Stretched ears

First of all, it's called stretching your ears, not "gauging". Gauge refers to the size of the piece of jewelry not the act of stretching your fistula (skin).And the jewelry itself is not called "gauges" they are either: plugs, eyelets, flesh tunnels, pinchers, tapers, etc. ***sorry that kind of always bothers me***

I always get questions about my ear lobes, things like "did that hurt?" and "what do I do!"I often am asked for advice, and trust me... I have been through it all, stupidly skipping sizes, bleeding, infections, scar tissue... you name it!Here's some of the things I am asked, and am happy to give my input on.

Q- "Did that hurt?"
A- Actually, at times, yes. But stretching should never hurt for longer than a day, if it does then down size, you've most likely haven't waited long enough or stretched too fast.

Q- "How do I start stretching?"
A- Start low, and take it slow. Start at either an 18g or 16g and work your way up. Only stretch ONE size every month or two. The slower you take it the healthier your ears will be.The sizes go something like this (smallest to largest): 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2,0, 00, 7/16", 1/2", 9/16", 5/8", 3/4", 7/8", 1"... and so on.

Q- "So did you just stick that(plug) in your ear and it expanded to that size?"
A- No, it took quite some time and I started at an 18g and worked my way up.

Q- "Do you have any scar tissue/blow outs?"
A- Actually yes, and I feel totally stupid, I should have down sized way sooner when I experienced a blow out, and now I do have some scar tissue on the back of my left ear.

Q- "Have you ever skipped a size?"
A- I have, I also feel totally stupid for doing that too! It was the reason for the blow out that I have on my left ear, and also the reason why I still have some scar tissue now on the back of my left ear. NOT a wise idea. NEVER skip sizes. Don't make the mistake I did.

Q- "Why wont my new plugs go in?"
A- It's possible you didn't wait long enough before wanting to/actually increasing your size. Wait another week or two and then try again. DON'T force the plugs in if they wont fit!

Q- "Can I use weights to stretch? I seen some guy on 69th St. with his ears hanging with weights and his ears looked like someone in an African tribe"
A- Weights are NEVER a good idea to use, hanging things like padlocks, heavy things etc. is NOT good. it can tear your ear and make your skin far thinner!

Q- "Can I put double flared plugs in right after I stretch?"
A- No, not right after, you should wait a week or two when your ears heal more. It's possible to sometimes get the double flared plugs in after stretching, but it's really not a good idea because when you stretch you want your ears to have enough room to expand and breath if they swell, double flares don't really allow that.

Q- "Can I use electrical tape to stretch, and how does that work?"
A- NO NO NO!!!! Electrical tape is porous and sticky, bacteria can get caught/trapped on it and you could get an infection!If you want to use tape, go for bondage tape. You start by wrapping the tape around your plug once or twice, and then do that again every few days or even in a week or two.

Q- "Are tapers expensive?"
A- No, they usually cost as much as a pair of plugs would cost, hey, even sometimes you can buy a plug/taper pack that comes with plugs and tapers.Q- "Can I use pinchers to stretch?"A- You could, it's not the best idea, but tapers really work the best for stretching.Q- "If you could guess what size do you think Davey Havok's ears are?"A- He's never said what size they are, but if I could guess, I'd have to say 3/4".One time I actually counted from a picture the stones going around one of his tunnels, and it equaled 28, and on the bodyartforms website (body jewelry store/website: bodyartforms.com) when you order those kinds of eyelets that he has (with the stones going around by Anatometal), the size 3/4" has exactly 28 stones on the rim.