So I fucked up my ear...

[Smoottie]

So this monday, I stretched my right earlobe to 6mm (2g) the stretch itself wasn't different from what I've experienced before and I'd waited several months (Close to 6 months actually) so I thought everything was good and all. Then today when I got home, I wanted to do an SSS because it had been a little itchy and like 5-10 seconds after I removed my plug, it started bleeding. I have no idea what happened, maybe I've been sleeping on it in a wrong way or something... I didn't have time to do much about it since I was heading out, so I just cleaned it up and put my plug back in. It was a bit sore, but that's gone away now.. I don't know if it's still bleeding, I'm going to wait a bit longer before taking my plug out again and check on it, because I don't want to mess too much with it... I know that the ideal thing to do would be downsizing, and I'd be happy to do that, but the problem is that I don't have any proper 4g jewellery.. The only things I have other than spirals (Which would just be a plain stupid choice, especially since they're made of horn) are an acrylic taper and a very small acrylic plug. Which I suppose I could put in, but it's very short and therefore isn't very comfortable. I guess my poor choice in jewellery might be a part of the reason why this went wrong.. I have some good 2g jewellery, a titanium tunnel, and I think that would be the best to wear right now.. I know that I might get scar tissue and stuff like that, but it really isn't much of an issue for me since I've definitely reached the limit of how far I can go with this one because of it's placement and I was going to stop here anyway.. So I'm thinking, that since I don't want to stretch any further and don't mind living with some wrinkles or something similar, it might just be better to let it heal at this size, rather than changing to unhealthy jewellery that might just make it worse? And no, I can't just buy new 4g jewellery, I can't afford anything right now...
And you don't have to tell me that I fucked up, I know I did..

[sh4ky]

Odd hey considering you've waited so long. I too am going through something similarish. I've had one lobe piercing at 10mm since the start of August. I tried once, maybe 3-4 weeks ago, to stretch it up using two layers of bondage tape on the tunnel but it seemed more difficult than it should to get the tunnel in so I stripped the tape off and just put the tunnel back in after cleaning my ear. Then last week, suddenly I noticed a bit of discomfort on the back of that lobe one morning as I got up. I pulled the two tunnels out in that lobe and had a look and couldn't see anything odd, no blood or anything, even by twisting my lobe up to look at the back. So cleaned up and put tunnels back in. All was good until yesterday and I have a similar thing back again. I pulled tunnels out and this time I can see some redness only around one part of the back of my 10mm hole. I'm unsure if its a small blowout or not, it's really only a red part that's a bit more tender than the rest of my lobe. I think what I might have to do is downsize anyway and treat it as though it is one. Not sure. Anyone have an opinion?

[Smoottie]

^ Doesn't sound like a blowout to me, but it's difficult so say since I haven't seen it...

[mouse2cat]

Honestly both of your options are bad. I would think it would be better to actually wear shitty 4g earrings than leave the pressure on a tear. Even better than that would be to let them go naked for a while to let them heal and re-stretch from there. I don't really know how you got to 2g without 4g earrings. But If you can't afford plugs than maybe you should wait longer to save the money.

As far as not being able to buy safe 4gplugs.
$8 glass plugs...
http://www.etsy.com/listing/108518271/4 ... lare-basic

[sh4ky]

I didn't state an opinion, rather an experience I am going through right now. I don't have anything I can downsize with at the moment. I have bought some more smaller tunnels and am waiting for them to arrive still. I don't think it's necessary I go naked for this lobe to mend, however I will downsize when they turn up. I have read up on what could possibly be wrong with my lobe and its not a blowout, nor infection, it's not a tear inside my lobe considering the part in question is on the back of my lobe, not in it. Its also not a reaction to the metal my tunnels are made of either as i have more than one in that same lobe.

So what do you think it is?

[mouse2cat]

I can't really say without pictures. But it is some kind of tear because of the blood. Once you compromise the skin like that the part that has torn is the only part stretching and not your entire hole. So it can cause your piercing to migrate leading to thinning. It is your body so you do what you like. I think you should take your plugs out to let your ear heal.

[sh4ky]

I didn't have any blood in my lobe, nor did I say that. Just the one part that is only about a third of the total circumference around my tunnel that is tender. And not actually in my lobe but on the back, say where the o ring is. The redness has disappeared too so it may have been a case of me touching my ear more (clean hands of course) because of the tenderness. I intend to downsize it still and see if it helps. Just have to wait for these tunnels to turn up

[Smoottie]

Honestly both of your options are bad. I would think it would be better to actually wear shitty 4g earrings than leave the pressure on a tear. Even better than that would be to let them go naked for a while to let them heal and re-stretch from there. I don't really know how you got to 2g without 4g earrings. But If you can't afford plugs than maybe you should wait longer to save the money.

As far as not being able to buy safe 4gplugs.
$8 glass plugs...
http://www.etsy.com/listing/108518271/4 ... lare-basic

Normally I would be able to afford proper jewellery, but december is coming up and I've already spent half of the money I had for this month, because I owed them to someone. But enough of my financial situation, another thing is that I'm very hesitant about buying the cheap jewellery from the US, since I may have to pay a very heavy fee for importing things to Denmark. Happened last time I bought something from the US. And finding proper glass jewellery inside the EU seems to be difficult... And I didn't get to 2g without 4g jewellery, I wore the acrylic for some time (Which some think is stupid, but I haven't had problems with it and a piercer even recommended it) and then I wore horn spirals when it had healed up..

However, I had a look at it today and it seems a lot better, so I might be lucky this time. And as I said, I won't try to stretch it any further than this.. Going to save the link though, thanks for that.