Hi, all!

 Here's an open question to anyone who has ever gauged down a size:  Why did you decide to gauge down, and how much success did you have in the healing process and reaching your smaller goal size? Did you use any special products or massage techniques? 

If you're comfortable with it, please include your original size and the size you were able to heal to. 

- Dee

 At one point I had stretched up to 5/8" and then took out my plugs for like 6 months for the hell of it and my ears shrank to 6mm... Ive since stretched back up...

When I was in college, I stretched up to 8g.  I took them out because my boyfriend at the time didn't like them.  I don't remember exactly how long it took, but they closed up to 'regular' piercing size.  I was able to wear regular earrings w/in just a few months.  This was about 5 years ago.  I, too, have since stretched back up.

 A lot of people will downsize to give their lobes a break and a chance to thicken up a bit. Others downsize then stretch back up because they like the stretching experience. My left lobe has done a bit of up and downsizing back and forth, it was at 5/8" then 1/2" then taped up to 11/16" (with my right lobe) and now its resting at 5/8". Not a very large downsize, but it DID shrink. 

 I took my 11/16" plugs out back in June I think. My lobes are now around 7mm/1g, but a 0g will fit with a little tightness. I'm definitely planning on restretching, but I'm going to have them scalpelled to correct some placement issues.

I downsized from 3/4" to 9/16" within several weeks to thicken up my lobes and give them some breathing room. I'm at 7/8" and I plan on downsizing again here really soon

 my 2nd lobe piercings were up to 1/2" when I took them out for a few years.  When I started stretching them again I started with 12g jewelry.

 my current lobe piercings have been up to 42mm but are now at 1"-ish after taking my jewelry out for a week. 

both times I just removed jewelry and really didn't massage or anything.  

I downsized at the end of last summer, partly out of curiosity and partly because one of my lobes was irritated after an insect bite. I just left my plugs out for a week, and my lobes shrank from 9/16" to about 8-9mm. No special care, just a daily massage with jojoba or emu oil as I would when wearing jewellery.

I stretched back up to 9/16" over about 6 months, my lobes are smoother, thicker and stretchier for it. Stretching back up wasn't really like stretching, more that my ears were just ready for the next size after about a month. I've just stretched to 5/8", I'm sure the downsizing last year made this stretch very easy Another nice thing was the variety of jewellery I could wear on the way back up....... I'll be downsizing and restretching again in the future and definitely recommend it!