Since no one seems to believe that you have to be patient...

[corazon_de_oro]

I usually recommend that people leave 6-8+ weeks between sizes (or just until your ears can be stretched without pain or resistance) and everyone seems to think that's such a ridiculously long time. So I thought I'd look around the internet and find some PROOF that people do get blowouts and tears when they only leave 2-3 weeks between sizes. I'm not making this stuff up.

Someone who got a blowout after waiting almost 4 weeks to stretch:
http://www.bodyjewelleryshop.com/forum/ ... lease-Help

Somoene who got a blowout by not going to 1G between 2 and 0:
http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/sh ... hp?t=19556

Not sure how fast this girl stretched but this is what can happen if you don't listen to your body:
http://news.bmezine.com/2007/04/28/diy-ear-explosion/

Read this whole thread on the Body Art Forms forums; the OP asks why it's so important to wait and people answer:
http://forums.bodyartforms.com/showthre ... d-too-fast

This thread on a site I frequent has an excellent guide followed by a lot of Q&A about proper stretching. Actually I encourage all of you to lurk around those forums for a while... you'll learn quite a bit.
http://www.bodyjewelleryshop.com/forum/ ... garding-It

Thread where people show photos of lobes without jewelry... as you can see, the ones who stretched badly have gross-looking lobes and the ones who were patient have healthy stretches:
http://forums.bodyartforms.com/showthre ... bes-(pics)

So yeah, hopefully someone will get what I'm trying to say. You're dealing with stretching your own skin here, it needs time to recover!

[leighmarie]

Is it odd I like looking at the gross pictures? :/

[Day3091]

Urrghhh - that third link down is NASTY!

[Tom]

Ya that 3rd one down is nasty!

[Hardware]

Today I saw a lady with broken lobes. She had them pierced back together. *shutters*

[HateJustin]

pretty attractive, ripped lobes <3
but really, that's pretty horrifying.

[corazon_de_oro]

Yep, they are pretty gross. But people continue to ignore good advice and treat stretching like a race!

[greeneyedbabe€]

The 3rd one was pretty gross and I am not usually a picker but that makes me want to give it a super duper sss and pick all the nastyness away, I think if that were my ear considering I look at them daily like most other stretchers I would of noticed or felt it....