The Best Way to Stretch (Gauge) Piercings
Understanding How to Safely and Effectively Stretch Piercings
Jul 6, 2009
Any body piercing can be stretched to accommodate a larger gauged piece of jewelry. The process must be executed slowly and carefully to maintain a healthy piercing and prevent permanent injury. If a piercing is stretched before it has initially healed or too quickly permanent scarring or a blow out is likely to occur. To prevent these terrible things from happening, follow the instructions carefully and exactly.
The following instructions will discuss stretching the ear lobes which provides a foundation of understanding that can be applied to any piercing. Considerations will be made at the end of the article for people who wish the stretch cartilage piercings.
Identify the Gauge of the Current Piercing:
Visit a local professional body piercer or jewelry store to determine the current gauge of the piercing. They will have a device which precisely measures the diameter of the jewelry and will tell you the next gauge to stretch the piercing with.
Purchase Appropriate Jewelry From a Reputable Store:
Purchase the next size of jewelry for the piercing; do not skip gauges. Skipping gauges tears the inside of the piercing which creates scar tissue and makes it more difficult for subsequent stretches.
Choose a piece of jewelry that is one gauge larger than what is currently in the piercing. If a one desires to stretch past an 8 gauge it is advisable to buy only one earring at a time. This will cut the cost of jewelry in half until the desired gauge is acquired.
For example, pretend that “Sandy” wants to stretch her ear lobes from and 18 to a 0. Sandy should purchase one earring that is 16ga and another that is 14ga. She can begin by stretching her right ear to 16ga while her left ear remains at 18ga. Once her left ear has completely healed, she can move the 16ga jewelry to her right ear and stretch the left with her 14ga. Sandy can continue this process until she has gauged both of her ears to the desired 0ga.
Prepare the Piercing for a Stretch:
- It is best to stretch a piercing after a hot shower because the tissue is soft and pliable. If a shower is unavailable, it is advisable to employ personal lubrication to aid in the stretching process.
- It is wise to stretch a piercing with a taper style earring because it gently slides into the piercing and slowly stretches the hole.
Stretch the Piercing and Employ Proper Aftercare:
- Remove the old jewelry and place a small dab of lubrication on the new gauged earring. Slowly and patiently slide the jewelry into theto heal for about a month between stretches. However, every one’s body is different. The best rule of thumb one can follow is to wait 10 days before stretching a piercing that feels completely healed.
- The larger a piercing is gauged, piercing until the fattest part of the earring sits in the middle of the ear. There should be little to no pain during this process if executed correctly.
- After the piercing is stretched a small amount of swelling and redness is common, one should refrain from touching the jewelry during this time. Do not rotate the jewelry at any time!
- To soothe any discomfort brought upon by stretching mix 1 teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt with 4 cups of warm water. Allow the piercing to soak for about three minutes up to four times a day. Otherwise, leave the piercing alone and it will heal properly.
- Sea salt is the only thing that should come in contact with your piercing; it is a natural astringent and all that is required for optimum health.
- An ear lobe piercing should be allowed the longer the healing time will be therefore allow the piercing to completely settle before moving up a gauge.
Considerations for Cartilage Piercing Stretching:
Cartilage takes much longer to heal than the soft tissue of the lobe. Therefore, it is best to wait an entire month and a half before continuing to stretch regardless of how healed the piercing seems to feel.
- It is essential to lubricate cartilage before gauging to ensure a smoother stretch.
- Using a taper to stretch cartilage piercing is virtually essential because of the nature of the tissue.
If the topic of piercings interests you, read more about problems associated with improper stretching.
