Can't get my ears to stretch past 14g?

[glitterandmischief]

I had my ears pierced in a shopping centre 11 years ago and when I put in a 14g expander about a week and a half ago everything was fine (except for a nipping or slight stinging sensation which I presume is normal) but now when I try to put in a 12g expander I can get it about a third of the way in and it physically will not go in any further. I'm worried that I will not ever be able to stretch my ears, does anyone have any tips that would help me?

[corazon_de_oro]

You might have skipped a size or two if you were wearing 20G-18G earrings before, unless your ears had stretched a bit on their own. If it's only been a week since you went to 14G they won't be ready for 12G for a long time; you really should be waiting about 6+ weeks between sizes. Stretching should never be painful and you should never have to force it. Also, try not to wear tapers as jewelry; they're long and awkwardly shaped and can put pressure on your ears, causing a blowout or tear.

[mouse2cat]

How long are you waiting before putting in the 12g? A month wait is recommended from 14 to 12, and you may need to wait a bit longer since you skipped 16G.

Don't worry, your ears will stretch. But if you go to fast like it sounds like you are. You are risking seriously hurting your ears.

This is the timeline I am going by
16g to 14g - 1 month
14g to 12g - 1 month
12g to 10g - 1.5 months
10g to 8g - 2 months
8g to 6g - 3 months
6g to 4g - 3 month
4g to 2g - 3 months
2g to 0g - 4 months
0g to 00g - 4 months

I may be a little on the conservative side but it never hurts to wait longer.

[corazon_de_oro]

This is the timeline I am going by
16g to 14g - 1 month
14g to 12g - 1 month
12g to 10g - 1.5 months
10g to 8g - 2 months
8g to 6g - 3 months
6g to 4g - 3 month
4g to 2g - 3 months
2g to 0g - 4 months
0g to 00g - 4 months

Honestly, there's no way to put a timeline on stretching. You move up to the next size when you can without pain or resistance, which usually takes six weeks or more. A month really isn't long enough to wait between the small stretches... for some reason people get the idea that they're easier just because they're smaller. However, when you think about it, if you go from 16G-14G it's a 0.4mm difference or a 1/3 increase in size. 10G-8G is also a 1/3 increase, so why would it require more time?
Also, with 2G-0G and 0G-00G, instead of waiting more time what you really need to do is get in-between sizes or tape. Very few people can make the 2G-0G jump without pain or tearing even if they stay at 2G for ages. My larger stretches have actually been much easier than the small ones because I'm only going 1mm at a time and it's less of an increase in the total size of the fistula.

Sorry to butt in, I just see that timeline floating around here a lot and I really don't care for it because it can give people the impression that smaller sizes can be rushed and larger sizes should be more difficult.

[mouse2cat]

Corazon,
You have a point, it is infinitely better to listen to your body than to go by some prescribed rigid list. That said, it is good to have an estimated timeline to start out with for all the people who think that 1-2weeks is enough time.

I think it is unfortunate that a lot of people are so out of touch with their bodies that they will cause huge amounts of damage. And think, that is how it is supposed to be.

Personally I found the timeline and it helped me put the brakes on my own stretching. When I would have gone too fast out of sheer ignorance.

You also have a good point about the smaller sizes too.

[corazon_de_oro]

You are right, having some type of guideline is definitely better for some people than none at all! I just usually tell people 6-8 weeks between all sizes. But I guess there are a lot of people who won't go to 1G or other in-between sizes so it is better to wait 4 months or so if you're going all the way from 2G-0G. So I can definitely see where you're coming from too!