Stretch Your Ears Quickly
Stretching your gauges more than one size at a time can be a dangerous undertaking. It can result in splitting, blowouts, or scarring, may damage the elasticity of your ear making downsizing more difficult or even impossible, and can be very painful. But if it's a risk you're adamant about taking, there are some ways to make the process marginally safer and less painful.
Contents
Steps
- Know your materials.
- Tapers are long, slightly pointed tools used to stretch your piercing. The thinner end is inserted into your ear and then the rest of the taper is pushed through the hole to stretch it.
- Plugs are smaller and are the jewelry worn in a gauged piercing. Plugs can be single flared, meaning that one end is about a size larger than the center of the plug; double flared, meaning both ends are flared out to be about a size larger than the center of the plug; or not flared, meaning it is a uniform thickness, usually with divots on either end.
- These divots are used for holding on O rings, which are small rubber rings that keep your plug in place on your ear.
- Decide how large you want your gauges to be. Typically an un-gauged pierced ear is either 18G or 16G. For your first quick stretch, try to avoid sizing up by more than two sizes at a time. So if you're an 18G, you could try skipping 16G and going right for 14G. For ears that have already been stretched, you may be looking to go from a 12G to an 8G, a 10G to a 6G, and so on.
- Acquire your materials. Get your taper (you only need one even if you are stretching both ears), lubricant, and your plug(s) from a reputable source.
- Do not use porous materials such as wood or cork as those can breed bacteria. Acrylic is cheap but cannot be sterilized. Stainless steel is almost universally believed to be the safest material.
- Do not buy cheaper products as they are often shoddily made and may cause complications if they have uneven edges, incorrect sizing, etc.
- There are many lubricants available specifically designed for use in piercing and stretching. Never ever use Vaseline.
- It is recommended that you use un-flared or single flare plugs immediately after stretching. It is far more difficult to force a flared plug through a fresh hole than it is to fit an unflared piece of jewelry.
- Take a hot shower. This will help to relax the tissue in your ear lobe and make you cleaner, which is always safer. Always remember personal hygiene.
- Massage your earlobe. This helps relax your ear further so it will be more prepared for the stretch.
- Lubricate your piercing and taper.
- Stretch your piercing. Starting with the thin end of the taper in your ear, steadily slide the entire tool through your piercing until you've reached its widest thickness. This may take a few minutes.
- It is a common misconception that you should leave a taper in your ear and stretch your piercing over time; this is a dangerous practice because the imbalanced weight of a taper can stretch and damage your piercing.
- If at any point you feel more than a slight twinge of stretching pains or if you begin to bleed, immediately stop, remove the taper, clean your ear, and do not attempt another stretch for at least two weeks.
- Replace the taper with a plug. Your ear is now stretched. If you would like, repeat steps 5 through 7 on your other ear.
- Care for your ears. Regularly massage your lobes, remove your plugs for brief periods of time, and clean your ears. Your ears will need time to heal, especially after undergoing a double-stretch all at once.
Tips
- Remember your limits. If it becomes too painful, take it out and try again, advisedly with a smaller size.
- Do not use ice, it will only cause unnecessary stiffness in the tissue.
Warnings
- It is highly recommended that only those who are absolutely certain they want stretched earlobes attempt this. It is almost guaranteed to be painful.
