Friday July 18th, 2008 @ 9:48 PM
Filed under: Ear
I have been stretching my ears for almost 2 years now, and this just past march accomplished the measurment of 1 1/4, and of course I was ecstatic! Unfortunately, in my first year of stretching my lobes, I had blown out my ears, and are left with some hefty scar tissue. The scar tissue appeared as I hit 7/8’s, which was a year ago June, so I have had it for a while.
Anyways!
This scar tissue has obviously had a negative effect on the overall look of my earlobes, but much more that other people with blowouts I have seen. If I keep my plugs in for any time over maybe 3 hours, the blowouts get extremely red, and begin to have drastic swelling if left in for more than a couple days. This was the worst when I had stretched to 1 1/4. I had the plugs in (one pair was made out of raintree wood, and after thinking it might have been the wood I made a pair of walnut plugs wrapped with tape)for 2 or 3 months, when I finally took them out for a couple weeks and went down to 1 inch. I had previously taken my plugs out totally for about a month and a half at an attempt to rid myself of the scar tissue but due to not keeping them out long enough this did nothing for them. Unfortunately this downtime has not helped the looks of them at all. What can I do to get rid of the redness and swelling?
Two years to get at an Inch and a Quarter? What were you pierced at originally? In fact don’t answer that, I don’t want to know or even think about it. Just know that the time frame you’ve listed, is too fast…What’s done is done. Now lets correct this issue.
Step 1: Take your jewelry out and leave them out for quite a long period of time. Massaging your lobes daily with: high quality extra virgin olive oil, neem oil, Holy Butt’r, Shea Butter, jojoba oil, emu oil, any of these products or anything that seems to work nicely on your lobes.
You’re going to have to downsize, and NOT wear ANY jewelry, until the blow outs re-absorb into your body. This could take a month it could take two years, its subjective to how your body wants to react to the situation.
Step 2: Put whatever slides in comfortably into your lobes and leave your ears at that size for roughly 2 years before you even consider the option of stretching to a larger size.
This may not be what you wanted to hear, but if you have the type of blow outs you’re describing, this is your first mode of attack. If they do not go away after doing steps 1 and 2 the other option is to visit a medical practitioner who is capable of removing the blow outs.
+29 / 45 votes 
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 2 Comments
Friday July 18th, 2008 @ 9:35 PM
Filed under: Ear
How permanent would a conch punch/stretch be, and do you know anyone in particular I should travel to to get this procedure done in southern Ontario, Canada?
Permanent as in how? Permanent in the way that you’re coring out tissue and cartilage, thus completely removing a circular hole out from your ear? From the sounds of that, provided you heal it, it’s going to be pretty darn permanent. Sure if you take it out after it’s healed it’ll shrink up a tad, but if you take it out early in the healing stage it will quite often seal up (the cartilage gone but the tissue grows and seals the hole up).
Expect punching to be a permanent change in your body and is something to full comprehend before you go around asking for it, or having a piercer try to talk you into it.
Also know whether piercers will try and set punches are legal for them to use, the reality is its also ILLEGAL for them to use…Welcome to the very grey area of trying to define what is a medical tool and what isn’t. Sure the area’s health department might say: “Sure yo can use it” the Health Department doesn’t govern over such legal matters, the inspectors only care about current guidelines/protocols. As all it will take is for one client to get their ear/nose/whatever punched and messed up and a lawsuit to be filed. And presto you’re slapped with a practicing medicine without a license lawsuit.
Much like in Canada its legal for someone to buy a syringe and xylocaine. They can even put the xylocaine into the syringe. However you are legally not allowed to inject the xylocaine into anyone. You can squirt it onto them, but not inject it into them.
Just out of curiosity though where in Southern Ontario are you, as that’s a rather broad range with plenty of cities within its region. Toronto? Hamilton? St.Catharines? Niagara Falls? Mississauga? Guelph? Southern Ontario is a very vague generalization and if you could provide us with an exact location it’d make pointing in the right direction easier.
Also remember there’s LOTS of piercers “playing doctor” and wanting to play with this type of equipment. However there’s only a small number of artists I’d trust, in Southern Ontario, to use a Biopsy/Dermal Punch and use it properly and effectively.
0 / 16 votes 
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | Comments
Friday July 18th, 2008 @ 6:53 AM
Filed under: Ear
I recently made a trip to a new piercing place and i found some fossilized mastodon ivory plugs they are so brutal however they are at 3/4 and im at 5/8 so i was trying to find some cheap stainless steel tunnels to gauge up however given the size it has proven difficult to find an affordable price so i was wondering if anybody had some good links with variety and affordability in mind!
Variety and Affordability…..Hmmmmm….Cheap…..
These are things a Jedi craves not…
The reality is if you want quality, WHICH YOUR BODY DESERVES, you’re going to have to pay a bit more then the Tree Fiddy that that no good Loch Ness Monsta is gonna be axin for!
Steel, Titanium, Gold, most metals are sky-rocketing in price…It’s all apart of that HUGE escalating number that is available to put on websites,etc that shows just how much the wars are costing us. Oil, Metal, everything is going UP UP UP UP UP in price. And sadly we the people of the world have to suffer and cope.
One option for you to look into is pyrex plugs/eyelets, as usually they are priced a bit cheaper then Steel/Titanium. And if I were you I wouldn’t look to variety or various different styles, I’d just stick to plain old clear Pyrex plugs/eyelets until you get to your desired size, which should take roughly 6 months to a year or just even a bit longer, depending on your ears elasticity,etc.
Then after you get to your desired size comfortably, that’s when you can buy your “brutal” Mastadon Ivory plugs…Or you can buy them now and just wait to put them in until you safely get to the 3/4″ size.
+10 / 12 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 3 Comments
Friday July 18th, 2008 @ 6:38 AM
I have four Industrial Strength microdermals along/below my clavicles. The rise is higher than i expected and I suppose with all the movement in the arms/shoulders the two outer micros sat noticeably higher than the inner two. I was just extra careful with them and they all healed up very nicely.
About a month ago my outer right micro got hit pretty hard and the smaller foot rejected out in 2 days. I decided to take it out myself with a 14g needle, sliding it against the micro to break connective tissue on the larger foot. I went to check my far left micro and noticed that again, the larger side of the foot healed perfectly, but the smaller foot did not heal at all, it had just been sitting there hollow, and since I never had it snagged i never noticed. The smaller foot popped right out! It was mildly horrifying but it wasn’t irritated, infected, or rejecting.I couldn’t leave it in there though so I decided to take it out as well and get them redone at a later date.
My concern is that in the long run micros will keep running in to problems with the smaller foot. I liked that Industrial Strength micros have a hole on the smaller side of the foot for tissue to grow through but it’s such an ittybitty one, I noticed Anatometal has a nice wide hole for the larger foot, but the smaller foot is just a nub. What micros would you recommend? Which have healed the best of your knowledge? Are there ones i should avoid? Any help would be great since i didn’t get them redone yet i’ll wait for feedback.
Thank You!! - maxine
p.s. for anyone healing micros, i picked up on some habits of the things.
Every few weeks or so one or a couple of mine would get irritated. The standard seasalt/water swab definitely helps but most of the time I had to give my micros a little help and push some of the lymphatic fluid out by gently pressing around the micro, (it’s easy for stuff to get trapped in there) then clean them again.
I’ve seen a lot of girls getting them around the chest/clavicle area, and this applies for s
Hi Maxine,
My personally view on IS vs Anatometal for the Surface Anchors/Microdermals is this, I like BOTH styles actually. The one thing I liked about Anatometal and their subsequent creation of the product, is that they actually waited and sat in the background watching/hearing all the issues people were having/noticing with the current versions,etc. They then implemented their product based on what they heard/saw and based on that made alterations based on that.
Personally I have not used the Anatometal ones just yet, they only came out a few months ago. I’ve only ever really used the Industrial Strength ones, which I find work great for me…And I bet if I was to use the Anatometal ones, I’d be just as happy with them, cuz lord knows I got a HUGE hankering for Anatometal, I love them so.
Might I ask though, just how old exactly were/are your microdermals? Based on what I’m reading I’d be inclined to assume that you’ve only had them for a couple months? No more than 6 months correct?
The one thing I’d like to point out with Microdermals is that they realistically take a lot longer to heal, then the projected time frame everyone “THINKS” they take to heal. Just because something isn’t red, irritated, swollen, producing a discharge,etc..Doesn’t mean that it is completely healed perfectly and awesome. Personally I say with Microdermals I advise clients to expect a 6 months to 1 year heal time, with periods of on and off irritation.
But as I said, I’m perfectly fine with suggesting IS or Anatometal for microdermals. There is also of course: Custom Steel Body Jewelry, who is arguably the individual who created the first prototypes of the microdermal/surface anchor design, depending who you talk to. Either way with any of these companies product, you’re safe and secure in the jewelry quality/design. From there it’s just making sure the piercer is experienced enough in knowing how to work with the jewelry. Not to mention its up to the client and piercer to do the research and get up to date knowledge on how to care for them. Because things have changed a bit since the old article that came out two years and a bit ago, as many other piercers started doing them and noting the pros and cons,etc.
+8 / 14 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 9 Comments
Friday July 18th, 2008 @ 6:31 AM
My tattoo is almost a week old and has scabbing on it in some places. I just wondered if scabbing is normal, or if it is a bad sign. Whenever I search on the internet I get completely different answers! Some say scabbing is really bad, and others say that it is normal. I’m kind of nervous about it. I’m being very careful not to knock off or pick at the scabs, at any rate. Thank you for your help!
You most certainly don’t want to pick the scabs off or anything like that. How have you been taking care of your tattoo? There’s MANY different aftercare methods and some work for some people and others for other people.
But scabbing isn’t uncommon, it can happen, especially with how some tattoo artists work…Not just that but also just how some peoples bodies naturally react to being tattooed.
The best thing for you to do is to not pick, allow the scabs to naturally want to fall off. As well as keep the tattooed skin moisturized with a very mild/gentle moisturizer.
Everyone’s different and everyone has their own brands and what not, personally I find Aveeno Moisturizer (Mild/Unscented) works best for my body…
+3 / 7 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | 2 Comments
Friday July 18th, 2008 @ 6:19 AM
Filed under: Ear
I got my tragus pierced 3 days ago, and my jaw hurts, kind of like an ear-ache. I was wondering if that was normal?
Dear Poster of this Question…You’ve had a couple days or so now, since getting it pierced. Has the jaw hurt/ear-ache you’re feeling gone away?
It has? AWESOME LIKE A POSSUM!
I’m making the assumption that it’s gone away because that’s the wonderful thing about the body, especially when you penetrate it with a needle. It really doesn’t “like” that idea, hence the chaotic ballet of trying to heal the wound begins.
This delightful ballet involves: redness, discharge and even discomfort/pain. Who knew that passing a needle through the body would trigger a “discomfort/pain” reaction in your ear/jaw region? I always thought they felt like angel kisses and fairy bj’s.
Not trying to make light of your situation but the fact is yes pain/discomfort is something to expect, literally 3 days after getting pierced. With tragus and other ear cartilage work you can expect discomfort even upto 6 months to a year after the piercing being done.
However if you ever see/feel something that perhaps doesn’t look/feel right, most definitely visit the piercer who did the piercing and have them inspect the piercing to make sure it’s doing well. If it sounds like they’re just brushing you off and telling you its fine, even though its not…Then perhaps visit a couple piercers to get their opinions on the situation and with all their answers make a educated/informed decision…Or you can even take a good/crisp/clear picture of your tragus and post it here for the AskBME staff to analyze and provide their own opinions/thoughts,etc.
+1 / 7 votes
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Posted by Warren Hiller | Permalink | Comments
Thursday July 17th, 2008 @ 2:49 PM
I have a subincision which extends to the loose skin at the front of my scrotum. I would like to extend the sub beyond the back of my scrotum which means I need a scrotal split. One way of going about this would be to do a transscrotal, then a scrotal split, then extend the sub, all in separate steps, each with a period of healing. I would like to know if it is possible to skip the transcrotal and go straight to the scrotal split. I also wonder if it is possible to do the scrotal split and sub extension at the same time, perhaps stitching the scrotal split to the split urethra instead of back to front as in a conventional scrotal split.
Doing a transcrotal for the sake of later doing a scrotal split is counterproductive. You will go through the procedure and healing of a transcrotal only to make scar tissue that will make the split more difficult. Extending the sub into the scrotum is a diifficult and potentially dangerous task. It’s worth ding it in stages to make the healing a little easier. Also, the potential for seriously dangerous and possibly fatal infections in the procedure is considerably higher than with the work you allready have done. Please take every possible precaution.
+13 / 15 votes
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Posted by Sean Philips | Permalink | Comments
Thursday July 17th, 2008 @ 2:45 PM
So I’ve been planning a genital project for quite some time now and while reading through AskBME, I read that shaft piercings can cause erections to be painful.
The planned project was a RPA, 4 trans-urethral apadrayvas, and 4 (possibly trans-urethral) ampallangs.
My question is this: Would it be wise to go with microdermals/dermal anchors where I would want the shaft piercings or should I stick with the old school?
If I did go with the anchors, would I have to be more cautious during sexual activity due to the thinness of the skin along the shaft?
Someone asked a similar question just a few days ago. So I don’t feel I need to point out how BAD of an idea anchors in the penis is. I would like to point out a third option that, to me, is a far better choice than either of the two you mentioned. Genital beading or other genital implants. They should provide what you are looking for with none of the downfalls associated with the methods you mentioned.
+10 / 10 votes 
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Posted by Sean Philips | Permalink | 2 Comments
Wednesday July 16th, 2008 @ 10:54 PM
Let see here I have been reading on meatotomys for a while now and I realize how much I am in love with them,
I am living in the panama city area of florida and dont know where to go for this prosedure, my quistion is whether or not I should go to a urologist?
and if yes how do I bring that up?
and if not where do I go, I am totally for DIY procedures but am too much of a panzy to do that myself,
HELP ME OUT GUYS!
Most urologist would scoff at this procedure and claim it goes against there oath. Piercers are notoriously against DIY, but I support it if done safely. A meato using the old school clamp method is very simple to perform on oneself. I did mine in the living room of another QOD staff members living room with his guidance a long, long time ago and it was a defining moment in my venture into heavy modifications. Since then I have helped dozens of other perform this on themselves and feel if done with a bit of common sense it is a good rite of passage.
+10 / 14 votes
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Posted by Sean Philips | Permalink | 2 Comments
Wednesday July 16th, 2008 @ 10:51 PM
I am a kidney donor match for a friend. I will have to have a catheter for a few days and don’t want to lose my apadravya, yet they will need to insert the tube up my urethra. Is there a system of two plugs I can insert from the inside out of both holes to allow the catheter to go up my urethra? Where can I get such equiptment?
Your best bet may be Tygon tubing worn as a PA and a reverse PA. Call your local piercing shops to see if they have Tygon in the appropriate gauge.
+12 / 12 votes
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Posted by Sean Philips | Permalink | Comments
