How often do i take out my plugs/gauges?
Only use tapers up to a 6g as they aren't a good method to stretch ears as they can cause micro tears and blow outs far easier. Use the taping method even before 6g if you'd like to do it smartly, and DEFINITELY after. *(The taping method is where you use either teflon or bondage tape to stretch your ears by putting a piece over a single flared plug ONCE per day. Advisably after a shower as your skin is more elastic. So, put a piece of the tape long enough to touch the beginning of the tape to the end, around the plug, lube your lobe and jewelry with vitamin e oil or preferably jojoba oil, and pop it in. Stretching should NOT hurt much at all, and bleeding or pussing is a sign something is definitely wrong. If you blow out your ear or get micro tears down size and treat it and do not stretch until it is healed.) Always use stainless/surgical steel jewelry when stretching. -DO NOT PUSH IT IN ALL AT ONCE. Tapers are already too big of a stretch for ear lobes (hence why they can easily make micro tears and blow outs; especially when just shoved in). When I used tapers in my teeny sizes, I only went until about half way on the taper (until it would hurt to put it in any farther) and then leave it like that until the next half of the day or the next day (WHENEVER YOUR EARS ARE READY, don't rush them, you'll be sorry.) and then push the rest in slowly. Be gentle with em! Oil your lobes every night even if you don't stretch to keep 'em happy! When you take out your jewelry you don't leave it out for hours! You just take them out to clean them and then pop them back in! They won't shrink in those few minutes. With smaller sizes they will shrink back up if you leave them out for a day or more. I usually clean mine just when I feel I should. I usually do every 3-4 days? And if they get smelly you definitely should. d: (though that's mainly in larger sizes.)
Ear stretching/gauging with PTFE/Teflon tape.?
yeah usually teflon tpae tends to dry out alot. try and keep your ears oiled. what i used to do is also as quit of bit lube to the actual plugs so that the tape would stay moist and i would rotate them here and there just to they can keep the ears lubed. teflon tape cant bond to your skin just so you know =] and yes it is normal
I can't get this plug out of my ear. Help?
I've taken good care of my ears since back in I've started stretching them back last year. Around February I stretched up to a 2g (my goal size) but since I couldn't find/afford tapers, I stretched my ears with Teflon tape. My right ear turned out fine because I didn't mess with it, But I have a habit with my left ear piercings (I constantly mess with my earrings and take out my tunnels and whatnot) Well my left ear started to get red and sore after a week while my right was doing just fine. So I took it out in fear of getting blow out (later it turns out I didn't have .-.) and decided to put my 4g tunnel in, well my dumbass friend threw them away by accident! And I lost my 6g, so I stretched down to a 8g. After a few days my mother noticed and told me to take my right ear out all together because I looks silly (my ears heal incredibly quick, so they were back down to a 8 in less then a week) I kept them at a 10g for awhile but recently got a friend to go buy me some 6g plugs. They slipped in quite well, but now I can't get them out. Today she told me they were a pair from Wal-mart, so I think the brand they use is silver steel, a funny name like that. I think the flare is a 4g or maybe a 2g, it's big enough to where I can't get it out and I'm afraid of trying to force it out. My ear isn't swollen and no signs of blow out or anything and they've been in long enough to where I can at least take them out. What should I do/use?
My plug *stretched ears* fell out of my ear! HELP!?
If you have teflon tape, take your older, smaller jewelry and wrap the teflon around it until it's close to your new size, and wear that until you get some new jewelry. If it's more than a day or two, you need to replace the tape since it'll get gross. Next time, take your jewelry out before showering! In a new stretch, jewelry stays in for 4 weeks, after that removing for short periods should be no problem. If your ears loosen quickly, sleep without jewelry, that helps your ears tighten back up every day and keeps your plugs from falling out.
Can I use acrylic plugs while stretching my ears?
Can you? Yes.Should you? Mixed answers. See this poll: Ear stretching question?I have used acrylic, glass and metal at various stages (I am currently at 1/2″). And have had mixed results. The real key is to ensure you wash everything VERY well (you can boil or autoclave glass and metal), keep things clean, and use oil or some other clean lubricant to help (examples Emu Oil or vitamin E oil).I would say overall, I have certainly had better results with metal or glass, as they are easier to clean and keep clean. The acrylic can have greater porosity, which will trap bacteria and make them more difficult to clean.I think when stretching your ears, especially if you want to go a fair ways up, your goal should be to do so with as little risk for damage or infection as possible. The more times you tear, blow out, or infect your ears, the more difficult each step will be.So take your time, spend the money, and do it right is probably the best approach.
Teflon tape and all purpose (medical) cloth tape for stretched lobes?
Teflon tape is the only way to go because it is slippery. The wrapped plug will slide into your stretched lobe more easily, and once it's in, it won't stick to the skin. Medical cloth tape is a terrible idea. The cloth is rough and will abrade the skin on the inside of your stretched lobe. If you manage to get it in, the cloth will absorb moisture from the skin and the skin will stick to it. When you remove the wrapped plug it will take a later of healed skin with it, which will hurt, and it will have to heal before you stretch again. This is why we don't stretch then put wood into the piercing. The wood absorbs moisture and sticks to the inside of the piercing.
Adhesive tape and ear stretching (gauges)?
Avoid tape with adhesive. Its chemicals, none the less, that you should not expose yourself to. Instead, raid the tool box or workshop. You probably have Teflon tape, which is a tape that sticks to itself as it has no adhesive. It is used in plumbing, usually white, and is used to wrap the threads of a water pipe to seal out air going in/water coming out. Wrap your plugs with this tape until they are snug, then once you see a space, only put one layer on at a time. Teflon is also PTFE, which is hypoallergenic, so it is better for your lobes. If by chance you dont have it, hit up your local super center store or hardware store and pick up a roll (in the plumbing section). You should be able to snag it for $2 or less and it will last you a while through out your stretching. Another plus is while there is no sticky side, you won't ruin your plugs so if you have to down size later, you still have a good pair of plugs to use. Btw when you are looking for new jewelry, check out www.antifashionorganics.com. They make awesome organics (for healed lobes only) as well as some kick *** picture plugs that you can get any image you want into a pair of plugs. This is the only place my friends and i get all of our jewelry from. Hope this helps <3
Stretching my ears with tape. is it safe?
earlier today i decided to stretch my ears. some of my friends at school told me ( they have gauges too ) that if you don't want to go through the pain of strectching your ears, just wrap a little bit of tape around your current piercings. i have the common piercing ( 18g ) so i wrapped the earrings a little bit, put some vaseline on, soaked my ears in warm water and slowly insterted the now thicker piercings. they burned for abut ten minutes but that went away and i wanted to know if it is safe for me to leave these home-made gauges in my ears overnight.
How can I keep plugs from falling out of my stretched earlobe piercings?
Thanks for the A2A. I don't have stretched ears myself, but I do know a decent amount about them. I have 21 piercings and being “alternative,” I've been around folx with stretched lobes. So take my advice, but remember that I'm not as expert as a piercer would be.It sounds like your lobes may have naturally stretched to a larger size. This can happen with weighty plugs, or your lobe can just stretch from taking your plugs in and out. It can even happen without fiddling by the lobe owner. You might want to try to go up a size and see if that fits more sungly. Just remember not to stretch your tunnel further than it wants to go. If the plug doesn't want to go in, don't force it it! You don't want to tear anything.If your ear hasn't stretched to a larger size, or at least, it hasn't stretch enough to fit the next size, you can try different jewellery. Smooth jewellery, like plastic, is more prone to slipping out. If you haven't already, try switching to a natural material, like wood or bone. Their texture helps the jewellery grip to the skin.Lastly, I assume you're using plugs that are flared or use O-rings, but if you're not, you should switch to this kind of jewellery. This is stretching 101, but there are piercers and pierce-ees who don't pass this info along. If you aren't wearing this kind of jewellery, switch. Plugs with O-rings are nice because the rings go on after you put the jewellery in. With flared plugs, you have to stretch your ear over the flared end. Check out this link: The different types of ear plugs and tunnelsIf you've tried all this and are still having trouble, contact your piercer. They should be more than happy to take a look. When you get a piercing by a licensed piercer, it's assumed you can go back to them for help. If you don't have a piercer, you can contact one near you. I recommend checking reviews online before calling. You may need to go into the shop to have your ears looked at. If you go in to be looked at, they probably won't charge you, but you should tip them at least $5 (more if they're working with you longer than 20 minutes).I hope this was helpful. Good luck!
Question about using the taping method 4 stretched ears:)?
Teflon is a tacky substance, so get some skin safe oil - vitamin E, emu, and jojoba are good. Oil the plugs before removing them, after taping them, and any time you feel like it. Teflon will soak up a lot of oil, so go ahead and get messy, because they will not slide in otherwise. They won't get permanently stuck, but if they're dry they won't come out until you lube them up. Teflon is almost totally non-porous; it will not absorb goo from your ear, so it can't really get stuck-stuck, just resist removal if it's dry. As for showering, I'm a filth pig and don't shower every single day. So it's no big deal to shower with the plugs and replace the tape afterward, because I change out all the tape usually every 3 days max. If you do shower every day, then choose what's best for your piercings. If they tend to loosen fast, tighten slowly, and are generally happy and tough holes, then you can probably take them out for a short shower without dire consequences. Piercings that are fussy and shrink quickly, you're gonna want to deal with the pain of changing the tape EVERY time you shower, since it's likely soap, shampoo, etc. will get between the layers and be impossible to rinse completely clean.