i have regular piercing holes and i dont know what to use to stretch them. ive seen people with the little spikes the jewelry carts at the mall have but im not sure if im supposed to use them or not. hop you can help me
nymphetamine1978
Favorite Answer
You can go to a pro or you can do it yourself. I usually suggest going to a pro for your first stretch so you can get an idea of how it's done (more so than just reading about it)
First, understand that stretching should be considered permanent. There is no guarantee that they will shrink. 4 - 0 gauge is considered to be the point of no return, but even then, not all piercings will shrink back down.
Rules:
Don't skip sizes. The only exception is if you've had your ears pierced for a few years, you can usually go right to 14ga. That's the only time it's ok to skip. Othewise, one size at a time. 14ga, 12, 10, 8, 6, etc. "Normal" piercings are usually 18 gauge.
Make sure your lobes are healed. You should not attempt to stretch unless your current lobe piercings are at least a year old.
Wait 6-8 weeks between stretches for smaller sizes, once you hit about 4 gauge, wait 10-12 weeks, then 3 months after about 0. The longer you wait, the healthier your lobes will be.
It's called stretching, not 'gauging'. gauge is a size. You don't millimeter your lobes, nor do you gauge them.
Stretching should never hurt. You will feel pressure, maybe a little discomfort, but never pain. If it hurts, stop. It should never make your lobes bleed. If they bleed, you're going too fast. Downsize and wait.
Never wear tapers as jewelry. Only use implant grade surgical steel or titanium jewelry for fresh stretches. No double flare jewelry for fresh stretches.
Beware of thinning lobes. If your piercings are too low on your lobes, you stretch too fast or it just happens, be sure to remove your jewelry and downsize. This will help fatten up your lobes so you can stretch larger. If your goal size is large, you should do this regularly through out the stretching process.
Here's what you need:
taper
jewelry
water based lubricant (KY Jelly or surgi-lube work well)
Have a hot shower and massage your lobes afterwards. This will help with blood flow and make the stretch easier.
Remove your current jewelry. Lube up your taper and new jewelry. Gently push the taper through the piercing with even pressure. When you're 3/4 of the way through, butt your new jewelry against the taper, continue pushing it through until the taper is out of your lobe and the jewelry is in.
Do sea salt soaks once a day for a few weeks. After that, massage your lobes with vitamin E oil or jojoba oil (there are others you can use, those are the ones I prefer). Don't use oils on broken skin. Wait the alloted time (the jewelry should move freely in the piercing when ready for a new stretch) and repeat until you get to your desired size.
Remember, you have your whole life to stretch, it's not a race. Piercings that are stretched too quickly develop scar tissue, blow outs, thinning lobes and cat butt effect. They aren't pretty. Healthy lobes look good, ones that are stretched too fast look like sh**
James
If you have small piercings right now you don't need tapers. Tapers become your friend around a 6 gauge and after. Up until then just grab you ear lobe, put some Vaseline on the new jewelry and slowly put it in. Wait 3 weeks between each jump.
ℓάced
"Gauging" is not a word! It's stretching. Buy a taper, put the taper in your ear, then put the jewelry in. Wait a few weeks, then repeat.
Also, google is your friend.
hushpuppy
i believe you start very slowly...you can start with the lowest gauge or earrings that have the lowest gauge (even though u aren't gonna use those kind in the end)...just start wearing them for a month or so, depending on how much pain you can go through till you have stretched your lobes as far as you want
Anonymous
was going to answer this, but damn, the woman before me did a damn good job, so kudos to her- all your answers are there-heed that advice!