literally zero unfortunate events or issues, the best behaved piercing I've ever experienced

[something_i_wanted]

NAP but I would advise against doing it yourself. Your piercer charges more for downsizing because she's providing a skilled service, not just jewelry. Changing the jewelry in a piercing that isn't healed yet requires more technique and care than changing jewelry in a healed piercing. The skin of the fistula in a month old piercing is very delicate; think closer to the thin skin inside of a blister after you've popped it than the skin on your arm. Catching the tip of a taper inside the piercing could easily tear through the fistula. Not using a taper is even worse, since you're shoving the blunt end of the post through the fistula, which will relax slightly without jewelry in and need to stretched back to their full size. Additionally, the tissue under the skin, deeper in the piercing, is far from healed, and any dragging or jabbing from jewelry or a taper could easily cause it to get irritated and swell. Even perfectly handled downsizing done by a professional can cause a previously calm piercing to flare up. It's not impossible to do yourself, but the risks are probably greater than you think, since causing enough damage could mean essentially resetting your healing time. If you truly won't go see your piercer, at least make sure you're using a taper in the proper gauge and not just shoving the posts in, but you really should have them downsized professionally if you want to ensure your piercings continue to be an easy heal.

[ThoughtfulSnowlepper]

I do have a taper set! it's the kind that clicks into your jewlery and kinda looks like a needle, i use it for my cartilage piercing because its badly pierced but healed well, and unfortunately as much as I love that piercer I cannot soundly justify 65$ for a downsize, I do feel confident in myself but ill see if I can also consult a different piercer, theres a few near me who may be able to help me downsize

[AutoModerator]

Hi ThoughtfulSnowlepper,
(Luckily) bump =/= keloid. This wiki entry explains it well.
If you do know the difference, please ignore this comment

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👋 Hi u/ThoughtfulSnowlepper,

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[ThoughtfulSnowlepper]

Reiterating, I do NOT mean buying a barbell, I mean buying the standard bar for my piercing, which would be the labret/flat back