Stretched ears and the stink?
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Saturday November 15th, 2008 @ 3:04 PM
Filed under: Ear
I’ve had my ears stretched for a while now and I keep getting this build up on the tunnels I have in. I try and keep my ears clean but they also give off a slight smell. Is this common? What can i do about it? Thanks.
That build-up you get is a collection of skin oils and dead skin cells that collect on your jewelry. Just like the skin cells die and slough off the rest of you body, they do the same thing with stretched ears. Generally the bigger the lobes, the more build-up because there is more surface area of skin. The smell that goes with that build-up is normal…albeit potentially gross.
You have a few options:
The easiest is to simply wash your lobes and your jewelry (assuming it’s steel, titanium or stone) each day. It doesn’t take much effort or much time.
Another option would be to change to some sort of a natural jewelry, such as horn, bone, wood, bamboo etc. These material are more porous than steel, titanium acrylic, glass or stone and will therefore absorb some of the oils and skin cells, reducing the amount of build-up and the therefore the smell.
Depending upon the size of your lobes, and how well they stay stretched, you could try not wearing jewelry while you sleep. This will allow the tissue to breath and dry out at night, helping to reduce the build-up.
You could try massaging your lobes with something like Emu Oil or Holey Buttr stretched lobe creme. These types of products can help increase the overall health of your stretched lobes, which will often reduce the amount of build-up you get.
Best of luck!
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5 Responses to “Stretched ears and the stink?”
I generally clean my plugs at least once a week while I’m showering as part of my normal getting clean routine. All I do is pull them out, make sure they’re clean of all gunk, try and get all the gunk off my ears, then pop them back in. Simple, and it takes two minutes tops!
sixums on November 16th, 2008 at 6:30 pmOnce a week? I usually clean mine everyday! Mind you, I suppose it might be to do with the fact I take them out to sleep, so it only makes sense to clean them before I switch to another set the next day. And ye, I can second the fact that taking them out over night helps prevent the build up of gunk.
Hammy on November 19th, 2008 at 2:58 pmi get less ear ick now that my ears are 0s, and i got a LOT with smaller gauges like 8s and 6s o_o
im weird? lol
rawr on November 26th, 2008 at 6:55 pmMy ears are 1″ currently, and every time I shower, I take my plugs out and wash them. Shampoo your hair, grab some antibacterial soap, and you’re good to go. I also try to massage some ointment like what the author suggests when I get out. I shower almost daily, and I have no problem with smell or build up. I have been stretching my ears for about 7 years, and even though taking out your plugs can be kind of inconvenient at times, it is worth it.
Good luck to everyone, and excellent advice!
G on December 7th, 2008 at 12:10 ami agree with G. it’s definitely worth it to take the time and clean those suckers. your significant other does NOT find the smell attractive, i promise.
sambone on October 21st, 2009 at 2:03 amLeave a Comment