I've had a PA for a while and decided to stretch it from 10 gauge to 8 gauge so I bought a taper and an 8 and 6 gauge curved barbell. They arrived and I set aside the evening of New Years Day to do it. I soaked the barbell and taper in rubbing alcohol to kill off anything even though I bought them from a reputable shop. Well I sat down pulled out the old jewelry, put a drop of lube on the hole and pushed the taper through well it went through just like that. So my piercing had stretched on its own and I did not need the taper and no pain unlike the nipples. I will see what happens in a few weeks to see what happens with the six gauge since the hole was just a little to small.