At one point, being a wife and mother, I was too broke to get tapers or silicone plugs to stretch to the size plugs my sister had given me. So I worked out how to make some using plastic/disposable straws, cutting them to size and using tape around the center straw bit to attach the outer ones. It worked well enough, I collapsed them carefully, and they sprang back and began stretching my ears. After two days I realized I twisted one of my lobes, and it hurt like hell! I took the one out let it heal a bit and put my old size in. I had uneven gauges for over a year. and always have to make sure that one ear is around the plug correctly, it still likes to try and twist. I have been worried to try and stretch them anymore, I don’t want to end up with masses on my ear(s). Thankfully I went big enough to love the options for my size and have a nice collection now. I would add too that for the longest time I could not wear single flared thanks to a latex allergy, I’m happy they are finally making the o-rings out of different materials now! I still have a pair of Sons Of Anarchy plugs that I could not see the back till I got to open them, after buying them. Tried to wear them anyway and in less than 30 min my lobes were read, angry, and oozy.
This is not a blowout story, I am very cautious and stretch with tape very slowly… Once upon a time while stretching to 18mm, I was far too excited and stupid to take the time to wash my new plug after dropping it on the ground before inserting. What I didn’t realize was the groove for an o-ring made the tiniest knick in my skin that set me up for a world of pain. After about 12 hours my ear bagan to split open revealing a marble sized pocket of bacterial rot that could be smelled from several feet away. I had to take out the plug for 2 months waiting for the infection to be annihilated by heavy duty antibiotics and lost 5 gauge sizes. My ear is still wonky looking without plugs. Wash your plugs kids! I’m comfortably wearing 22mm now with no issues since (outside the weird shape), but I sure learned my lesson.
Me and my significant other both got our ears gauges a week a part I’ve have multiple piercings and these were a breeze healed fast and changing to double flakes was as painless as could be expected he however had cysts in his lobes and healing has been rough along with infection because of the cysts but 6ish months later he’s almost healed so Christmas we will size up together
When I first started to try to stretch my ears I went with the smallest ones first. They were the plastic, skinny, long pointy ended ones. They infected my ears. They were sore and painful and had the pus and crust. So I decided to take them out. But I do believe it was because it was plastic. My ears do not react well and will get infected if I leave cheap metals in for long periods of time so I’m assuming that is what happened with the plastic stretchers. I am 100% going to give it another shot though because I do love the look for them. This time I’ll make sure I clean them every single day and use H2Ocean piercing aftercare spray to help keep them clean and hopefully it will work out for me.
Yes I have actually, I’m currently trying to get up to a 0g and right now I’m at a 10g. One of my ears just loves to not take the jewelry when I trying to slide it in after the taper. It sucks because I can’t trying again too many times or my ear will bleed again.
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85 comments
At one point, being a wife and mother, I was too broke to get tapers or silicone plugs to stretch to the size plugs my sister had given me. So I worked out how to make some using plastic/disposable straws, cutting them to size and using tape around the center straw bit to attach the outer ones. It worked well enough, I collapsed them carefully, and they sprang back and began stretching my ears. After two days I realized I twisted one of my lobes, and it hurt like hell! I took the one out let it heal a bit and put my old size in. I had uneven gauges for over a year. and always have to make sure that one ear is around the plug correctly, it still likes to try and twist. I have been worried to try and stretch them anymore, I don’t want to end up with masses on my ear(s). Thankfully I went big enough to love the options for my size and have a nice collection now. I would add too that for the longest time I could not wear single flared thanks to a latex allergy, I’m happy they are finally making the o-rings out of different materials now! I still have a pair of Sons Of Anarchy plugs that I could not see the back till I got to open them, after buying them. Tried to wear them anyway and in less than 30 min my lobes were read, angry, and oozy.
This is not a blowout story, I am very cautious and stretch with tape very slowly… Once upon a time while stretching to 18mm, I was far too excited and stupid to take the time to wash my new plug after dropping it on the ground before inserting. What I didn’t realize was the groove for an o-ring made the tiniest knick in my skin that set me up for a world of pain. After about 12 hours my ear bagan to split open revealing a marble sized pocket of bacterial rot that could be smelled from several feet away. I had to take out the plug for 2 months waiting for the infection to be annihilated by heavy duty antibiotics and lost 5 gauge sizes. My ear is still wonky looking without plugs. Wash your plugs kids! I’m comfortably wearing 22mm now with no issues since (outside the weird shape), but I sure learned my lesson.
Me and my significant other both got our ears gauges a week a part I’ve have multiple piercings and these were a breeze healed fast and changing to double flakes was as painless as could be expected he however had cysts in his lobes and healing has been rough along with infection because of the cysts but 6ish months later he’s almost healed so Christmas we will size up together
When I first started to try to stretch my ears I went with the smallest ones first. They were the plastic, skinny, long pointy ended ones. They infected my ears. They were sore and painful and had the pus and crust. So I decided to take them out. But I do believe it was because it was plastic. My ears do not react well and will get infected if I leave cheap metals in for long periods of time so I’m assuming that is what happened with the plastic stretchers. I am 100% going to give it another shot though because I do love the look for them. This time I’ll make sure I clean them every single day and use H2Ocean piercing aftercare spray to help keep them clean and hopefully it will work out for me.
Yes I have actually, I’m currently trying to get up to a 0g and right now I’m at a 10g. One of my ears just loves to not take the jewelry when I trying to slide it in after the taper. It sucks because I can’t trying again too many times or my ear will bleed again.