To Gauge, or Not to Gauge.
Throughout thousands of years, people have stretched their ears: from personal cultural beliefs to fashion trends. For those of you who do not know, stretching your ears is the process where you expand your pre-existing ear holes to reach a desired size (of your choosing). This is a body modification that is also referred to as “gauges,” as well. The width is measured in “gauges” (G) typically. This can be confusing because the higher the gauge, the smaller the width of the hole (and vice versa). The standard earlobe piercing is approximately 20G or 18G, and gauges can go up to 00G; you can still go higher, but that’s when you start transitioning into inches. As long as you aren’t prone to infections or sensitive to certain materials in jewelry then you are able to stretch your ears. The only problem is that you do need to have a pre-existing hole in your earlobe(s) that are fully healed in order to start this process. Other than that, you are ready to begin. You can start by consulting a professional piercer, where they can provide you with advice and even sell you the stretching kit. The piercers actually do not stretch the ears for you, as the process is very long. You do it entirely yourself. You start off with “tapers” rather than plugs. The tapers do the actual stretching because your holes will gradually stretch to the size of the taper.
To make sure the stretching is safely done (it also helps with the healing process), use a lubricant that is recommended by your piercer (some suggest coconut oil). These tapers, however, are not meant to be worn for long periods of time. After the stretching process, you should switch them out for a “plug” of the appropriate size.
When stretching your ears, you should wait anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months to move up to the next size gauge. You want to make sure that they heal properly. Before stretching you could start with a hot shower to loosen up the skin, and make sure the equipment and your ear(s) are clean. DO NOT overdue stretching or wait less than the specified time to wait in between gauges. You could damage or even tear your earlobe, or ruin the chances of them being able to close again (if you want that). The aftercare is pretty standard like regular piercings, wash two times day. You should use a glycerin based soap to clean it thoroughly, and even soak your stretched ears about two times a day as well.
*** If at any point you notice abnormal pain when stretching (or in general), tearing, etc. — contact your piercing expert and a doctor immediately.
