A bit confused about where to start!

[Daisy_d]

Hi All,

Have just come across this forum which is a goldmine in a sea of rubbish advice!

Basically Ive had my ears pierced for about 10 years and was going to stretch my right lobe this wknd. Ive got the taper, I think its 18? Anyway, the girl in the shop told me I can use this to stretch my ear, secure with the mini elastic bands and then leave in a month before moving on to the next size up.
Looking on here Ive seen lots of comments about how you are not supposed to sleep with the taper in?
The taper I have is a long stainless steel one.

Could anyone let me know the best way to stretch, Should I use the taper to stretch and then put another piece of jewellery in? Or could someone recommend where I could get the correct stretching jewellery from (Im based in Australia)? Obviously I am cautious about causing any damage to my precious ear!

Any advice is appreciated.

D

[dylanmoody]

You should use the taper only to stretch, not to wear as jewelry. You should put in the taper and then put in your jewelry. But being that you've had your ears pierced for so long, I would suggest that you start at 16G. Usually ears are pierced with 20G or 18G so I think it would be safe to start with 16G. Then follow this guide on when to stretch.

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

[Daisy_d]

Thanks so much for the response.
So I can stretch it and then put jewelry in right away?
What jewellery could I use in between stretching, something like a small titanium plug I presume?
Thanks again.

[dylanmoody]

Yes, you use the taper to stretch then hold the plug to the taper, like an extension of the taper, then slide it through with the taper.

Yes, a titanium plug sounds fine. ONLY use steel, titanium, or glass jewelry in your piercing after the fresh stretch while it heals.

[corazon_de_oro]

Sorry to butt in, but that timeline people keep posting is not accurate. There's no reason to allow less time for smaller sizes; they're just as important as the bigger ones. Go 1mm at a time after 2G rather than following the gauge system and it won't be any more difficult than previous stretches.

[dylanmoody]

It may not be the most accurate but it does give people new to stretching a pretty good idea of how long to wait.

[Deano]

Sorry to butt in, but that timeline people keep posting is not accurate. There's no reason to allow less time for smaller sizes; they're just as important as the bigger ones. Go 1mm at a time after 2G rather than following the gauge system and it won't be any more difficult than previous stretches.

I'm kinda confused by this statement, are you saying that you should wait 4 months for all stretches? I think it may be the wording or something, but that's what I'm getting out of this post.

[dylanmoody]

The reason I told you that you should only wait a month at the smaller sizes is because the jump to the next size is much smaller than it is at bigger sizes. I got the timeline from Bodyartforms Forums, which to my knowledge is a very reputable website dealing with stretched ears.

[Winterfog]

Sorry to butt in, but that timeline people keep posting is not accurate. There's no reason to allow less time for smaller sizes; they're just as important as the bigger ones.

I fully get what you're saying here and I agree that smaller sizes are just as important as the larger ones. But perhaps less time is needed at these smaller sizes because there isn't as much pressure on the lobes from the plugs. Thus more blood flow which in turn helps with healing.

To the OP:
In any case, these timelines should only be used as a basic guide. Everyone's body is different. You have to listen to your body, and most importantly remember that pain is your body's way of saying stop it!

(Also, keep in mind that most timeline guides read: 2g to 0g. That's a huge stretch of 2mm! It should be 2g to 1g.)

I reccomend you do more research before continuing to stretch
Here are a couple guides:
http://www.earstretching.net/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=115
http://forums.bodyartforms.com/showthre ... y-piercing

Learn about what materials are safe and what are not for fresh stretches.
There are a few different ways to stretch ones ears such as dead stretching, tapers, and taping. Research each one.
Know the warning signs if something starts to go wrong. If you ever think you have an infection, go see a doctor.

GL!

[corazon_de_oro]

Sorry to butt in, but that timeline people keep posting is not accurate. There's no reason to allow less time for smaller sizes; they're just as important as the bigger ones. Go 1mm at a time after 2G rather than following the gauge system and it won't be any more difficult than previous stretches.

I'm kinda confused by this statement, are you saying that you should wait 4 months for all stretches? I think it may be the wording or something, but that's what I'm getting out of this post.

Nah, I'm just saying that there's no reason to leave less time between smaller sizes. Going from 14G (1.6mm) to 12G (2mm) is making the hole 25% bigger, while 4G (5mm) to 2G (6mm) is a smaller percentage than that. So why treat 14-12 like it's less important?

Also, you really can't follow a timeline when stretching. Before I started I'd always heard six weeks between sizes, but then when I actually did start stretching I found that my ears were nowhere near ready if I only waited six weeks. I usually say six weeks between each size if someone seems really impatient and I know they're not going to wait until they can have a smooth, painless stretch, but ideally you should just wait until it's not painful or difficult no matter what size you're at.

Sorry for that run-on sentence at the end.