My Own Stretching Thread. Yay! [pix]

[-Panty.Waste-]

I'm stretching my ear lobes only because I want this really nice set of glass earrings. The earrings I want are 8g, so I bought 8g tapers. The stainless steel ones. They're real nice, but I was just wondering what's the best way to go about it. My ears right now are like standard earrings, but I can fit 18g through them. That might even be the same gauge.

I've heard random things throughout the guild about polysporin and like hot showers, but I'm not really certain.

What's funny is I think stretched lobes are weird, and I thought I'd never do them, but now I am. Even though it's not much, but still.


Discuss:
-How to's.
-Do's.
-Dont's.
-Your experiences.
-How much of a repeat thread this is.
-How much of a p***y I am.
-And something else, but I forget.
-AFTERCARE! (Just treat it like a regular healing piercing??) <-- The thing I forgot!!  

[Warninglv100]

Start with either 16ga or 14ga tapers (or tapered jewelry). Since there's such a small difference between those two, it's generally ok to go with 14ga (plus it's cheaper). Move on to 12ga, then 10ga, then use the 8ga tapers to get the glass plugs in. Wait about 3-4 weeks between stretches. I recommend using some sort of lubricant for the stretches. It also tends to be easier to stretch after a hot shower.

Don't skip gauges beyond that 16ga/14ga skip I mentioned.

If you want to do the 16ga that's fine too, but I could never find tapered jewelry that small. I started from gunned lobes and used 14ga enlarging crescents to stretch. Then I found other tapered jewelry to use.

Just listen to your body. Don't force anything in. Rips and tears will just slow things down and cause excess scar tissue, which doesn't look pretty in the long run.

Good luck, and happy stretching.  

[-Panty.Waste-]

Thank you for your advice. But I got antsy. And since I already had the 8g tapers, I started about three hours ago with them. My ear isn't extremely happy. But it's not horrible either. I'm aware this was irresponsible of me. I almost feel ashamed.

This is it when I first started, maybe like twenty minutes in:



And this is it twenty minutes ago:



It's a little swollen, but all in all it's good. And I'm totally almost through. I few more pushes and the the elastic will fit.  

[-Panty.Waste-]

I've been stretching for five hours and fifteen minutes. I'm almost done. I'm so tired.



Can you see the progress? (I know, I know, shitty camera phone pix.)  

[-Panty.Waste-]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand done for the night.

I don't think it'll fall out during sleep. The elastic still won't fit on the end, but my body is telling me to sleep and to stop it.



I made pretty stupid progress in five and a half hours. Tomorrow or maybe a while after this I'll do the rest of it and put the elastic on. Oh and that shiny stuff by the taper is the lube stuff. Not pus or anything gross. and I'm not bleeding. For the record.  

[Cross Eyed Mary]

It's not stupid to go from normal size to 8ga. According to the size chart Milk posted, 8 is only 3mm (sorry not used to the gauge terms) and thats what I went straight to. Theres no point using anything smaller because it would just slip right in and you'd end up going right on to the 8 anyway.  

[-Panty.Waste-]

True that, I guess. So lastnight in my drunken comatose sleep I ended up shoving it all the way through. Yay me. I'll do the other one like next week maybe. Or at least a couple days. I'm so proud of myself that I didn't bleed.

 

[curseyes]

Just a tip: it shouldn't take more than five minutes to stretch your ear. If there's resistance like that, you're hurting your ears. The most you should feel after a stretch is a very light burning sensation.

Just take it slow from now on, give your ears lots of time to heal if you're not going to downsize.  

[Cross Eyed Mary]

Congrats on getting the first one in!  

[Warninglv100]

X-Rays

Just a tip: it shouldn't take more than five minutes to stretch your ear. If there's resistance like that, you're hurting your ears. The most you should feel after a stretch is a very light burning sensation.

Just take it slow from now on, give your ears lots of time to heal if you're not going to downsize.

Exactly.

One mm at a time is the way to go in my experience. I'm at 9mm and 10mm now and it only takes me a few seconds to slip in the next size after I wait about 4 weeks. Plus I don't even feel the stretches now that I go this route. No pain and happy ears.  

[-Panty.Waste-]

X-Rays

Just a tip: it shouldn't take more than five minutes to stretch your ear. If there's resistance like that, you're hurting your ears. The most you should feel after a stretch is a very light burning sensation.

Just take it slow from now on, give your ears lots of time to heal if you're not going to downsize.

Five minutes?? No way! I have uber sensitive ears, and I'm a p***y too.

I got the cutest glass spiral earrings to go into my one stretched hole though. I guess I'll do the other one on my next day off.  

[-Panty.Waste-]

~More Than Cherries~

Congrats on getting the first one in!

Thank you.

I'll have to post pictures soon of the reason I'm stretching my ear lobes.  

[-Panty.Waste-]

Warninglv100

X-Rays

Just a tip: it shouldn't take more than five minutes to stretch your ear. If there's resistance like that, you're hurting your ears. The most you should feel after a stretch is a very light burning sensation.

Just take it slow from now on, give your ears lots of time to heal if you're not going to downsize.

Exactly.

One mm at a time is the way to go in my experience. I'm at 9mm and 10mm now and it only takes me a few seconds to slip in the next size after I wait about 4 weeks. Plus I don't even feel the stretches now that I go this route. No pain and happy ears.

True that. I'm not going to go any huger than maybe a 2g. Or a 4g. You know. what I mean. I don't want to go much bigger.  

[popcornsharingbox]

Good job getting them in, but as said, take it slowly from now on. As gauges get higher, they're harder to stretch to the next level. Don't force it again like that. Maybe to a 10, but an 8 is pushing it. I can understand being impatient though. I often get that way. My left ear has been at a 2 for so long just because it doesn't want to stretch. It's extremely irritating because I easily have gotten my other ear to a 00. Ah well. Just listen to your body or you could end up hurting yourself just because you're impatient.  

[Warninglv100]

~Eurydice~

Good job getting them in, but as said, take it slowly from now on. As gauges get higher, they're harder to stretch to the next level. Don't force it again like that. Maybe to a 10, but an 8 is pushing it. I can understand being impatient though. I often get that way. My left ear has been at a 2 for so long just because it doesn't want to stretch. It's extremely irritating because I easily have gotten my other ear to a 00. Ah well. Just listen to your body or you could end up hurting yourself just because you're impatient.

Have you tried tugging on it during the day? I usually play with mine for a few weeks until I get a nice gap going before I stretch. Helps loosen up my ears and makes room for the new jewelry.