Ever thought about stretching your ears? Here’s The Krafty Lady’s guide to how to do it safely and (almost!) painlessly… Don’t forget that these are just basic tips – if you’re seriously thinking about it you should go to your local piercing expert who can take a look and give you advice based on your specific requirements – some piercing experts also stretch ears, so it’s worth finding out how much it will be for a professional job. And it’s almost always best to go to an expert if you’re thinking of stretching anything other than your ear lobes!
1. Firstly, you’ll need to have a piercing in the first place. NEVER begin stretching your ears until the holes are completely healed up – it can be best to wait three times as long as it takes to heal before you even think about buying your first stretcher. It allows the skin to heal and strengthen before becoming traumatized by stretching, and will hurt a lot less!
2. Okay, so you’ve had your piercings a while and you go out to get your new stretchers. A normal piercing hole is 1.6mm in width – this can vary slightly, and it’ll be worth finding out from whoever pierced you before you buy your first stretcher.
3. A steel taper is probably the easiest and most comfortable way to stretch your ears. You’ll need to know the measurements of the widest and narrowest part before you buy it, and as a beginner it’s best to go for stainless steel tapers as they do not absorb bacteria and infections. Most people tend to start stretching up to 2mm, so start with a taper that is 1.6mm at the narrowest end and 2mm at the widest point.
4. Don’t take it too quickly! Stretching should never be too painful and it certainly shouldn’t bleed. Massaging your lobe or holding a warm damp cloth up to it before the process will help circulation and relax the tissue in the lobe. AND ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS WITH ANTIBACTERIAL SOAP IF YOU’RE STRETCHING A LOBE YOURSELF.
5. Lubricant can be used on the taper – but it’s not recommended to put too much on, as it could slip out of your hands. Water itself can be used, or perhaps a mixture of tea tree oil and vitamin E. Push the taper into your ear as far as it will comfortably go, then push it in slightly further until you can feel your lobes warming up and tingling, but not painful – they may sting slightly. Then, use the rubber “o” rings provided to hold the taper into place.
6. Well done! That’s the first step. Now it’s up to your body to decide how long it will be before you can stretch again. Everyone is different – it can take people a matter of weeks to stretch to 6mm, some people can take months. NEVER rush the process – you could end up damaging your ear for good. And never stretch too far too soon – it’ll hurt! You must always wait for your ear to heal properly before you begin stretching again.
7. Don’t forget that stretching to 8mm or over could mean risk of damage to your ears if it is not done properly, and 20mm or over and there’s no going back, (although again this can vary from person to person, so be sure a larger hole is what you want before you begin stretching to any size)! But it IS different for everyone.
8. After stretching your ear will probably be slightly inflamed and may sting a little, but as I said before – THERE SHOULD BE NO BLOOD. If your ear does bleed, it means that you have done some tissue damage and it’s best to take the taper out and to let the ear heal completely before you begin stretching again.
9. It’s really important that you keep your ear clean. Dust and skin cells build up in the enlarged hole and create a cheesey discharge (lovely!), so clean your ear with a mild saline (salt water) solution or antibacterial soap – unfragranced soap is even better because it won’t cause any irritation. Do this once or twice a day. Turn your taper gently to prevent it sticking and to clean around the inside of the hole. And always wash your hands before doing so!
Congratulations! You’ve done your first stretching – easily, cleanly and almost pain-free! Now you can go and have some fun choosing your first lot of funky stretchers – there are loads available on the market so have fun!
To ensure you get accurate advice go and see your local piercing specialist who’ll be happy to help out! And don’t forget we sell all kinds of stretchers, so check out http://www.thekraftylady.co.uk/ for some ideas of what you’ll get to wear once your ears are fully healed. We’ve also got a brand new forum on our site which you can log in to via your Facebook account, so no need to sign up to use them. Pop by if you have any questions and hopefully someone will be able to help. Have fun!
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i’ve only been stretching my ear for about 3 days now , shall i still take it out to clean ? and do i need to twist the taper to stretch my ear :s or does it do it all by it self
My right ear lobe is healthy, stretchy and elasticated. My left is tight, swollen and crusty and doesn’t like to be stretched, lol. Can I help this or will I always have one tht stretches better than the other?
Hey ellie12345!
Lots of people have one ear that stretches better than the other. The best way to deal with it is to make sure that the ear which is harder to stretch is taken more slowly – you might have slightly odd-looking holes to begin with but it’s worth taking the time over. You should also try lubricating the stretcher to help it go through more easily – you can do this with water or a mixture of tea tree oil and vitamin E – but don’t put too much on or it could slip. Massage the lobe well with a warm damp cloth before stretching, too – this will help the circulation and make it a bit easier to stretch 🙂
Good luck!
Hey loverebel 🙂
Yes, definitely still keep it clean! You’ll need to clean it for a few weeks whilst it’s healing, and it will still need cleaning even after you have finished stretching it. Try and push it out a little when you’re cleaning it so that you can clean around the inside of the lobe. Dial Anitbacterial soap or salt water solution (but don’t let it dry your skin out or it will become sore), are the best cleaning methods.
Also you must keep twisting it (with clean hands of course!) to prevent it from sticking in the hole and prevent the skin from healing around it.
Most problems occur when people don’t keep their lobes clean enough, so keep washing them and twisting them and you’ll be doing a grand job!
Thanks 🙂
I’ve been stretching my ears for about a year now, i have 1&3/8in.(35mm) with second holes of 2g(6.5mm).
just recently a slit has appeared in my larger hole on the right ear,which is causing my ear to be all pusy and nasty. haahaha.
anything explainations?
thank you. :]
Hi rimer,
There are a few causes to splits in the ear, but the main one is stretching a bit too quickly and causing too much stress on your ear. And if you have two holes in your ear it is a lot of extra stress on your skin.
You really need to take any stretchers that you have in the infected ear out and let it heal properly. Dial Antibacterial soap is great for cleaning nasty ears, or try some unfragranced soap and water. It might also be worth soaking your ear with a cold cloth if it’s a bit swollen to get that swelling down.
If the infection doesn’t clear up after cleaning it a few times a day then it may be worth popping to your doctor to get some mild antibiotics which’ll clear it up in no time.
It’s important to let the ear heal up properly before you start stretching again; this could take anything from 6 weeks to 6 months depending on how much damage has been done, but I’d advise only having one stretcher in when the ear is healed because even once it looks completely healed tears are likely to open up again in the future (which is why you can’t have a healed hole re-pierced).
I hope this helps you out a bit – good luck!
hey, ive recently decided to stretch my ear and im not sure wat size to put in first, my friend offered me a 3 mill and a 1.8 mill and i chose the 1.8, thinking the 3 wood be way to big to start with, is that ok to tart froma normal peiceing to a 1,8 and since it is a taper and its quite sharp do i need to tape it to my head or something wen i sleep to prevent it from stabbing me??? and wat is the generall size you can go before you cant un-stretch your ears?
You were absolutely right to choose the 1.8mm first (if your friend has used them before you then you must remember to sterilise them in hot water before inserting them – I’m not saying your friend has manky ears or anything 🙂 but it’s important not to contaminate the piercing to be stretched!). Ears are normally first pierced with 1.6mm, so you’re in fact probably only stretching 0.2mm, which is fine for a first attempt; 3mm would be the next one to go on to, but only once the first stretch is fully healed. Take it slow! There’s no rush.
You could try a bit of teflon tape around the sharp end of the taper if you’re worried about it digging in to you when you’re sleeping, but if it’s in properly it shouldn’t stab you during the day 🙂 If you feel uncomfortable try going for a shorter taper – there are various lengths available.
As for the ‘maximum size’, it is GENERALLY said that 8mm is about the maximum you can go to so your ears will return to a normal shape, but this is by no means a rule and differs for every person. The best advice I can give you is not to stretch at all if you want your ears to return back to normal – the tissue damage that stretching can cause could mean that you won’t even be able to get pierced again, as body piercing experts will not re-pierce tissue-damaged ears.
Think of stretching along the lines of getting a tattoo, rather than getting a piercing – a piercing can heal but a tattoo you’re stuck with longer unless you have some surgery to get rid of it – the same applies to ear stretching. So be careful and make sure it’s what you want to do before you do it! 🙂
Other than that, take it slow; it sounds like you’ve got the right idea about it all, and you obviously have friends that have stretched so you can get advice from them, too, which is great. Feel free to email me again if you need any more advice though – I’ll be more than happy to help!
Ok hi guys i thought i might stick my nose in to help some of you new ppl out now ill just say i have a 30mm ear and ive been stretching it for about nearly 2 years now.
Now wen u stretch make sure it doesnt hurt otherwise your doing it wrong listen to thekraftylady she has some good pointers what you should do before you go up to the next size when your ear has fully healed start pulling on ur plug taper tunnel what ever you have and do this for atleast 15 mins a day once you have been doing this for a while over a month and you can see a gap from your ear to the plug taper tunnel try inserting the new taper or tunnel or plug what u have got and there should be no pain at all.
Make sure the fistula is not hanging out the back wen you do this other wise you will result in getting a blow out like ive experinced 😦 i would say go 1mm or 2mm a month but dont be a fuckin hero hardcore emo and jump like 3mm or 4mm just because you want big ears but seriously i dont care what you do if you want to fuck your ears up for further stretching go ahead i dont care but i cant stress enough u take atleast a month before u go up a size.
Now for the people that have stretchers over 1/2 inch take them out when you sleep but if you have only stretched them to the next size like a month ago wait 2 months before sleeping with them out because the ear is still adjusting to the stretch and if you take them out it willl be alot of pain to get back in the morning.
If you have this problem easily fixed pop in a smaller plug taper tunnel and just keep going up to your size this helps the ear warm up trust me it works i do it every morning so happy stretching people and good luck,
NUGGZULEH
Hey nuggzuleh! I really appreciate the advice, thanks for taking the time to help out! I get thousands of ear stretching queries so it’s nice to get some sage advice from someone who knows what they’re talking about 🙂 You don’t want a job do you?! The wages are non-existent but we do good coffee 😉
Hi thekraftylady as long as the coffee is good im in because when im 18 im becoming a body piercer specialising in ear stretching so i dont mind helping ppl out 😀
I started stretching about a month ago. I had a normal piercing in, but I’ve had them pierced all my life, so they were rather stretchy. I inserted the 14g perfectly as if it was just a normal sized piercing. I then moved down to a 12g, which slid in rather easily as well. This was over the course of 2 days. I have 10s in now, which I only waited a week after the 12s because they seemed perfectly fine. The 10s didn’t hurt much when I slid them in either. I’ve had them in for a few days now and they are completely fine, they do not hurt at all. Do I still have to wait a few weeks before gonig to an 8g? Even if my ear shows no signs of pain, or stretching too soon?
Thanks!
Some people naturally heal much faster than others, and it is fantastic that you’ve found it so easy to stretch, but you do still need to be careful. The more you stretch your ear, the weaker the lobe becomes – stretching quickly can damage the tissue inside and may lead to a blow out or a split when you stretch to larger sizes. Even if you are not experiencing any pain, I would leave it AT LEAST a week in between – the reason you leave the ears to heal is so that the tissue inside can get used to being stretched. The lobe becomes naturally thinner the more you stretch, so you need the tissue to be very strong to stop the ear from splitting. It’s this process that a lot of people become impatient with and start to stretch too quickly! It can look and feel fine on the outside, but that doesn’t mean it’s fully healed inside.
It’s great that you are stretching gradually, and you’re obviously keeping them clean because they sound pretty damn healthy to me! Well done! I bet they look great 🙂 Basically, use your own common sense to decide when it’s good to stretch, but don’t get impatient and remember that the bigger you stretch the more stress will be on the lobe, so you should be leaving it for slightly longer amounts of time to let the tissue become stronger.
Hi thekraftylady,
I’ve just gone from a normal 1.6mm peircing to a 3 – but haven’t told my parents yet. I don’t know how to approach it and if they told me to take it out would it be safe to just take it out and clean it until it heals?
please reply soon!
Hi lauraa,
I don’t want to sound like your mum but you really should have got your parent’s permission before stretching your ears; it makes life a lot easier! ;-P You need to be really sure before you alter your body in that way; stretched ears don’t always go back to normal size so it’s a lot more serious than getting a piercing.
If they do tell you to take it out, it’s absolutely safe to just leave the taper out and keep it clean until it heals. Please remember though that the further you stretch the harder it will be for the ear to back to to it’s original size, so you might want to stick to a very small size until you tell them to avoid taking it out and still being left with a hole!
I’m sure if you’re just honest with them then they’ll understand – you’d probably be surprised that your parents did crazy stuff like that too when they were younger! Of course, they’d never tell you that… 😉
heyy guyz,
im just wonderin because ive just started strechin and my first stretcher i bought is a 3mm. im wondering is that way 2 big to start out with??? i got most of the stretcher in but im a bit 2 worried 2 push it any further…..
hi, i have got a 4mm expander in my ear and i can take it out and pull it through.
But i can’t get my flesh tunnel (single flare) to go into my ear 😦
help pleaase.
I dont know if you are still doing this but I just started stretching my ears and I have a 14gauge in now, and I was wondering if I could just skip to an 8 gauge taper and just insert it slowly and let it take time because I mean generally tapers is going through all sizes until you get to an 8
Do you think I can put in a taper right after I pierce my ear?
I don’t have holes in my ears, this would be the 1st time piercing them.
Do you think I could stick a 12g taper right after I pierce my ear with a 12g Needle?
They would both be the same size.
Most people will start stretching with 1.6mm (if their piercing has closed up a bit), and tend to go up in 1mm intervals. However as you’re not pushing the taper straight through to begin with it should be fine. There’s no rush to get it all the way through your ear – the o-rings are there to hold it in place as far as it will comfortably go, so you’re absolutely doing the right thing by waiting until it feels better before pushing it in further.
Don’t rush the process though – for instance, going from a 3mm to an 8mm will be a big (& painful!) difference, however slowly you push the taper in! Plus the larger the tapers get, the heavier they are in your ear and you have to take this into account as well – a large taper resting in a small hole might put an uncomfortable strain on the ear, and could cause your lobe to stretch in an oval shape, or cause a nasty blowout 😦
Don’t forget to keep it all clean – at least twice a day is the rule, and you should push the taper out and clean inside the ear lobe as well as the taper and the outside of the lobe. It sounds like you’re being pretty sensible about the whole thing so don’t start getting impatient and you’ll be fine!
Sometimes putting new things in your ear can be a bit of a challenge, especially with flared tunnels and plugs. Put some time aside to push it in – if you are trying to do it quickly and it’s not working then frustration starts setting in. This, in turn can cause you to automatically tense up and it will be much harder to get anything through your ear! Try massaging the ear for 10 minutes or so with a warm – not hot – flannel, or just with warm fingertips. This causes blood to flow to the lobe, relaxing and softening it. You might also want to try a small bit of lubrication, such as Vitamin E oil, on the taper – but NEVER use petroleum-based lubricants like Vaseline. Water can also be used as a lubricant – whatever you use, don’t use too much or it will be too slippery to hold.
If your taper has been sliding in and out without a problem, then the tunnel will go in – just don’t force it or try to ram it in there, because it may go in but it will be painful! 🙂
I wouldn’t recommend skipping sizes, but this is a fairly small jump to make so it should be absolutely fine. When you push the taper in for the first time, remember to only push it in as far as it will comfortably go and use the o-rings to hold it in place. It might be useful to get some small o-rings so that they’ll stay on the taper whilst you’ve got the smaller end in. When it feels comfortable push it in a little each day, as far it will comfortably go until you have the whole taper in your ear. If you use this method, you’re not really skipping sizes at all – more saving money on stretchers! 🙂 If you try and push the WHOLE taper in your ear to begin with, then you’ll be skipping sizes and this could lead to a blow out or other nasties, so take time over it, keep it clean and you’ll be fine. As you start to stretch to bigger sizes try not to skip too much in between as you could end up over-stretching your ear *ouch*.
I really wouldn’t advise putting a taper in right after you pierce your ear, even if it is the same size. A taper should be used after the piercing has done because it is basically used as an EXPANDING device, rather than an actual piercing device. If you pierce your ears with a taper, it will not be held in place as well as a piercing stud would be, and if it moves about the ears will take much longer to heal. There’s also a high risk you’ll get an infection if you put a taper in your ear straight away, as even steel ones should be used in healed piercings – even though they have antibacterial properties. As I said, tapers are for expanding – not for piercing!
My best advice is to go to a piercing expert and get your ears pierced, wait the 6 weeks for them to heal and then start expanding. You’ll be much more successful if you take the time over it – rushing it can cause all sorts of problems in the future, and if you do it wrong from the start it can make stretching a much more painful and uncomfortable process.
I know that’s not what you wanted to hear, but if you follow that advice you’ll end up with really healthy happy lobes!
Hey, by the time i got a reply i got the 4.5 mills in hahaha and its all goin fine its not sore at all. anyways thanks 4 the advice
Hey i am stretchin 4mm and im 13 and my left ear is throbbing i took it out it was bleeding really bad then i put it back in and half an hour or so i took it out again and it stoped and my ear like really really really hurts and is there any way i can stop it and can i sleep with it in my ear cuz i dont want any think bad to happen cuz the ends pointy
First of all, you’re very young to be stretching your ears! You really need to be 18 or ask your parent’s permission before doing so – it’s a pretty serious step to take.
Did you have a piercing in the first place? You have stretched far too quickly – your ear shouldn’t bleed, and it certainly shouldn’t keep bleeding. You need to take the stretcher out and let your ear completely heal (4-6 weeks) before you start stretching again, otherwise you could cause some serious damage.
You need to use a surgical steel taper when you start to stretch, rather than acrylic and only ever push it in as far as it will COMFORTABLY go, then hold it in place with the o-rings. The next day you can push it in a bit further – it is a myth that you need to push the stretcher in all the way. It has the o-rings so you can hold it in place where it feels comfortable and gradually push it through over a couple of days. When it is completely in you need to leave it 4-6 weeks to heal up. During this time, use some medical tape on the sharp end of the taper to stop it jabbing you whilst you’re in bed, or try to get some shorter tapers. If you stretch your ear this way it will never bleed as you are stretching it naturally. Rushing it could tear the ear or even cause a blowout.
As I said, your best bet is to take it out and let the ear heal. It sounds like you’ve done a bit of damage so you need to wait and see how it heals before you can decide whether or not to stretch again. I know that’s not what you wanted to hear, but you risk more damage (and pain!) by leaving it in.
i’m just starting to stretch. i’ve got a 2mm taper and a 2mm plug. i can get the taper all the way through my ear fine, but the plug won’t go in. is it ok to leave the taper in. how long should i leave it in? will the plug eventually fit or will i need to get a bigger taper to get the plug in?
hi i have recently stretched to 6mm
i currently have a tunnel in and i would like to get a retainer in for work but it just wont go in and its starting to annoy me. ive been told to take it out at work already
please help!!!
Hey there,
I recently started stretching my ears a few months back and I’m starting to wonder if I’ve screwed up or not… My ears were pierced at 1.6mm and i let them heal up properly before i bought a 3mm taper, I got the taper in with some pain and a little bit of blood (bad I know but I cared for them and they healed fine). Then about 1 month after this I bought a stretching kit and that day i stretched to 4mm, no pain or blood whatsoever. I waited a week and then stretched to 5mm, same story, no pain at all. I’m still at 5mm now (have been for about 4 days) and I want to go to 6mm. I’m just wondering, am I stretching too fast and how long should I wait between stretches if I’m experiencing no pain or discomfort?
Also, the inside of my piercing is somewhat ‘wrinkly’ but its only the inside of the hole and not the entire lobe as I’ve seen in pics of the ‘cat-butt effect’. Is this normal and will it affect the healing of my ears if i ever decide to downsize?
Thanks in advance.
Hey, I di what common sense says not to do and stretched my ear when i was drunk… I only stretched it 2mm and had no problems; Ihave no problems moving it or anything like that. I took it out to clean the next day and it was bleeding, yet with no pain at all. I’ve bled when getting all eight of my piercing so do you think that is to be expected with stretching aswell? Also when I eventually take it out how long would I expect for it to return to it’s usual size?
Hi! Apologies for the delay in responding – I’m getting a huge backlog of emails at the moment; it must be the time of year for stretching! It is absolutely fine to leave the taper in – in fact, if possible you should be leaving it in for 4-6 weeks for the stretch to properly heal before changing to plugs – especially if the plugs are acrylic, as they are not antibacterial like surgical steel tapers. If the plug is 2mm then you shouldn’t need to stretch bigger than that to fit it through. Quite often they can be stubbourn but don’t force it through and get stressed with it! Take half an hour to an hour to sit and chill, and massage your lobes with a warm damp cloth or warm clean fingers for ten to fifteen minutes. This will increase the bloodflow and should relax the lobes so they will fit around your plug easier. You could also try a small amount of lube on the plugs, such as Vitamin E oil, a tiny amount of pure olive oil or even just plain old water – make sure it’s tepid rather than cold. Never use too much or it will just slide out of your hand and make you more frustrated! 🙂 Ease them in gently don’t force them. If you’re relaxed enough and your ears are healed properly then they should go in eventually.
I hope this isn’t too late to help! Good luck, let me know how you get on and keep doing what you’re doing; it sounds all good! 😉
Viki x
Firstly HUGE apologies for the delay! I have had so many emails recently – I may have to start getting some helpers!
I’ve just replied to a similar email 🙂 If the retainer is the same size as your stretched lobe it should go in eventually. Getting frustrated with it makes you tense up and will make it much harder to get it in.
Try and take half an hour or so to sit and chill out, and massage your lobes with a warm cloth or warm, clean fingers for ten to fifteen minutes. As bizarro as it sounds, it really relaxes the lobes and makes it easier to put things through. You could also try a small amount of lube on the retainer – just plain old water will do, but make sure it’s tepid not cold, otherwise you’ll undo the hard work you’ve done whilst massaging it! 🙂 Being really relaxed does help so try not to stress about it.
If your stretched ear is healed up enough the lobe should be able to cope with being left open all day if you can’t get the retainer through. When people have had their ears stretched for a while they often leave their stretchers out all night because it’s good for the ear lobes to give them a chance to relax. Perhaps you could consider this option if you can’t get the retainer in.
The argument for individuality comes into play when work say you can’t wear ear stretchers, and I’ve had lots of emails from people asking me what they can do about it! I hope it all works out for you, and well done for sticking up for some individualism! 🙂
I recently began stretching my ears and my right ear is only on a 10 gauge thus far but i was trying to clean it and it began 2 bleed so i took the taper out. so basically i wanted to know if i did the right thing and if you had any extra advice for me? I’m a beginner and i’d like to prevent infection as much as possible 🙂
I just stretched from a 6mm to an 8mm, and it really hurts!
it’s been hurting for hours, and it’s hard and swollen.
I think i teared it.
I started friday, it wasn’t getting anywhere, so slept with it in, i think it slipped out a bit during the night though, so i tried on saturday, it really hurt and got sore cause i was trying to force it, but still didnt get past a certain point, so today, sunday, i finally got it through after ages. but it really really hurts.
Do i have to take it out? I’m afriad to cause of the pain. my friend did the same, she left it and it went fine, is it alright for me to do that?
PLEASE HELP :'[
Hi sorry for the delay! I hope you’re well.
First of all, you could be stretching too quickly. Even though the ear appears healed and the swelling may have gone down, the tissue inside the lobe is probably still healing. Once you have inserted a taper fully into your ear (which you don’t have to do in one go – push it in over a few days to ensure you are actually stretching the lobe and not ripping it), then you need to leave the taper in for up to 6 weeks before starting to stretch again. The wrinkling in your ear is a sure sign that you have stretched a bit too quickly.
Don’t panic! As long as you are keeping it very clean and twisting the taper to ensure that it doesn’t stick then after a couple of weeks it should heal up nicely and you can begin to stretch again 🙂 Up to 6 weeks is the rule, but it should definitely be a minimum of two weeks for it to heal inside as well as outside, and anything in between is fine!
Just remember that there’s no rush – the longer you leave it the healthier your lobes will be!
Viki x
Don’t worry, you’re not the first person to do this!
First of all though I will say that sometimes a hole will not go back to its normal size – you should never stretch as a temporary thing in case your body cannot heal. You should be okay with a 2mm hole but remember if you stretch any more you may not be able to shrink your lobes back. As for how long it takes depends on how long it takes for you to heal, but as I said in lots of cases and depending on how long the ear is stretched for it may never go back to its original size.
Keep it very clean with a salt-water solution, and twist it twice a day at least, (with clean hands!) to stop it from sticking in your ear. You’ll need to push the taper out and try and clean inside of the lobe and around the taper as well.
Remember that you are stretching the lobe, not piercing it so there shouldn’t be blood, but quite often after the night in bed they can get a bit sore! Try some medical tape around them to stop them moving around and stabbing into you at night, and just be sure to give them a really good clean in the morning. 🙂
Hello!
You did exactly the right thing 🙂 Removing it straight away is always the best option and well done for keeping it clean – you’ll need to do this every day for a couple of weeks. Remember you are stretching the lobe, not piercing it, so there shouldn’t be any blood.
If you still want to stretch, wait at least 6 weeks for the ear to heal properly. When you push the taper in, only push it as far as it will comfortably go – anymore and you are probably ripping your ear. Use the o-rings with the taper to hold it in place and over the next few days push it through slowly until the entire taper is in the ear. This way you are not forcing it through and the lobe is naturally stretching around the taper rather than being forced onto it!
Keep them clean and twist them at least twice a day with clean hands to stop them from sticking. You need to leave them up to six weeks and a minimum of about 2 weeks to heal before you can remove the tapers and either stretch to a bigger gauge or change your jewellery.
But it sounds like you’re a sensible person so I think you can handle it 😉 Good luck, let me know how it goes and please please remember not to rush and keep it clean – that’s the most common cause of problems!
Hello. Sounds like you’ve stretched too quickly, which happens time and time again!:-)
You have to remember that you are STRETCHING the lobe, NOT PIERCING it. Tapers should be pushed in only as far as they will comfortably go then the o-rings are used to hold them in place. Over a few days, push the taper fully into the ear and then you need to leave it from 2 – 6 weeks for the ear to fully heal. You don’t have to push a new taper through in one go!
If you have torn the ear you will need to take the taper out and leave it at least 6 weeks to heal fully. Depending on how much damage is done, you may want to decide not to stretch again. Make sure you keep it clean with a mild salt water solution. If you don’t take it out you could risk not being able to stretch your ears again – the fact that the lobes are hard means there is too much pressure on them and more stretching could cause a blowout.
As I said leave them to heal for AT LEAST a couple of weeks before considering stretching again, and next time remember that the taper should be pushed in over a few days, not overnight! 😉
Hi, I tried to stretch my ear for the first time today,
I’ve gone from a normal piercing to 3mm, it was the smallest size the shop had, also its just a plastic (not sure if its actually plastic) and when I asked if they had any surgical steel ones they said its easier to do it with plastic when you’re first starting, so that confused me.
Also, she told me to put Vaseline on it, but then I read somewhere you shouldn’t use Petroleum based products, so I tried water but that didn’t work too well either.
My main problem is that I’ve gotten the taper in about 1cm (i think its about 4cm in total) but I can’t seem to get it any further, not because it hurts, it just won’t budge.
And I would just leave it then try to get it through further tomorrow or something, but the O ring on the back will just fall out because the taper is to small at that end.
I’ve also found the skin has become really tight, I can’t twist it easily and when I try to take it out it is difficult.
I don’t know if this is because I’m doing it to fast and going to the 3mm or not.
Another question: When I finally get it in is it bad to take it in and out in the first few days, I work in a fast-food place and they don’t allow any piercings, it would have to be left out for about 5-8 hours.
Thanks, Victoria.
Hi!
Apologies for the delayed response – it is so hectic here and there are lots of people with ear problems! ! :-O
Firstly, you should ALWAYS use surgical steel, pyrex or titanium to stretch your ears. It was wrong of the person to sell you acrylic stretchers for first time stretching. Acrylic stretchers can breed bacteria whereas steel, pyrex and titanium are all antibacterial and should be used in all first-time stretches. Acrylic is fine to be worn once the stretch has healed (after about 6 weeks), but should never be used as a permanent replacement for antibacterial jewellery.
You were absolutely right not to use Vaseline – Vitamin E oil is widely used and can be purchased online. It’s slightly gooeyer than water so should help it slide in a bit better. If the skin is hard around the stretched hole then you should stop stretching for a while – the skin should be pliable and soft, and you could risk a blow out if you continue to stretch too quickly. Just leave it to heal for a bit longer until the skin has gone back to normal then stretch to a larger size. You need to leave the tapers in for at least 4-6 weeks until they heal, only taking them out to clean inside the lobe. A ten minute break is fine but if you leave them out for a few hours at a time you will find it hard to get the tapers back in and could damage your ears with constant stretching and shrinking. However, after the ear has healed properly (4-6 weeks) then you should be able to leave the stretcher out for long periods of time – in fact it is recommended you do this to let the ear rest and keep your lobes healthy 🙂
I hope this helps and sorry for the delayed reply once again! I hope your stretching goes well; if you need any more advice then please feel free to email me. And don’t take advice from that shop again as it doesn’t really sound like they know what they’re selling! :-S
Viki x
“7. Don’t forget that stretching to 8mm or over could mean risk of damage to your ears if it is not done properly, and 20mm or over and there’s no going back, (although again this can vary from person to person, so be sure a larger hole is what you want before you begin stretching to any size)! But it IS different for everyone.”
I stretched my ear a few months back to 20mm, i didn’t realise that this was the maximum size and i’ve only recently looked this up.
i can safely say i’m gutted as i was hoping to take it out pretty soon, im missing wearing my nice earrings again! haha.
Im stuck on wether to take it out or not, because if theres absolutely no chance of it healing, i havent wasted all that money just for it to be a hole,
but i dont know if it’s going to heal unless i try taking it out..? i’m not sure if that makes sense lmao. so yeah, im confused, i need help or some reassurance! thankssss. xxx
hi, i’ve been stretching my ear and moved up from 3mm to 4m the other day. it was quite painful, but i just took some painkillers. the other day i took it out and there was a wee bit of blood. i cleaned it all and put my 3mm back in. how long should i wait before i put my 4m back in?
Hi there, basically, ive been stretching my ears since i was 13 and im 19 now. i know ive not strectched my eears to quick… i know that. i was at 6mm for ages and i recently stretched up to 8mm. one ear is fine and the other is throbbing and pussy. ive taked in out and cleaned it but when i put it back in it started throbbing again!! any ideas as to what the hell is going on with it?
Hello Chloe! 🙂
There are no SET rules on whether it will heal when stretching 8mm or above – everyone is completely different so feel free to take it out because it won’t do any harm and the hole may well shrink 🙂 20mm however, is a pretty big stretch on the ear. It can also depend how long you’ve had them stretched for and how long it took to get there; if your ear has been stretched for a long time it has probably healed that way permanently – there are lots of variables! The bottom line is, you shouldn’t be stretching your ears at all if you think you might want to go back to earrings in the future; you need to think of it more like a tattoo than a piercing; piercings can be removed, tattoos need surgery – it can be the same for ear stretching! Let me know how it goes 🙂 x
Hi Annie, thanks for your message.
Well done for downsizing straight away! Firstly, you need to make sure that you clean it at least twice a day, and don’t forget to keep rotating the taper (with clean hands!) to stop it from sticking in the ear. You will probably need to leave it from 4-6 weeks before you try stretching it again – often the ear can appear healed after a couple of weeks but the tissues still need to knit together inside. Next time you stretch, massage the lobe for 10-15 minutes beforehand to get the blood flowing and make the ear more pliable, which will also make it easier to stretch. You might want to try a small amount of lubricant on the taper to help it slip in easier – you can use water but Vitamin E oil is also very good. Only push the taper in as far as it will comfortably go and use the o-rings to hold it in place. You can push the taper in fully over the next few days, and once it’s fully inserted you need to leave it 4-6 weeks before changing your jewellery or stretching again 🙂
I hope this helps – if you need any more advice then please feel free to contact me!
Hi Clairee 🙂
Don’t panic 🙂 A pussy ear can be a sign that it’s healing, but in your case it sounds like you might have a small infection in there. Firstly, you should downsize straight away. Keep cleaning your ear with salt water solutions and use cotton wool or kitchen roll to bathe the ear in warm water. This will also make it feel better! 🙂 You will need to clean it at least twice a day, and wash you hands everytime you touch it.
If the swelling and pus hasn’t subsided after a couple of weeks then you might need some antibiotics, but if you make sure you downsize and keep it clean then it should clear up in no time. You know you stretched too quickly, so I won’t patronise you – you’re one of the first people I’ve spoken to who has actually stuck with stretching rather than taking it up as a fad! 🙂 But wait 4-6 weeks before attempting to stretch again – even if you have got odd ears at the moment! When the time comes, only insert the taper as far as it will comfortably go and hold it in place with the o-rings. Insert it fully over a few days rather than all in one go, then leave 4-6 weeks before stretching again or changing jewellery! Once it’s in, keep it clean as you are now and it should match your other ear in no time 😉
If you need any more advice just drop me an email! 😀 x
Hey
I wish i saw this before i stretched my ear. I went to 3mm, and i rushed it in 2 days and i tore the hole :S. I kept the stretcher in when i should have taken it out, wish i had of known, but now it does not hurt, its much stronger, still a bit red on the inside, but with every day, it is getting better. Any advice you could give me, cause i was thinking about going to 4mm when this fully heals but i really dont know what to do now, cause im still young and dont wont any permanent damage.
Hey i started stretching my ear but it won’t go in i got a 2mm stretcher today and used olive oil to get it in a bit but an o-ring won’t hold it and i can’t twist it….HELP
okay so i have a size 2gauge and from the inside my ear is wrinkly
why is that?
what should i do??
help
u can send me a message at karoleiscool@yahoo.com
with info about it thanx
hey, I stretched my ear to a 2mm and it was perfectly fine, i was cleaning it twise a day, and i had no problems, but somehow it managed to fall out on the third day.
i dont think i put the ‘o’ rings on propperly, so i tryed to put on a 3mm. it hurt abit at first, slight throbbing and tingling, but i left it then, i didnt want to make it bleed or force it too quickly. Would leaving it in half way be okay as long as i put the rings on propperly? I just dont want it falling out like my last one!
One last question 🙂 – what do you think is the best size to go up to? I dont want to go any bigger than an 8mm, so i was thinking about 6? is that a wise choice?
thanks 🙂 x
Hi Mark!
Firstly you know you did it too quickly, which is a good start! I don’t think you need to worry – fortunately, because you’re young, your body will probably heal fully and the ear should be fine in 4-6 weeks. Just make sure you keep the ears really clean in the meantime so that they can heal without getting a nasty infection, and when you decide to stretch again you need to make sure that you only push the taper in as far as it will comfortably go, then hold it in place with the o-rings. Over the next few days you can push it in completely (but do it gradually!), and once it is fully in your ear you need to leave it a good 4-6 weeks for it to heal again.
Remember that you’re stretching the ear, not piercing or tearing it, so the process needs to be gradual! Sometimes one ear can be a bit stubborn – make sure you masssage the lobes for 10-15 minutes before you start to stretch, as this will help the lobes to relax and make it a bit easier to push the taper through. You might also want to try a bit of lube on the taper – such as Vitamin E or Olive Oil. Never use petroleum based lubricants like Vaseline though! 🙂
As long as you give the ears enough time to heal you should be okay to stretch to a 4mm in the future. If you need any more advice feel free to contact me!
Viki x
Hello! Apologies for the delay in responding your message has only just come through!
Firstly you need to de-stress! Being stressed and working yourself upwill cause all of your muscles to tense up and this won’t help the stretching process! Take some time out and sit in a room with your favourite music 🙂 Then, when you’re ready to stretch massage the ear lobes for 10-15 minutes (or more if you have the time) to relax the ear lobes – this should help the taper to go in properly. You could also try bathing them with warm water.
Using olive oil is a good idea – never use petroleum based lubes like Vaseline. Don’t try to push it in too far – just as far as it will comfortably go, but there may be a bit of stinging and your ears will burn! If you can’t get it in all in one go to begin with, then push it through gradually over a period of a few days, holding it in place with the o-rings as you do so. If the o-rings are too big then you should look for some smaller ones, which are available online. We also sell them in our shop 🙂
I almost guarantee that if you relax a bit and don’t get stressed out with it the process will be a lot easier! Other than that it sounds like you’re doing everything right – just take it slowly, because ramming it in will only cause problems in the future!
🙂 I hope it goes in okay. If you need any more advice then feel free to drop me an email!
Viki x
Hello!
Yes leaving it in halfway will be fine as long as you put the o-rings on it to hold it in place! Time and time again I tell people that you don’t need to push it all the way in in one go, so you’re absolutely doing it the right way 🙂 A little stinging and burning is to be expected so don’t worry about that. Just make sure that you keep the lobes clean with salt soaks at least twice a day (there’s a recipe for a salt soak available on the FAQs page!). You should be able to gradually push the taper in further over a few days. Try lubricating it with a little olive oil or vitamin E if it seems a bit stubborn – you’re also right not to force it; the more stressed out you get with stubborn ears the less likely they are to stretch well! 🙂
I can’t say what the best size to go up to is because it’s different for everybody. What I will say is pick a size that you’ll be happy to live with – don’t just pick a size because you’re trying to stretch more than your mate! 🙂 Some people stretch their ears to enormous sizes – I’ve seen people put plates in them! But this isn’t for everyone and it’s not a competition so stretch to whichever size you feel comfotable with. 6mm is fine 🙂 Remember whichever size you pick will probably be with you when you’re old and wrinkly so make sure you want to go bigger before attempting the stretch! And only stretch 1-2mm at a time; never skip sizes 🙂
I hope this helps! Feel free to email me and let me know how you get on, or if you need anymore advice!
Viki x
OK thanks for the first advice but it doesn’t matter now i got it in found out my original peircings held a lot of scar tissue because they where done at claire’s with a gun and also that i had been trying to put a 2.5mm stretcher in ouch i got it in but it still bleeds and is sometimes gunky and i did get a lump in my neck. ouch
hi ive stretched my ears over the past 2 days and ive finished stretching now but im struggling to get the tunnel in and to fasten on as its a screw in one and i havent got enough hands to do all of this have you any advice on both problems please.
Thanks for that, it was a great help 😀
I know it seems really soon, but my ear healed really quickly, and it didn’t hurt or anything not one bit. So now, i have my 4mm in half way instead of my 3mm 🙂 – I’m so happy that i havn’t had any problems, its going great 🙂
once again, thanks 🙂
This is a great website! i recomended to a few friends who are thinking about stretching 🙂
x
I’m currently at a size 10g Taper, I had left my 14g Tapers in for a month before I decided to put in the 12g’s but for some reason every time I take the tapers out to clean (I Clean them Daily) The pierce hole starts to bleed a little, It doesn’t bleed much though, It just bleeds like in inside the hole not even enough for it to come out, so I just wipe it off with a rag damped with salt water…My ears feel fine and I do salt soaks daily and rub some Vitamin E Oil on the tapers every time I stick them back in. Why do you think my ears keep bleeding? I never rushed in between stretches.
That sounds really painful, I do hope it’s healing okay. Do you mind me asking who told you that being pierced with a gun would cause scar tissue? This is only the case if the ear hasn’t been looked after properly, or perhaps been caught at night whilst you have been sleeping. A 2.5mm stretcher is fine to start with but remember you don’t have to push it all the way in! Hold it in place with the o-rings until you’re ready to push it in further! Please make sure that you keep it very clean 🙂 This will help it to heal much faster. Also try massaging olive oil into the damaged tissue as it can also help it to heal quicker and will stop the skin from drying out. If you have a lump in your neck you must visit your doctor immediately – this is not a usual thing to happen when the ear is infected, and you should be taking antibiotics to get rid of any infection that’s in there. Good luck and I hope it heals up soon xxx
Hello! Apologies for the delayed response I am having trouble keeping up with everyone’s messages again! 😀
I hope you’re okay 🙂 Okay, firstly, you CANNOT stretch your ears over two days. You need to be stretching with a steel taper (as it is antibacterial), and once it is in you need to leave to it for 4-6 weeks to heal up properly. You shouldn’t be inserting any other form of jewellery, like tunnels, into your ear until it has finished healing. This is probably why you’re having problems. Leave your taper in, and clean it at least twice a day with a salt water solution. You need to take the taper out to clean inside of the lobe, and don’t forget to clean the taper itself. Also make sure that you twist the taper a few times a day to prevent it from sticking – if you insert a tunnel now, chances are that it will stick whilst your ear is healing and will be extremely difficult to remove! After 4-6 weeks of cleaning and rotating the taper, you can put a tunnel in and it should go in a lot easier as your ears will have had time to stretch and heal properly. Never use acrylic, or other porous tunnels (wood, bone, horn etc.) as a permanent substitute for steel, titanium or pyrex which are antibacterial – they should only be worn for short periods of time to prevent infection.
You really need to slow done otherwise you will cause a blow out and end up with a nasty infection. If you need any more advice please don’t hesitate to contact me, and take care of those ears! 😉
Brilliant I’m so glad it’s working out for you, that’s really great to hear! I love getting feedback, it’s why I do it 🙂 Thanks for your nice comments and I look forward to chatting to your friends! 😉 xxx
It sounds like you’re doing everything as you should be. Sometimes ears can bleed after you’ve been asleep – you could have been laying on them funny in the night and they may have rubbed a little bit. Do you find that there’s more blood in the morning? If this is the case, try taping the tapers to your neck or ear (depending on how long they are!) so that they don’t move about at night. Medical tape would be great for this. Remember to take it off during the day, and don’t suffocate the hole – leave a bit of room for the ear to breathe. Always use a new bit of a tape, too. The ear shouldn’t bleed, as I said in my guide, but because of the nature of what you’re doing it’s possible they may be under a little stress and they may weep a little bit. Don’t worry too much – just keep going with cleaning them. Try using cotton wool instead of a rag. You should be using a clean piece of material for each lobe, and each time you clean them to prevent the spread of infection.
Also, if you keep removing the taper on a regular basis then you are causing damage to your ears – when you first begin stretching, you need to leave the taper in for 4-6 (preferably 6!) weeks before you can remove the taper for long periods of time. You should only be removing it to clean it in the first few weeks. Constant pushing of the taper in and out stresses the tissue inside the lobe and may well cause capillaries to burst causing your ears to bleed. If this is the case and you think you have been removing the taper too often then carry on with your regular cleaning, keep twisting the taper and leave it in for the next 4 weeks AT LEAST before you start to remove it or change it for other jewellery. Also, try to make sure you use a surgical steel, titanium or pyrex taper to do the initial stretch as these are antibacterial and will be far less prone to infections 🙂
I hope this helps, if you need anymore advice then please feel free to contact me! 😉
xxx
I bought a stretcher earlier and put my 1.6 mm ring thing in it really hurt while going in and I had to use Ice to numb it slightly, I had the ring in for six hours but it ached and throbbed, so I took it out,it still aches and this is 3 hours after ive taken it out, any help?
oh I also had a lumb around the hole which seemed to me like it was puss, I sometimes had this while wearing normal ear-rings, I was just wondering if that was an infection or not, and what I should do about it, the lump usually cools down after a few hours, but if you press it from the back (I’ve tried this) some kind of discharge comes out of it, it’s like nearlly the same colour of blood just slightly more washed out. I do sterilise and use salt water and everything… Any Help ?
Hi 🙂
Okay, firstly, if you bought a taper why have you inserted a ring in your ear? I am a little bit confused…
When you begin stretching your ears, you need to buy a 1.6mm – 2mm surgical 316L straight steel taper – you shouldn’t be using a ring or anything other than a straight steel, titanium or pyrex taper to do initial stretching of your ears. You should already have your ears pierced, and if this is the case it is likely that the hole is already 1.6mm, so most people start with a 2mm.
Once you have the correct type of ear taper, you should massage the lobe with warm clean hand sbefore inserting it in your ear. You may need a bit of lubrication such as vitamin e oil or olive oil – but never use Vaseline! Once the taper is in your ear, you should hold it in place with the o-rings that would have been provided. The taper needs to stay in the ear for 4 -6 WEEKS before it will have healed enough to take it out and change it for any other kind of jewellery, or before you continue to stretch. During this 4 -6 weeks you need to regularly clean the ear with salt soaks – at least twice a day – and twist the taper (with clean hands!) every so often to prevent it from sticking as it is healing.
If you have a lump behind your ears it does sound like this could be a small infection. If you had the pussy lump before you started stretching you shouldn’t have started to stretch at all. You need to leave the taper/ring or any other jewellery out of your ear and clean it regularly with a salt water solution, and bathe the lobes in warm water every so often. It will probably take 6 weeks to heal, so you should refrain from putting anything in your ears until the lump has completely gone. Because I’m not quite sure how you’ve stretched, it’s also possible that this is a small blowout. This means you have tried to force the stretcher/ring through your ear and the pressure causes a small lump of skin to appear at the back of the lobe. Treat this in the same way as an infection – remove any jewellery and keep cleaning it. If the problem persists for more than a couple of weeks you should pop to your doctor or a local piercing specialist who will be able to take a proper look and let you know the best cause of action based on what they see.
I would recommend that once your ear has healed to think really carefully about stretching your ears again as you may end up causing more damage – wait six weeks or more before making the decision. 🙂
I hope this helps. I wish you all the best of luck and please do get in touch if you have any more questions.
Viki x
Hey Every one says they smell but iv had my 8m in for about 2 months now and it doesnt smell is this a bad thing / and i had trouble getting in my 10m i dident use lube thanks for the idea PEACE =D
O and could u recomand a good stretching lube?
Hello! 🙂
Firstly, if they smell then you haven’t been cleaning them out throroughly enough. Sometimes the cheesey discharge, which is a build up of dead skin cells inside the lobe, can have a distinctive smell to it if it’s not been cleaned out properly. Unfortunately sometimes you won’t notice the smell and other people will! You need to be using a salt soak at least twice a day, and removing the taper completely to clean inside of the lobe – use a cotton bud to ensure you get all the crusty bits out! Don’t forget to clean the taper as well! You should continue cleaning your ears even when they have healed, as they have a tendancy to gather nasties inside the lobe and regular cleaning will keep them healthy and smell-free! 🙂
As for lube, you don’t have to use it, but it does help if you’ve got a bit of a stubborn ear! The best types of lube are Vitamin E oil or Olive Oil (the stuff for cooking is fine – if it’s Extra Virgin all the better!), but you can also just use water. NEVER use petroleum based lubricants like Vaseline. Olive Oil should also be massaged into the ear on a regular basis to stop it from drying out and to keep the skin healthy. It also helps it to heal a bit faster. Again, this should be continued even when the ear has healed up to keep your lobes looking healthy 🙂
I hope this helps a bit 🙂 Feel free to email me if you’ve got any more questions!
Viki x
hey ive just inserted a 2mm taper, although it wudent go ALL the way to the end comfortably i left it and put the “o” rings on and decided to stretch it a bith further daily. so is coconut butter ok to rub in and around the piercing? ive also been using savlon, which is an anti bacterial healing spray.
thnx in advance
I pushed in a 2mm as my second stretch but pushed it in all the way, despite it being painful. now a day later i still feel a little uncomfortable and can feel that there is an earring in my ear. firstly, is my ear ok? and i am wanting to stretch to 4mm then 6mm in 3 weeks, before school starts again. how long should i wait between these stretches?
Thanks.
hey there,
i popped some 2mm acrylic stretchers in my ears at the beginning of the year, you know the kind that are quite long and curve a little so you can gradually push them on? took a couple of days but they went on fine. i kind of just forgot about them in there, and now 6 months on i decided to move up, staying with acrylic. i purchased a 3mm and a 4mm, so i could stretch them up a size one at a time.
the 3mm slid on, no resistance no nothing which felt like a bit of a waste of money really, because if theres no resistance would that mean that its not stretching at all?
anyway, i took it out and proceeded to pushing in the 4mm, but it started to bleed just over halfway up so i took it out and put the 3mm in.
im wondering, is there a size between 3 and 4mm? because it seems pretty annoying that the 3mm isnt stretching my ear yet the 4mm is making my ear bleed..
hey im looking at stretching my ear proberly up to an 8mm, i pierced my ear bout couple weeks ago, im gunna wait till around the 6th week then start my stretching but im trying to decide weather its ok to go to a 3mm from my 1.6mm piercing? will it bleed n hurt alot? the place that i got my piercing done suggested i should go to a 3mm straight up but im just not 100% sure bout it yet. any advice would be appreciated thanks
Hi
I’ve got both ears currently streatched to 6mm and i heard somewhere that when you have stretchers in for ages the skin that was stretched sort of heals back. i have had my 6 mm stretchers in for about a month and i plan not to stretch any further cos i am afraid that they will never heal back but i am also scared that if i have these sixes in to long then my lobes wont heal back up to like 1mm when i go back down, for whatever reason. So bascially do you know how long you can have 6 mm streatchers in before it gets to late for your lobes to reheal and shrink back to 1mm or no hole?
THankyou so much
:S wish id seen this earlyer, im on 8mm an ive done it in like 2 weeks, my ears bled, but i i asked a freind an they told me it was normal for it to bleed, wich made sens because im gettin a big hole in my ear :P, but i jsut cleaned its using a lotion i got with my ear piercing, an carried on, now ive gone up to 8, should i just leeve it now? or would it be better for me to start again,
Hi,
I just started stretching my lobes recently (it’s been about 5 days) and I have 10g steel tapers in. I’ve heard that having one lobe that is more difficult to stretch it fairly normal, and for me it’s my left lobe that is especially finicky. The taper in my right lobe moves around quite freely, however the one in my left ear seems very difficult to move. Any tips on how I can “loosen up my left lobe” so that I can move the taper, and clean it? I haven’t outright forcefully tried to move it… yet, because that doesn’t seem like the best idea.
Thanks, any advice is appreciated.
ok so. my problems a bit weird and as far as i can see, no one else has the same thing =/
my ears dont like ‘o’ rings =/
no matter what i put in my ear, currently at 10mm, it’s fine, but as soon as i put anything with an ‘o’ ring on it, it crusts up and goes horrible and nasty and just generally icky (failtastic explanation). of course i swap to a plug as soon as possible but this causes problems when i’m stretching as all my tapers have the ‘o’ rings on.
any advice? i know im not allergic as i stretched my ears before but had a blowout and took them out 2 years ago. so..
help?
>:[
Hello! Apologies for the delay in responding we have just got back in the UK! I know I am probably too late to help now but wanted to respond to you anyway – I normally get back to people in 48 hours!
Yes, coconut butter is absolutely fine to use – probably better than Savlon spray as this can sometimes dry the ear out, whereas the coconut butter helps to regenerate the skin cells and moisturises the ear at the same time. Olive oil and vitamin E oil are also good, but you should never use petroleum based creams such as Vaseline. And it’s also fine not to push the stretcher in all the way in one go – well done for doing it over a couple of days, this causes much less stress to the ear.
Don’t forget to keep the ear clean – this means taking the stretcher out occassionally and cleaning inside the lobe as well. But so far sounds like you’re doing a grand job! Any more advice feel free to email me – I’ll respond much quicker next time! ;-P
Happy stretching! ;-D
Hello! Apologies for the delay in responding we have just got back in the UK! I know I am probably too late to help now but wanted to respond to you anyway – I normally get back to people in 48 hours!
Okay, firstly, you will experience some discomfort – no body mod ever comes pain-free! The ear shouldn’t be bleeding though – if this happens it’s likely that you’ve stretched too quickly and you need to downsize the taper and wait 6-8 weeks for it to heal before attempting to stretch again. Secondly, you should not be trying to stretch to a 6mm in three weeks, even if school is starting! You need to leave it at least 6 weeks in between stretches. Even though the ear looks healed the tissue inside the lobe will still be healing, and stretching quickly may well cause a blow out. You can rub vitamin E oil or olive oil into the lobe to help it to heal faster, but I would still recommend at least 6 weeks in between every stretch.
You also need to make sure that you only remove the taper for cleaning during the 6 weeks that it is healing – you will not be able to take it out for school as constant expanding and contracting of the lobe whilst it is healing can cause tissue damage and may be very painful.
Ear stretching is a permanent body mod, so please think carefully before starting to stretch – some ears will heal after being stretched, others won’t; it all depends on the individual. I wish you the best of luck though, and feel free to email me if you have anymore queries – I promise I’ll be able to respond sooner next time!
Hello! Apologies for the delay in responding we have just got back in the UK! I know I am probably too late to help now but wanted to respond to you anyway – I normally get back to people in 48 hours!
First of all you should never, ever use acrylic stretchers during the stretching process as they are not antibacterial like steel, titanium or pyrex. Acrylic stretchers are for decoration purposes only and can be put in about 6 weeks after the ear has been stretched and healed. It’s also not advised to wear them for a long amount of time, but rotate them every couple of days to prevent infection.
It is possible to buy 3.5mm stretchers, which may be helpful, but you could also use a 4mm taper and push it in gradually over a couple of days. You may need to buy some smaller o-rings, but push the 4mm taper in as far as it will comfortably go, (and without it bleeding!), then use the o-rings to hold it in place. You should be able to continue this process over the next couple of days until the whole taper is in your ear. You then need to leave it 4-6 weeks to heal properly before you either stretch again or change to acrylic/wooden tapers or plugs.
It’s also possible that you’re not taking enough time during the stretching process itself… Take an hour or so out of your day and spend a good ten to twenty minutes massaging the lobes before you start stretching. This relaxes the lobes and makes it a lot easier to stretch and push the taper through. You can also try a small amount of vitamin E oil, olive oil or even water on the taper itself as a bit of lubrication. It’s also good to rub olive oil into the lobe whilst the ear is healing after stretching as it helps aid the healing process.
I hope this helps and apologies again for the delay in responding – feel free to email me again if you have any more queries; I guarantee I’ll respond quicker next time! 🙂
Happy stretching! ;-D
Hello! Apologies for the delay in responding we have just got back in the UK! I know I am probably too late to help now but wanted to respond to you anyway – I normally get back to people in 48 hours!
Going up to a 3mm is absolutely fine for a first stretch, but don’t be pushed into it – if you want to start at 2mm then there is no harm in that whatsoever. However, as you’ve only just had the piercing done, (you’re right to wait until the sixth week or more before starting to stretch), then it may be easier to stretch up to a 3mm because the hole hasn’t had time to shrink around an earring, which are often only 1mm instead of 1.6mm.
It shouldn’t bleed at all, (you may find it has bled slightly first thing in the morning after you have been laying on it, but it should never bleed constantly or whilst you’re stretching). Don’t forget that your ear has already been pierced – you are just stretching, which means that there shouldn’t be any blood but you will experience a little bit of discomfort. When you first start to stretch, push the taper in as far as it will comfortably go, and then a tiny bit more. Your ears should be tingling or stinging a bit at this point, but they shouldn’t be too painful to bear. Hold the taper in place with the o-rings, (you may need a smaller set of o-rings so that you don’t have to push it all the way through in one go). Over the next few days, ease the taper fully into your ear, pushing it through a bit, holding it in place, and the same the next day until it is in completely. It also helps to massage the lobes for ten to twenty minutes before starting to stretch, as this will relax the lobe and makes it much easier for the taper to go in. You can also put a small amount of lubricant; either vitamin E oil, olive oil or just plain water and this will also help the taper to slide in a lot easier.
Take stretching at your own pace – don’t be rushed into it by other people, as this is when blowouts and other nasties occur! Any body mod should be taken slowly and seriously, so you decide whether you want to start at a 2mm or 3mm the choice is up to you! 🙂
I hope this helps. Again apologies for the delay; if you have any more queries the please do email me and I promise to reply a lot quicker next time! 😉 Good luck!
Thanks for the help,
After a few more days my left lobe calmed down a lot, so I guess it was also a matter of time and proper care for it. Vitamin E oil is a big help.
But I’ll def be patient when it comes to going up another size and wait a while.
Thanks for the help !
Hello! Apologies for the delay in responding we have just got back in the UK! I know I am probably too late to help now but wanted to respond to you anyway – I normally get back to people in 48 hours!
I answer this question time and time again and nobody likes the answer! There is no set amount of time you can have any stretchers in for before the hole will not heal. The best and only advice I can give is not to even think about stretching your ears if you don’t want a permanent body mod. Some people’s ears will heal after stretching, others won’t, or at least, not so well. If you have already stretched to a 6mm and are worried about your ears healing that way then I would strongly advise that you take them out and give the ears a chance to shrink back to their original size.
Hello! Apologies for the delay in responding we have just got back in the UK! I know I am probably too late to help now but wanted to respond to you anyway – I normally get back to people in 48 hours!
Your friend was wrong – it shouldn’t bleed when you stretch! The clue is in the name; STRETCHing, NOT piercing! The whole idea of ear stretching is to slowly expand the hole, not tear your own! 🙂 If the ear is still really uncomfortable and bleeding then you need to take the stretcher out and either down-size or remove it completely, (I’d strongly advise the latter…!). Keep the area clean, as you are doing, with salt water soaks and an antibacterial soap such as Dial, or piercing cleaning solution. It will also help to rub vitamin e oil and olive oil into the lobes as this helps the healing process and stops the lobe from drying out and becoming sore through all that cleaning! You need to be cleaning them at least twice a day, and keep doing this for 6-8 weeks to give the ear time to completely heal.
If after that time you decide that you want to continue stretching then you should start with a much smaller gauge and work you way up slowly otherwise you risk causing a blowout and further damage to your ears. As I replied to someone earlier, it shouldn’t matter how long it takes as long as you get a good result! Taking the time is what stretching is all about – if you don’t want to take the time to do it properly then you shouldn’t really be doing it at all!
I hope this helps, again I’m sorry for the delay in responding to you! Good luck, and if you need anymore help then just drop me an email – I’ll respond much faster next time!!
Viki
Hello! Apologies for the delay in responding we have just got back in the UK! I know I am probably too late to help now but wanted to respond to you anyway – I normally get back to people in 48 hours!
Yes, that’s right – there is always one ear that seems more stubborn than the other! 🙂 Try and set aside a longer amount of time when you begin stretching so you can relax a bit. Becoming tense or frustrated due to a stubborn ear causes your body to physically tense up and this makes it even harder to get the taper in! Massage the lobe with a warm (but not hot!) cloth, or just warm hands, for about 10 – 20 minutes before you start to stretch. This helps the tissue in the lobe to relax and will make it easier to stretch. You could also try a small amount of lubrication on the taper, such as vitamin E oil, olive oil or even just water alone. Never use too much or the taper may slip and you’ll have holes where you didn’t want to! 😉 And NEVER use petroleum based lubricants like Vaseline.
It doesn’t matter if your other ear takes slightly longer to stretch than the other – lots of people have odd ears when they start stretching but if you spend the time they will even out eventually and will both be happy and healthy! Just don’t rush, don’t force it, chill out and give them a bit of ‘lurve’ beforehand! 😉
Hope this helps a little bit! If you need any more advice at all then feel free to drop me an email 😀 Good luck!
Hello! Apologies for the delay in responding we have just got back in the UK!
Just because you weren’t allergic two years ago doesn’t mean that you still aren’t! 🙂 It is very possible that you have an allergy to the latex rubber used in the o-rings – not the taper itself. Lots of people suffer from this allergy and you shouldn’t just put up with it because you want to stretch 🙂 Try switching to clear o-rings, as the clear ones are made out of silicone and not latex or nitrrile rubber like the black ones are. You should only be swapping to a plug after the ear has healed (about 6-8 weeks) – if you change from a taper too early then you could risk an infection if you are using acrylic plugs. Try to limit the amount of time you wear acrylic plugs for as they are not antibacterial like steel.
If you have had a blowout before then this may also be the reason that your ear has some irritation. Quite often after severe damage to the lobe (like a blowout) the tissue never fully recovers, which is why piercing specialists won’t re-pierce a lobe that has scar tissue. Just ensure that as soon as any gunk appears you clean it – at least twice a day. Salt soaks, vitamin E oil and olive oil are all good for helping the ear to heal up and to ease any discomfort or irritation. 🙂
Hope this helps and you get it sorted out! Feel free to email me if you need any more advice!
thanks very much (:
i’m cleaning it like mad with very veryyy dilute TCP. like about one part tcp to 928374892374 parts water. it’s probably not even worth it LOL ><'
but thank you anyway.
and the blowout was in my other ear and that has healed totally – no hole whatsoever. so i look very lopsided.
i have since managed to get the plug out and have found out i now have an infection.
it was too sore to take out before but now it is no longer sore i have managed to have a better look, so im going to sort the infection out first. (:
on the plus side – the anti-o-ring gunk is clearing up. yayyy. (:
but yes ill have a look for the clear o-rings. thanks for you time.
nice to know there's someone out there who can help <33
xo
Brilliant I’m so pleased and it’s great to hear from you! I’m glad the blowout has healed; just make sure you get that infection sorted out – the really diluted TCP should do the trick! Try vitamin e oil or olive oil as well if you can – it’ll stop the ear from drying out and getting sore after you’ve cleaned it 🙂
Good luck I’m glad it’s all turning out okay! Just drop me an email if you need anymore advice 🙂 Have a good day!
Thanks for the guide.
But i have bought Crescent Stretching Tapers.
And im wondering if i could just leave them in, instead of putting plugs until i get to the size i want?
Thanks-
It’s not advisable to stretch with anything other than a straight taper – you will have problems when it comes to twisting the taper. You need to do this every so often to prevent it from sticking as it heals. It will also make it a bit harder for removing them for cleaning.
If the crescents are steel/pyrex/titanium then you could leave them in, but I would advise keeping an eye on them and removing them immediately should you get any irritation or if the crescent appears to be sticking as it’s healing 🙂
Hope this helps, good luck! 🙂
hi, i have been stretching for many years and on one ear i have a nice healthy 20mm hole and i have just started with the other. I have bought a tapered swirl stretcher and it keeps falling out while i sleep, and even sometimes during the day. Because of the shape of this ‘swirl’ o-rings don’t stay on it. Any tips to help it stay in? i would appreciate any feedback… from anyone 🙂 i have tried elastic bands but they make it look a tad unsightly.
I’ll be awaiting some replies!
Hannah
haha hey guys hi krafty lady whats been happening thought i might drop in i got my ear to 32mm now going to 35mm which i can fit in my ear already. 😀 have fun kids stretching your ears.
i’ve just stretched my ear..2.5mm, and i want to go up to a 4mm. if i only leave it like, two weeks, would it go wrong?
or should i defo’ leave it for 3-4?
hey,
i had my left ear peirced for about 4 years, decided to get a 2 mm taper, i also bought a 4mm at the same time, i left the 2mm in for about 2 days then went to a 4mm, it bled a little bit, should i take ti out or just leave it in??
Hey,
How often should a taper be left in the ear before switching to a tunnel?
Had my ear stretched the other day – i had my ears pierced before and had a 4mm taper put in my ear, it doesnt hurt at all but i want to look at how a tunnel looks.
So should i wait a couple of weeks or would it be okay if i switched to a tunnel as long as i left the tunnel in for a while?
hey, i streched my ear from a normal peircing to a 2mm, it was hardly painful but the next day i took it out to clean and before i pushed it back in there was a little blood. but not alot, so i cleaned it and cleaned the taper and put it back in. there is no pain. so is it okay or.. ? lol
Hi thekraftylady,
I just started stretching and I went directly to an 8g from a 14g, i managed to get the taper in all the way, after about 15 minutes of pushing through slowly and waiting until the stinging was gone.
I slept with it in and at school I took it out to show a friend the hole, it bled a little bit but eventually stopped. I put the taper back in after washing it, and I continue to clean it every night with rubbing acohol, should i use rubbing alcohol or some other type of cleaning stuff. Any advice will be helpful. Thanks.
Hello!
I got both lobes pierced about 5 weeks ago, and I was planning on waiting until 6-7 weeks passed before stretching. Firstly, is this too soon?
Secondly, I want to go from 1.6 – 2mm, wait 3 weeks and then go to 3mm. Is this too fast? I’ll then continue from 3-4mm, 4-6mm, 6-8 mm and so on at monthly intervals.
Thanks
Hi
I’ve had my ear pierced about 8 weeks now, and i’ve been wearing a normal silver stud for the whole time, but i dont know what size in mm the stud actually is.
but anyway i bought a 2mm taper ages ago from my friend, and im wondering wether to wear it, i wasnt planning on going any bigger in size after the 2mm because i figured i could use the size of the 2mm to put in other jewellry that is a bit thicker than the normal stud.
should i put in the 2mm taper?
Plz reply!!!!
many thanks
Greg
hi,, i stretched my left ear to 10mm plug and i am currently doing my right one,, i am at 6mm stretcher but it hurts really bad to put it in,, i went from a 4mm for a week now im trying to stretch to 6mm but it is extremely painful, it never hurt like this on my left ear when i did the 6mm,, whats up??
Hi peeps,
I’m gonna go out straight away I was a dick and went straight from a 1.6 to 4mm, the consequence is an ear infection, The ear is stretched and whatnot, but the infection doesnt seem to be clearing up?
I use anti-sceptic wash to clean my ear and my taper but i still end up seeing this gunky stuff on it and i think it may have been a blow out (i know this is the most likely thing), should i just take the stretcher out and just let it heal all up and start again, or is there something else i could do?
If its easier please email me – no1_curly@hotmail.com
I have a question,
I understand that acrylic jewelry is bad for your ears/stretching, but teflon tape is not, at least as far as I understand. If all i have are acrylic plugs, would covering them with one layer of teflon tape or two negate the effects of the acrylic? In my mind, this would make it more like the plugs are just made out of the tape material and not acrylic.
is my logic flawed?
thanks!
Hi, i’ve recently stretched my ears from 14mm to 18mm and i think i’ve torn the inside of the lobe.
Its really painful and when i take my tunnel out to clean my ear, there is quite alot of pussy blood coming from it.
After about an hour of cleaning it, crusty stuff forms behind the lips of my tunnel.
Im really stuck, i dont have a clue what to do because i’ve been cleaning it and stuff for about a couple of weeks and i think my ear it going to explode as its that swollen and purple
Could you help me?
Thankyou (:
hey,
i’ve had my ears stretched at 3mm for almost 2 months now and they don’t hurt, every now and then if i get a knock they feel a tad sore but nothing major, but when i take them out to clean them there is fresh blood, is doesnt bleed as such but its a small ring of fresh blood, help??
hi im 14
iam now on a size 12 in right ear and a size 8 in my left ear my mom does not like them and has told me to take them out but i dont want to. how can i tell my mom that they are safe and ok to wear? thanks this site is very good for a lot of problems 🙂 🙂 xxx
i have also used acrylic stretchers from the start and they are ok to use. the steel ones made my ears go infected for some strange reason. xx
I have had peirced ears since I was a baby and I started stretching two weeks ago. Last week, I bought 8g tapers(acrylic or plastic or whatevr you call it) and couldnt put them in my ear cuz they hurt and bled so i waited for the pain and dry blood to go away. two days ago, i bought size tens(still acrylic) and they fit but hurt a little. when i put them in again this morning, it so so badly and iim not sure if it bled. any help? i only want to wear tapers as jewelry and i know tons of people who wear for jewelry and use acrylic so i dont know why its bad honestly. i know they hold infections but if they can do it i can.
also, is it ok if i sleep with them on? i dont want them to hurt in the morning so i thought i should sleep with them. Help?
oh yeah, if it is easier, then email me at
free.2b.isa@gmail.com
hi ive just started stretching my left ear to 2 mm (12 gauge?), the other ear has been stretched numerous times so stretching is very easy however my other ear has the 2mm taper stuck through not even half way and i dont know whether to wait untill it losens or just to take it out and start all over again massaging it with vitiman E oil. Ive had the taper in for a day (looks ridiculous) and have a shower and tried to push it further in but its not budging and im deffinitely not going to force it through. any suggestions?
hey, i just stretched my ears today to a 6 and they still sting quite abit, is it normal?
hi!
i finally got the guts to stretch my ear today and i know it sounds silly but i jamp to a 4mm, and it was painful a little putting it in (expected) but no blood so i guessed that wasn’t so bad, but i was wondering should i take it out and clean it on the first night as i heard that i should, just worried of it closing up.
thanks, sam:D
Hey, thanks for answering in advance!
I’m starting to stretch just one my ears and I honestly only want a modest hole, about 2.5mm (I’m afraid I can’t figure out the gauge size!) so it can be seen through.
I’ve been to my piercer who I honestly trust, he did my navel with absolutely no pain, and spoke to him about stretching, he’s been piercing for 15 years and pulled out a large metal taper saying he can do it himself and get it from a standard piercing to 4mm in one go. Naturally I bulked and said I’d prefer doing it much gentler myself, so he gave me a acrylic taper (you’re worrying me saying they’re bad!) which is according to him 2.4mm. He said just sit and watch a movie and push it through. So I did that and it only wanted to go through halfway, it’s about a 1.5mm by the looks of it. I do want to be very careful as I’m an extreme perfectionist with piercings, a blow-out or scarring would be the death of me! Sadly the O rings are too small to fit on the back of the taper but it’s nice and tight in my ear so I just taped the larger end to the side of my head with a butterfly stitch to prevent it falling out and the day went well. I had no bleeding or swelling or discharge no “pain” just the usual discomfort (I have pierced myself 7 times this is a piercing I have done four years ago and it’s been fine, never had an infection in any of my piercings and I’m now 18).
So basically the annoying thing is I have a taper stuck in my ear the piercer advised I push all the way through and my ear clearly isn’t up to it, having done my own piercings I fully get my ears and I refuse to push it. I have just cleaned it with salt and slipped it in and out with a little Vitamin E oil, again no pain, bleeding, etc, I’m worried the oil has prevented the salt from touching the fistula but it’s fine again, despite using the oil it’s still gone to the same measurment. Around a 1.5mm.
Would you advice me to keep putting the little piece of butterfly tape on to support it and prevent it from falling out? I am concerned it might change the orientation of the stretching!
Sorry if I’ve ranted, I just wanted to check that everything’s going okay, I’m usually erring on the side of caution!
Many thanks,
Khristy x
so i placed in my tapers and its going well
so now ive got somme questions
1. is it okay if i got the plastic kind of tapers? i mean will anything go wrong if i have those?
2. when i clean my ears like what kind of solution are we talking about here? like is it okay if i just mixed water and salt? or what kind of soap?? im not sure if i have the right kind of anitbacterial soap?
3. what happens when i shower? do i take out the rubber “o”‘s?? and do i clean it while im showering?
When using tapers how long should you leave them in before putting in jewlery? They are 14 gauge so it’s not like they are heavy and wearing down my ear. Also is it bad to sleep with the tapers?
just to put in my two cents,i would like to say that ive always known when its time to go up a size because the lobe gets “comfortable”,and on some occasions even loose,so much that the size im wearing slips out. its definitely best to wait til your sure its time to go up a size,and consultiing an expert is best.
Hey, I first pierced my own ears when I was 11 with a steralised needle, no ice or anything just pushed it straight through, baring in mind I absolute hate pain, which is the weird thing. Pretty much a week after I put a 3mm stretcher in on the left ear because someone bought it for my birthday and I couldn’t be arsed to buy a smaller one, so I just stuck that one in and I was absolutely fine, and I have did the same to the other ear. I kept doing it from a 3mm to a 4mm to a 6mm, I stayed at a 6mm for like a year and a half, because I fell in love with the stretchers, but then as per usual I got bored and decided to go bigger, went from a 6mm to an 8mm, i had them for about 6 months, and then decided to go to a 10mm out of boredom once again. I am 16 now and I have had my ears stretched for 5 years pretty much and I would have them slightly bigger but never found the time/money to do so. Also, recently I have had my nose pierced and 2 weeks later I put a nose ring in. I’m not saying that because of my experience that you are unstoppable from doing this, I just wanted to share my experience : ) people are just different, I’m just one of those lucky people who can do stuff like that.
Lydia //
Hi, i have recently being expanding my ears and its not a 5mm, and im not going any bigger, after i did my 5mm my ear started to swell really badly so i took out the piercing with well washed hands and cleaned the whole wound and put my taper back in, it wasn’t bleeding but its still really swollen and i don’t know what to do, it doesn’t hurt at all but it feels uncomfortable.. my friend says this happened to him but the swelling went down after 4 – 5 days, should i leave it for a few days and keep cleaning it or should i let it heal up?
and it is a 5mm* sorry for typo
I have just put in a 1.8 taper and had it in for 3 days no and i feel only a tiny bit of pain when i squeeze it. can i go 3mm now? how long will it take to get to 18mm (3/4) going 2mm 4mm 6mm 8mm and so on?
Hey, reading a lot of comments here, its helped a lot. :3
I was wondering, Im a 8g right now and my right ear is perfectly fine, but my left ear is kinda, ehhh. Its a bit swollen, and when i put the tapers i have in the right ear was fine, but i believe i tore the left lobe slightly. There is mild discharge, and the left ear lobe sometimes is sore. other than that, the taper is relatively easy to turn in the afflicted ear. I dont have any h2ocean, is there anything else i can use for a cleaning product that is readily available with stuff at home? Is alcohol ok to use? or should i try something else?
Thanks for reading, hope to hear from you soon 🙂
hey, i juat baught the kit from argos= http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&catalogId=1500001501&langId=-1&searchTerms=2124506#tabrev
And i started to really worry that i wasnt doing it right 😦 I put the plastic one in first and now i’m worried incase i get a “Blowout”, I read a lot of reviews saying that the argos Set (Link above) Isnt good for begginers because the tapers are 2.5 and 4mm and a double flared tunnel. And i’m really confused as to what to do next
Can you give me a hand? xx