Tuesday May 27th, 2008 @ 3:52 AM
Filed under: Ear
I got my lobes pierced with a gun three months ago, it was the starter earring, I think it was 24 gauge or something. Now at this point in time I stretched out my lobes to an 8 gauge and I was just wondering if there is any possible danger in going from a 24 gauge to an 8 gauge in less then half a year? Also I can’t seem to fit any single flare or cylinder type of jewelery into my ear, it seems that the only thing that will fit into my lobes are these horn type of earrings, that start off small then they gradually get bigger and bigger, till they stop at an 8 gauge. Last question, when I remove the earrings and I look at the piercing there is a small discolored circle of skin where the hole is at, is that normal, or is that a miniature blowout?
Stop what you’re doing immediately yes this is by far way too fast to be stretching your lobes and yes the discoloration you’re seeing is quite possibly the result of stretching too fast, as you’ve created a lot of scar tissue via tearing the lobes with each stretch you’ve done.
If you would take a moment and search AskBME for lobe stretching advice you’ll find a fountain of knowledge on the do’s and do not’s of stretching your lobes.
My advice to you, in the simplest and purest form, is to stop using organic jewelry and to only use Steel, Titanium or Pyrex jewelry and to stop stretching your ears until you’re properly educated/informed on how to stretch your lobes. Ideally you’ll might even need to remove the jewelry you have in let your lobes relax at a more comfortable size and not consider stretching your ears again for a good 1-2 years.
+1 / 5 votes 
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 4 Comments
Wednesday May 21st, 2008 @ 7:40 AM
Filed under: Ear
I am wishing to downsize for the purpose of gaining more tissue for further stretching i have dropped from 5/8th/9/16th to 9mm, is this gonna be beneficial i went from really heavy Blackline plugs, to stainless steel single flair eyelets. Or should i downsize more? I have NO blow outs or very much thinning just when i put 5/8ths plugs in they seem very thin, so i have decided to downsize, Thanks for any help.
Although my lobes aren’t massive per se (22mm at their largest), I periodically remove the jewellery for a couple of weeks at a time and massage my lobes with my favourite ear product - Holey Butt’r (although a good quality vitamin E oil will also be beneficial) - and then stretch back up from where is comfortable. This gives my ears a break and the massages help stimulate the blood supply whilst the Holey Butt’r moisturises and softens the skin. Also, when you get to your desired size, leave the jewellery out overnight.
You say you have nice, healthy blow-out-free lobes, which leads me to believe that you live by the mantra - slow, steady stretching without skipping sizes - already. Keep that in mind, give your ears the TLC treatment and you’re doing good.
+5 / 9 votes 
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Posted by Tiff Badhairdo | Permalink | Comments
Saturday May 17th, 2008 @ 1:22 PM
Filed under: Ear
Hi.
A year and a half ago, in September 2006, I had my helix gunned at 16g. (Stupid, I know. Spare me the lecture.) It healed up fine, it hasn’t given me any trouble since, and it’s been healed for more than a year now. However, the fistula is extremely thick; it extends about 1mm out of the ear and looks disgusting! I’ve tried sea salt soaks and tea tree oil, but no improvements. How can i get rid of it? (I’m having the same trouble with my DIY lobe piercing as well.)
Thanks a lot.
As requested, I’ll save you the lecture. 
The extended “fistula” that you are referring to is most likely some hypertrophic scarring on the piercing. This type of scar tissue is common with piercings (and other wounds) where there is a lot of mechanical irritation. Given the less-than-ideal nature of the way the ear piercing gun does the piercing, as well as the often less-than-spectacular jewelry that goes into the piercing…scarring like this is not uncommon with cartilage piercings done with ear piercings. (Simmer down…not lecturing…just explaining).
There are a variety of things you can try to reduce the scar tissue.
You should be able to find a few different types of scar-reduction products at your local pharmacy. These products claim to reduce scarring…and I have seen them work well for some people…not so well for others. Some people take a more “homemade” approach to things and they will massage the area with things like Vitamin E oil or extra virgin olive oil. The act of physically massaging it can help break up the scar tissue, making it easier for your body to re-absorb it. The various oils can, for some people, help break up the scar tissue even more.
Best of luck.
+6 / 6 votes 
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Posted by Derek Lowe | Permalink | 1 Comment
Friday May 16th, 2008 @ 2:17 AM
Filed under: Ear
I had my lobes stretched from 2ga to 0ga two days ago, professionally. The stretch went well, one hurt a little, the other was painless. They’ve been a little tender but not anything out of the ordinary.
I did a soak today and when I cleaned around the jewelry there was a little blood on both. I’m guessing this means I managed to tear them regardless of the easy stretch. Should I be worried? No signs of a blowout, and I don’t plan to stretch any further…
Can I leave the 0ga in and just treat them real nice?
Thanks!
Definitely sounds like one had a bit more of micro-tearing then the other one, since stretching should not hurt at all if you’re waiting the appropriate amount of time and using the right size jewelry,etc.
And I would agree with you to simply just treat them as if they were freshly pierced (sterile saline soaks once or twice a day,etc) since you do not plan to stretch any further. Treat them real nice and baby them and don’t think about stretching for quite awhile.
+5 / 13 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 4 Comments
Thursday May 15th, 2008 @ 1:53 AM
Filed under: Ear
Ive had blow outs and scar tissue on the back side of both lobes for sometime now and they are rather embarrasing to say the least. Not only do they make it very difficult to stretch but I have to always find or have custom peices made to accomodate the width.
I sleep with my plugs out and do oil massages but the blow outs and scar tissue dont seem to want to go anywhere.
I learned that I can have them scalpelled off and because I have also heard that scalpelling to produce a larger size makes future stretching easier I woould also like to have this done.
I was perviously at 1 1/4 but due to complication from the scar tissure not wanting to stretch to that size have since downsized to 1 1/8
Becuase I like the size of 1 1/4 and plan to stay there for a good while, and than eventually 1 3/8 for a good while and than 1 1/2 etc
I was thinking if getting scalpelled to 1 1/4 from 1 1/8 and at the same time getting my blow outs removed is good idea or not?
Im also a little concerned about thinning and I hear that scalpelling to larger size will redirect the piercing.
Here is a question I’d like to ask…Have you ever tried simply taking the jewelry out, leaving it out, massaging the lobes multiple times a day to see if the blow outs,etc get re-absorbed into the body? If my measurements are precise you only went down one size in your downsizing. With blow outs I strongly advise clients to literally not wear jewelry in their ears, until their lobes re-absorb the blow outs. From there you put whatever light weight jewelry (Pyrex eyelets,etc) fits comfortably and then wait roughly 1 year or so before you consider going to the next size up. From there literally wait 6 months to a year (ideally a year) before going up to the next size and so on an so forth.
Personally I’d suggest that before ever considering the scalpelling route. Lobe Scalpelling/Re-Directing,etc should only be done as a last resort, after all other avenues have been done.
Without seeing your lobes and the blow outs and scar tissue,etc I can’t really give much confirmed responses (ie: how big of a blow out you have,etc). But I’d honestly encourage you to at least try what I suggested if you’ve never done that, before selecting to go with the scalpelling. And I’d honestly literally not even consider the concept of stretching your lobes to larger sizes until this matter is sorted out.
But yes scalpelling and removal of the blow outs can be an option, but like I said I’d encourage you to consider it the very last option.
+5 / 5 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 5 Comments
Thursday May 15th, 2008 @ 1:48 AM
Filed under: Ear
i think this might be kind of a dumb question, but whatever.
I have a 6g inner conch piercing and due to my new job i have to take it out. I’m wondering if there would be any complications in removing my jewelery and if I can expect it to close up at all. Just curious!
Thanks!
Complications by removing jewelry are pretty non-existent, except if you view jewelry removal as a complication hehe.
In regards to closing up its all a matter of speculation/guess work, it may or it may not. It depends on how long you’ve had it, if you stretched it to 6ga, if it was pierced with a needle or punched, the aftercare protocol,etc. So this part of the question is the real hard part to give a 100% yes or no answer to, other than a simple: “You’ll just have to wait and see.”
I suspect it’ll downsize most definitely but like I just said only time and your body will determine how much it downsizes to.
+2 / 2 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 1 Comment
Saturday May 3rd, 2008 @ 8:22 AM
Filed under: Ear
I plan on getting a snug piercing in two weeks. On Wiki BME, it states that snugs are “difficult to heal, largely because many piercers insist on putting small diameter, thin gauge rings into them.”
Because of this I will be insisting on a straight barbell, but my question is: What is the range that falls under “thin” gauges, and what constitutes a thick gauge that will prevent migration/rejection for this particular piercing?
I’ve never put a ring in a snug in my life (and actually think they look rather odd with rings in them, go figure - sorry if I just offended you and you wear a ring in your snug!), but I would personally say that in my experience, snugs are just cranky bitches to heal for the most part, no matter what jewellery one uses. I prefer to use curved bars over straight ones, they usually go with the flow of the ear better, and I tend to do them at around 14ga, with titanium jewellery. You can still reasonably expect a year of cleaning and looking after it while it’s fussy, they are a notoriously long-healing piercing!
+5 / 7 votes
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Posted by Lori St.Leone | Permalink | 1 Comment
Saturday May 3rd, 2008 @ 12:04 AM
Filed under: Ear
So, I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. In hindsight I clearly stretched too fast.
I was pierced at 4g in Jan ‘06 and stretched by my piercer up to 9/16in by sometime in early-mid ‘07. That’s when I realized I had minor blowouts. I wish I could provide a photo because they’re not cat-assy or lippy…more like slightly concave.
Anyhow I downsized, massaged and put in a pair of 00g SSS eyelets.
A few months later I had a piercer suggest weights to ’straighten’ the skin out. So I recently tried for a good month or so with heavy hanging jewelry and it hadn’t done much of anything in terms of ’straightening’ them out.
Now I’m back up to 1/2in from trying the weights (though wearing 7/16in. jewelry) and I’m wondering what else I can do.
Should I continue to downsize and massage or is it a lost cause at this point?
I doubt these last two questions are possible, but I thought I’d go out on a limb and ask anyway.
Would tapering from back to front have any impact on “retraining” the skin or would it just do more damage? (I’m assuming more damage or the possibility for more damage.)
Is there anything that can be done with a scalpel and sutures to pull the skin back into a proper position with minimal tissue loss?
The problem is essentially the waiting game. So many people, and piercers as well, have this notion that within a few months anything is capable of being stretched to a larger gauge. Sure this might work for some people, however for the majority of people it won’t work.
My suggestion to you is to downsize and massage the lobes daily until the blow outs are re-absorbed into the body. From there wear whatever jewelry fits in easily with no problems and don’t consider stretching your lobes again until anywhere from 6 months to a year, potentially even longer.
These problems occur from constant stretching and just like a rubber band when you keep tugging on it, it will eventually break/snap. So like I said remove the jewelry and massage daily till the problem is re-absorbed into the lobe tissue, put jewelry in that doesn’t stretch the pathway. Then from there allow your lobes the time to really establish that they are healed and if anything naturally let them stretch on their own. As you should never technically need somebody to taper your lobes to a larger size, if you simply just wait long enough.
+5 / 5 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | Comments
Wednesday April 30th, 2008 @ 10:08 PM
Filed under: Ear
Hi,
I have been piercing for a while now and today did what I thought to be a routine tragus piercing but for some reason the jewelry WOULD NOT go thru… I got the needle thru fine but everytime I would go to slip the ring in the jewelry would stop everytime at the same spot.. I gave it a try three times with the girls permisson and then finally told her that her cartilidge was too thik and for some reason the jewelry just would not push thru…
I am so baffled right now???? NEVER have I had this happen and I was just wondering if anyone else had has this problem??
MEGHAN
I’ve honestly never experienced an issue like what you’re explaining, even in the rare occurrence that I use a ring (I pretty much exclusively use labret studs in tragus piercings)…That’s not to say problems like this don’t happen, it happened once to me with a nostril piercing. The gentlemen had a really old nostril the needle went through easily but jewelry would not slide through, after a couple times passing the taper through it was inserted.
What size (gauge and diameter) ring did you use? Did you measure the thickness of the tragus before selecting what jewelry to use? Are you a properly trained piercer, or someone who just pierces themselves and their friends? Not trying to offend with that last question, but its a honest question to ask….Also what type of needle were you using? Standard Blade Needle, Catheter Needle?
Without observing your technique in person for that specific person, its hard to tell what exactly went wrong.
The one thing I can say you did wrong is that you told your client something that was potentially a lie. You don’t know why the jewelry wouldn’t pass through the pathway, so you lied and said her tragus was too thick. If you don’t know what’s going on, own it and be honest about it. Tell her that you’ve tried everything but for some reason the jewelry just wouldn’t insert. Honesty is always the best policy when it comes to this type of thing.
+9 / 9 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 2 Comments
Tuesday April 29th, 2008 @ 8:40 PM
Filed under: Ear
I have heard there is a “point of no return” with ear lobe stretching, where the hole will never return to a “normal” 16 or 18g size. At what gauge of jewelry is this “point of no return?”
Thanks!
-L
There’s no solid answer- “it depends” is the best I can do.
I’ve seen people at 1.5″ who’ve shrunk down to nothing, and people who’re at 1″ stay at 00g permanently. It depends on a variety of factors and as such there’s no definite answer.
+12 / 22 votes
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Posted by Shawn Porter | Permalink | 4 Comments
