A question for the knowledgable in the area of Piercings

[Disposable Teen]

Ok I want to get my ears pierced and stretch them and all you know. What's the maximum size I can start out with, my friend said that it was 8 but it would hurt like nothing I've ever felt. So my question is would it be possible, and feasible, to start out with like 12g or 14g?

[Wormboy]

haah we were talking about that today, man you should get the ones you showed me though, they own!

[Disposable Teen]

Originally Posted by Wormboy

haah we were talking about that today, man you should get the ones you showed me though, they own!

I know but I don't have the cash man

[Green.Lady]

Seriously, I know you probably want to jumpstart the stretching, put you have gotta start with a 16. Or even just pop in a toothpick or thicker wire and then a 16 a bit later. I personally don't stretch my ears but I know many people who have overstretched their ears too early, starting with a 14 or 12 - the results were extreme pain and a phenomenon called a "blowout" that is seriously not a pretty sight.

The key is to not rush. If you start small, you'll have less chance of complications like bleeding and horrible reactions, which I've seen happen to even more experienced stretchers who jump from a 8 to a 4 or something like that. So put a sterile 1-1.5mm wire in first, then go from there. You'll thank yourself in the end.

[Disposable Teen]

oh I'm going to a parlor, I may be reckless at times, but I'm not fucking around with piercings. I know the standard for lip and eyebrow is like 14. At any rate, thank you, and I think I shall listen to the man doing the piercing when I am there. I daresay he would know best. I don't want to stretch too big, maybe 0 at best.

[Green.Lady]

Okay, good plan. Yeah, 0 is usually possible to heal if you get tired of it.

[Disposable Teen]

That was my thinking, I might get facial piercings but those are 14 at best and will heal fast if I get bored.

[kwaniesiam]

Whatever you do, do NOT skip sizes. That can potentially harm your ears and tear the fistula (skin tube inside the piecing) or cause blowouts, which look icky and make it harder to stretch larger in the future. Go slow, and wear decent jewerly such as surgical steel or glass, and stretch using steel tapers and plenty of lubrication. Wait at least a month between stretches for smaller sizes, but the larger you go the longer you need to wait between sizes.

16g to 14g - 1 month
14g to 12g - 1 month
12g to 10g - 1.5 months
10g to 8g - 2 months
8g to 6g - 3 months
6g to 4g - 3 month
4g to 2g - 3 months
2g to 0g - 4 months
0g to 00g - 4 months

That is a good estimated time peroid between sizes, although this is not definite and is different for every person. I got that off of a website I'll give you information how to get to later since I'm still new and can't post links x.x

Acryllic and organics such as horn, bone, wood ect are not safe for a freshly stretched piercing because both are porus and can harbor bacteria so wait until your ears are healed to wear those. Bodyartforms is a great supplier of body jewerly and under the FAQ section has a wonderful guide on stretching piercings safely. Good luck! I've stretched my first lobe hole to a 6g and plan to go to 1/2" eventually.

Another thing, going to a piercing parlor is not usually a good idea when it comes to stretching. Although they are professionals, often times they will try and skip sizes and that is completely unacceptable no matter how qualified they are. A piercer cannot feel if it hurts or if they are forcing the taper through. There should never be any blood when stretching. Take your time and do it yourself, in the end it is much safer and rewarding.

[kwaniesiam]

Originally Posted by Green.Lady

Okay, good plan. Yeah, 0 is usually possible to heal if you get tired of it.

0g is usually not going to close completely, but it may shrink down to an 8-10g. Generally 4-2g is considered the point of no return for stretching, but that depends on your body as well. Expect any stretching past a 6g to be potentially permanent depending on the individual.

[Disposable Teen]

Originally Posted by kwaniesiam

Whatever you do, do NOT skip sizes. That can potentially harm your ears and tear the fistula (skin tube inside the piecing) or cause blowouts, which look icky and make it harder to stretch larger in the future. Go slow, and wear decent jewerly such as surgical steel or glass, and stretch using steel tapers and plenty of lubrication. Wait at least a month between stretches for smaller sizes, but the larger you go the longer you need to wait between sizes.

16g to 14g - 1 month
14g to 12g - 1 month
12g to 10g - 1.5 months
10g to 8g - 2 months
8g to 6g - 3 months
6g to 4g - 3 month
4g to 2g - 3 months
2g to 0g - 4 months
0g to 00g - 4 months

That is a good estimated time peroid between sizes, although this is not definite and is different for every person. I got that off of a website I'll give you information how to get to later since I'm still new and can't post links x.x

Acryllic and organics such as horn, bone, wood ect are not safe for a freshly stretched piercing because both are porus and can harbor bacteria so wait until your ears are healed to wear those. Bodyartforms is a great supplier of body jewerly and under the FAQ section has a wonderful guide on stretching piercings safely. Good luck! I've stretched my first lobe hole to a 6g and plan to go to 1/2" eventually.

Another thing, going to a piercing parlor is not usually a good idea when it comes to stretching. Although they are professionals, often times they will try and skip sizes and that is completely unacceptable no matter how qualified they are. A piercer cannot feel if it hurts or if they are forcing the taper through. There should never be any blood when stretching. Take your time and do it yourself, in the end it is much safer and rewarding.

I'm not goign to stretch at the parlor, just the initial piercing

[kwaniesiam]

Originally Posted by Disposable Teen

I'm not goign to stretch at the parlor, just the initial piercing

That's fine then. You can get pierced as large as a 6g or 4g depending on where you go. Also a larger size won't hurt any more than a smaller. It will just hurt depending on your personal pain tolerance but the size should not affect that.

[Disposable Teen]

Originally Posted by kwaniesiam

That's fine then. You can get pierced as large as a 6g or 4g depending on where you go. Also a larger size won't hurt any more than a smaller. It will just hurt depending on your personal pain tolerance but the size should not affect that.

So you are saying in theory I could start with 14 instead of 16?

[kwaniesiam]

Originally Posted by Disposable Teen

So you are saying in theory I could start with 14 instead of 16?

You can start anywhere from 18g-4g provided the piercer has the size needle in stock and uses them. If you plan to stretch to a 0g, get pierced initially as large as possibe because it will give you a jump start. Once your initial piercing has healed, wait at least 6 months for the fistula to toughen and loosen enough to be ready to stretch.

[Underwater Ophelia]

I stretched my ears for years, and all I can tell you is...DON'T SKIP SIZES. You'll really really REALLY want to, but don't...pus, blood, pain, ugly scars. Don't fucking do it.


Also, it's best to get organic plugs, because otherwise your ears stink.

[kwaniesiam]

Originally Posted by Underwater Ophelia

I stretched my ears for years, and all I can tell you is...DON'T SKIP SIZES. You'll really really REALLY want to, but don't...pus, blood, pain, ugly scars. Don't fucking do it.


Also, it's best to get organic plugs, because otherwise your ears stink.

Yea, organics are better for elimiating that ear cheese funk and stink, but only if you're ears are fully healed. I made the big mistake of wearing organic jewerly before mine were and it was bad. Just plain BAD. You do have to oil horn and wood jewerly with jojoba oil or else it will dry out and crack though but its worth it.

[Disposable Teen]

Any other advice?

[Underwater Ophelia]

Yeah. Next time you have a question like this, just stick it in the tattoos and piercings thread.

[Wormboy]

Originally Posted by Underwater Ophelia

Yeah. Next time you have a question like this, just stick it in the tattoos and piercings thread.

I did, no one bothered to answer at all, just went right over it. This got an answer more effectively. But next time I'll just muster up some patience.

[plum phlogiston]

Another thing, going to a piercing parlor is not usually a good idea when it comes to stretching. Although they are professionals, often times they will try and skip sizes and that is completely unacceptable no matter how qualified they are. A piercer cannot feel if it hurts or if they are forcing the taper through


Eeeek I'm kind of scared by that....if you know a reputable piercer go there and let them help; there are a number of cunning techniques at an experienced piercers disposal that will make the stretching less uncomfortable for you as well as having all the right tools for the job. Equally an experienced piercer will know just by the pressure on the taper and the way the skin around the piercing is behaving how much further they can comfortably stretch a piercing. Equally as stretchee you should tell the piercer exactly how far you want them to go and not be afraid to ask them to stop. They should stretch for free if you buy the jewelry from them or if you are a frequent customer....good luck!

By the way I kind of new to this so apologies if I didn't do the quote right...

[plum phlogiston]

...damn, I didn't do the quote right. Sorry.

By the way, best stretching tip: soak a wodge of cotton wool in water as hot as your skin will tolerate and hold it on the piercing to be stretched for five minutes before stretching; this relaxes the surrounding tissue and makes the stretch much easier....oh and obvious but worth mentioning....use a good water based lube!

[emma o]

As it has come up several times, time is your best friend (and patience!) when it comes to stretching your piercing. I don't stretch my ears, but my septum and tongue-piercings I do. Every time I go only one size up, that is already nasty enough with those piercings ( and also with ears I would imagine).

[Wormboy]

bought the rings today, gonna start off fourteen gauge and work my way up

[DefinedRapture]

hopefully you get tapered earrings, I think the plastic works better than the metal earrings, if theyre tapered, for you dont lose the o-rings around them as easily.

For whatever reason, getting 8 gage was painful, but 6 gage was easily.

[thedoll]

stretching is the best when your fiending for some body mods, Its quick, cheap, and you love the results wich are also reversable.

[TopHaggardDoll]

i'm getting my septum stretched to 2.4mm soon WOOH!

Yes...it's a pretty pointless post...I just want to tell someone.