Stretching your Ears - The Point of No Return
May 20, 2022 / by Alex Peace
When people start stretching their ears one of the biggest comments that they get from their friends and relatives is that if you stretch your ears and change your mind they will never heal back to normal. The question then comes up. "How big can I stretch my ears before it is irreversible?"
The answer to this question will vary depending on who it is you ask. The real reason why it varies is that everyone's body is different and everyone's ear will heal differently. It also will vary because of how you initially stretched your ears in the first place. Did you stretch your ears really fast, or did you damage your ears while stretching? Is there a lot of scar tissue in your stretched ears? These are some of the variables that will make answering at what point is irreversible difficult.
What is the average point of no return for stretched ears?
We have surveyed both piercers and average people that stretch their ears and the point of no return for stretched ears seems to be around the 2 gauge to 00 gauge range. Again, everyone is different. There are people that have told us that they stretched all the way to 1 inch and they pretty much shrunk down to a 12 gauge. Others have told us they went up to 00 gauge and have not been able to shrink to a "normal" sized earring.
The other fun factor to consider is what is "normal". Most people say that 14 gauge is set for a regular pierced earring. There are customers we have spoken to that went all the way up to almost 2 inches before deciding to shrink down. They could only get back to 00 gauge ears, but they were perfectly happy with what they saw in their eyes as smaller gauged ears. It really is all relative.
But if we have to answer this question for the "normal" person and have a definitive answer. You should be able to stretch your ears to around 0 gauge and then it will heal itself back to 14 gauge earrings. But just to be clear don't blame us if it doesn't :)
What are our customers saying when asked
"How big can I stretch my ears before it is irreversible?"
Courtney
I had my 1 - 1/4” gauges go back down to about a 4 gauge-ish size. It maybe took about a year to shrink back down. When I stretched them back it only took about 3 months to get back to an inch.
Alissa
I had 00 gauge ear and it shrunk back to almost where I could put regular earrings in. Now I've gauged back to a 0 gauge.
Jessica
I stretched my ears to 1 inch and got all the way back down to a 6 gauge before deciding to restretch lol.
Mary
I was at 4 gauge ears years ago and let them shrink back, I couldn't wear normal earrings unless they had large earring backs on them and when I decided to stretch again I was able to put in 6 gauge plug with no pain or problems.
Kendra
I was at 7/16” and I let them shrink down starting in early February. Now they’re probably about 10 gauge ears give or take some.
Betty
Mine went from 00 gauge ears back down to a very tight 14 gauge. I took them out because they were a bit crooked from having them pierced originally when I was a little kid. I repierced them properly and now my stretched ears are back up to 00 gauge and now I just size up whenever they get loose.
Anna
They never shrank enough to wear regular earrings from a size 0 gauge ear. So I just stretched my ears back out.
Bob
3/4" ears and couldn't get them to shrink past 9/16"
Bri
I was at 00 gauge ears for 4 years and they've shrunk enough to accommodate regular earrings without falling off. I don't know the exact size. It's been around a year or so since I took them out.
Ashley
I was stretched up to 1 - 7/8" and they've only shrunk down to 3/4" at the smallest - keeping them out for years. I will definitely need cosmetic surgery for mine.
Peyton
My stretched ears were at 1 & 1/2 inches, and while they didn't go back to "normal," I was pretty impressed that my ears went down to about a 0 gauge ear.
Cassandra
I was at 1 inch and my ears shrunk down to at least a 00 gauge. I decided to keep them smallish. lol
Kristin
Yea, it took a LONG time but mine went back from 1/2 inch. To normal-ish earring size.
Ginger
My stretched ears were at a 3/4 inch. Putting the plugs back in and out and cleaning them was too much when I was pregnant. So I left out the plugs and they went down to like 2 gauge. They are back at 3/4 inch now.
Niki
I stretched my ears up to 1/2" and when I took them out they shrunk back down to 2 gauge.
Ariana
Mine were 00 gauge ears. I shrieked my stretched ears back to maybe like a 12 gauge in just a few weeks.
Jessie
I went from 00 gauge ears back to normal. I had my 00 gauged plugs in for like 3 years
Bridget
I went from 3/4" to 00 gauged ears, that's as small as they'll go. When I stretched I tore my lobes too many times.
Michaela
I had 00 gauge ears and mine shrank back to "normal" gauge size.
Zack
Got my stretched ears up to an inch and a quarter. After 6 years of no earrings, my stretched ear went down to about half inch. When I started wearing jewelry again it was easy to go back up only took a few days for each size I stopped at 3/4" this time though lol
Stevie
Yeah. I had 2 gauge ears and they shrank back to standard 16 gauge. I’m currently back up to 4 gauge.
Kara
I’ve gone from 7/16" stretched ears back down to "normal" twice.
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