Ear Stretching - Ear Gauging
What is stretching?

Stretching is the process of slowly enlarging a pierced hole in the body. This process has been been taking place for thousands of years by people all over the world. Stretching can be done to nearly every piercing, but most common is the ear lobe. This is done by slightly stretching the tissue, causing micro-tears to form, and maintaining the hole at the new size until the tears heal completely. This process can then be repeated as many times as needed to get to the desired size. As long as this is done safely and correctly, nearly any size piercing hole can be created.

How often should I stretch?

To start with, I have two words regarding stretching which are "GO SLOW." Listen to your body as each person is different. My experience has been one gauge size a month and I am not recommending this for ANYONE. My lobes healed quickly. Most people feel that their ears are healed after 1 month. Before stretching again, wait another 2-3 weeks. It is strongly recommended to take your time and only stretch 1mm at a time. A good rule of thumb is one stretch every other month.

What is the maximum size that will heal up?

This is a commonly asked question by many people who have started stretching. Everyone's body is different, and therefore everyone's lobes will shrink up to a different point. 2 gauge is widely considered the point of no return - where your lobes become significantly less likely to heal even to the size of a standard earring. There is never any guarantee that your piercing will shrink to any certain size. The other thing to keep in mind is that would you be happy with a large hole in your ear as an elderly person? What about having to put up with your children and grandchildren asking you why you have huge holes in your ears.

Stretching Methods
There are several methods of stretching your ears, but the taper method is the only one to be described.

Taper Method

We have a selection of Ear Tapers and Ear Stretching Kits on our website, and will be getting surgical steel tapers soon. Using a taper is the most effective way to stretch your ears with minimal stress. These can be made of metal, acrylic, glass, or stone. The smallest end is your starting gauge and to help ease insertion. The largest end is the size you want to stretch to, and you should only do one gauge jump at a time, e.g. from 12G (2mm) to 10G (2.4mm). Lubricate the taper with either a water based lubricant such as KY jelly or cocoa butter, etc. I use a cocoa butter creme. Why? Not only has cocoa butter been used to keep skin soft and supple for centuries, it is one of the most stable, highly concentrated natural fats known, and it melts at body temperature so that it is readily absorbed into the skin. It helps with scar tissue too. While sliding the taper in, you should meet some resistance. It is important not to force the taper when you meet this resistance. You may notice some slight pressure, burning, stinging, or heat. Use the rubber o-rings to hold the taper in place. After a week, gently apply pressure to the taper and slide the o-ring on the back up to hold it in its new position. Once the desired stretch has healed, you can either leave the taper in your ear, or replace with some nice plugs or tunnels.
WARNING! It should never be painful to stretch. There might be a slight amount of discomfort from the pressure. Also, there should never be any blood while stretching. If you experience any of this, you could cause a blowout. I have met several people who had a little blood from one lobe at the start of a stretch, but it did not continue to bleed. I had a little blood from one of mine and they are both fine. I'm currently at a 0 gauge and wear steel single flared gauges and ball horseshoes.
Best results can be achieved if you use some jojoba oil, emu oil, cocoa butter, or some other natural oil with vitamin E and gently massage the ear lobe after removing the jewelry for a few minutes or more each day, everyday until you reach your desired size.

Aftercare for Stretched Lobes

Healing Stretched Lobes
Below are two methods for healing stretched lobes and are very useful for other piercings.

Sea Salt Soaks

Sea salt soaks are the #1 best thing you can do to help your lobes heal properly after a fresh stretch. In fact, you can use sea salt soaks to help heal any piercing you have. To do a sea salt soak, you will need some non-iodized sea salt which you can get from most supermarkets. Dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt in 1 cup(8oz) of hot water. Tap water is fine but deionized or distilled water will work as well. Submerge you piercing(using the warmest water possible) in the solution for 10-15 minutes. This should be done 2-3 times per day. This soothes your piercing while drawing out impurities, thus allowing it to heal faster. WARNING! Do not overdo it on the salt - too much salt is extremely bad for your piercing and could cause it to dry out. You can then use a Q-tip, cotton ball, tissue, etc. to clean around the piercing and jewelry to remove the lymph secretion or any crust that has formed.

Anti-bacterial and Anti-microbial Soaps

Most piercing studios and piercers will suggest you use one of these soaps when you get your piercing. Try to get a fragrance free, antibacterial soap for cleaning your piercings. These are available at most big box stores in 1/2 gal. sizes for around $3. Avoid cleaning with Betadine, Hibiclens, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Dial or other harsh soaps, as these can damage cells. Also avoid ointments as they prevent necessary air circulation. Please read the "What To Avoid" section of the Piercing Aftercare Guideline.

Relaxing Your Lobes

You should allow your ear lobes to relax for a few hours each day. This means removing your jewelry, as stress is put on your ear lobes by the jewelry, which restricts the blood flow and oxygen to the bottom of your lobes. This can cause your lobes to thin out and become irritated in some cases. By removing your jewelry and allowing the piercing to breathe for a few hours a day this can be prevented, and this will help thicken the tissue around the bottom of your lobes. This will allow you to stretch bigger in the future while keep your ears clean and smelling fresh. No matter what size your lobes are you should allow them to relax once a day for a few hours. People who have their lobes stretched to 2 gauge (6mm) and over, should leave their jewelry out over night. If you are concerned about doing this, you should start for a short period of time and gradually extend this until you find an amount of time that you feel comfortable with leaving your jewelry out. If you have problems reinserting your jewelry, you should get the taper for the size that you are, lubricate it, reinsert the taper, and then butt your jewery up against the end to get it back in. For flared items, a taper the next size up from the jewelry may be required to help get the item back in.

Oil Massages

Oil massages are for healed lobes only. To massage your lobes, you should use oils like jojoba oil and Vitamin E oil. Jojoba oil is good because it is very similar to the oil that your body naturally produces which is less likely to irritate your skin. Vitamin E oil is good too because it breaks down scar tissue. Another good oil to use is coconut oil as this is similar to Vitamin E oil. Massaging your lobes is also good as it can help the blood flow in your lobes and help thicken them up giving more room for future stretches.

What is this crust on my jewelry?

If your piercing is healed but seems to get crust on your jewelry when you take it out or move it, this is normal. It is mostly likely dead skin cells. Your skin sheds all the time; you just don't notice. This dead skin can't go anywhere so it sticks to your jewelry. There may also be a smell associated with this exudate. Organic materials (such as wood or buffalo horn) will absorb body oils.

After stretching, my lobes are bleeding and very sore!

If you have any bleeding or pain, then you have stretched your lobes too quickly. To stop any further damage to your piercing and yourself, you will have to downgrade the size of your piercing, by one size at least. This should be one size smaller than the previous size. Your ears need to heal before you can think about stretching them again. You should treat this as a new piercing. This is to stop infection and help your damaged ear(s) heal up. You will have to wait until your lobes are completely healed, and then wait another 2-3 weeks before you start doing oil massages to help heal your lobes. You must make sure that your lobes are properly healed before stretching again, and this could take 3-5 months. Healing times vary from person to person, so just listen to your body.

Blowouts

A blowout happens when you have stretched your lobe to fast. Once again "GO SLOW." There's no rush to get to your desired size! You will know if you have a blowout. Yes, these are ugly so take your time. A blowout is where there is excessive pressure on the inside of the piercing and the hole deforms by twisting inside out. This will appear as a section of tissue or flap on the back of the ear. To recover from a blowout, you should downsize right away. This should be one size smaller than your last stretch. Treat this as you would a fresh piercing. Sometimes(most of the time) surgery is needed to correct a blowout.

Benefits of certain materials (Glass & Organics)

Glass is very popular and also hypo-allergenic, which is a great advantage for people who have sensitive skin. The other group of materials is organics. Many people have found that the body tends to accept them extremely well, often resulting in increased comfort and decreased amount of smell being given off. Some woods will cause an allergic reaction or irritation, so research any organics you plan on using. If you experience any irritation, change to something more suitable immediately like titanium or surgical stainless steel.

Disclaimer

This is not an all inclusive guide. This is a compilation from multiple sources on the internet. This guide is for informational purposes only. Should you decide to stretch your lobes, you are doing so at your own risk. Should you have any specific questions, you should talk with your local piercer. If you have a serious infection or bleeding due to a piercing or stretching, seek medical advice or medical attention immediately.
Continue