Mine was done with a 16g needle (:
Gauge is the term that indicates the diameter of the needle. Most commonly the needles that are used for medical purposed range from 7 Gauge to 33 Gauge, according to the Stubs scale. 7 Gauge needle will have the largest diameter while as the number increase, the diameter decreases. Therefore the 33 Gauge needle has the smallest diameter. So a 26 Gauge needle will have a smaller diameter than that of the 18 Gauge needle.
needle- is used for sewing.
Gauge is a measure of how large the opening of the needle is. The larger the number the smaller the hole. Most venipuncture is done with a 16-24 gauge needle, depending on the size of the patient and the location of the vein. A 10 gauge needle would be huge.
Medical procedures
In a needle cricothyroidotomy, the doctor uses a 12- or 14-gauge catheter and needle assembly.
Usually a large bore needle is used in emergent situations, such as an 18-gauge or 16-gauge. The old standard was to use a catheter no smaller than a 20-gauge. Research shows that a 22-gauge needles will suffice without significant hemolysis (blood cell rupture). Remember that the bigger the gauge number, the smaller the diameter.Miller MA, Schlueter AJ. Transfusions via hand-held syringes and small-gauge needles as risk factors for hyperkalemia. Transfusion 2004;44:373-381.Frelich R, Ellis MH. The effect of external pressure, catheter gauge, and storage time on hemolysis in RBC transfusion. Transfusion 2001;41:799-802.
20-22
The 21 gauge is a smaller needle.
The smallest gauge needle that I'm aware of is 22g. But no one will pierce you with anything less than 20g, and that's usually in the nose. But, the standard size piercing needle is around 16-12g, but you can make a request to be pierced at a larger gauge, if there's sufficient flesh for it to go through.
Yes, the larger the gauge the smaller the needle size.
Yes, that's fine. All the professionally done cartilage piercings I have (five) were 16 gauge, and it wasn't like I had to special request that.