Need some advice.

[That Bloke]

Okay, I'll try and keep this story short:

The other week, I bought some stretchers from a place that told me they where 3mm. I soon sound out when trying to put them in that they wheren't 3mm but infact 5mm... (I should have stuck with my usual body piercer...) Anyway, I apparently tore my left earlobe slightly (didn't try stretching my other one at the time). Instead, I decided to start stretching my other ear instead, except I made sure I had a 3mm this time -_-. My left ear didn't bleed at all when I tried putting the apparent "3mm" in but it was pretty sore.

My question is, how long should I wait before I start stretching it again? I was thinking that once my right ear is 10mm or so, I would start trying to stretch my other ear again.

One more question: How big do you think Matt Heafy's ears are? I quite like his size. Picture:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iIOXRF5qNW8/S ... 0/matt.jpg

[corazon_de_oro]

Downsize the ear that you put the 5mm in. Then wait at least a few months before stretching again so you don't build up scar tissue from the tear. Once it heals, try doing some oil massages to help it be ready to stretch again.
As for the ear that you just stretched to 3mm, I'd say wait a minimum of 6-8 weeks, especially if it was sore. 4mm can be a pretty difficult stretch so you want your ear to be ready.

[That Bloke]

Downsize the ear that you put the 5mm in. Then wait at least a few months before stretching again so you don't build up scar tissue from the tear. Once it heals, try doing some oil massages to help it be ready to stretch again.
As for the ear that you just stretched to 3mm, I'd say wait a minimum of 6-8 weeks, especially if it was sore. 4mm can be a pretty difficult stretch so you want your ear to be ready.

Yeah, that's what I thought I would have to do. It wasn't a huge tear though, only a minor one. I put my original jewellry back in after I realised that I had damaged it.

Ah, I should have been more clear. My right ear (The one with the 3mm) is actually perfectly fine, I meant to say that when I ripped my left ear, it didn't bleed at all untill the next day, which I thought was odd.

[twosharks]

Because it was sore, I'd give the 'good' ear at least four months or more for 4mm. The 'bad' ear will need longer. When a piercing is injured, the most cautious way to go is to treat it like a brand new piercing. So when you see blood, if you want to be certain it's healed and strong enough to stretch, you need about 6 months. Three to heal, three to get strong. Rushing just lets weak spots get weaker, and thus there's more risk of tearing.

Basically double the full healing time before stretching, and a piercing is healed when there's no crust, tenderness, or other signs of damage for a full month. So if the 'bad' ear stops all crusting and tenderness and any other symptoms tomorrow, then it's healed in about 4 weeks from now, and shouldn't be stretched any sooner than 8 weeks. Most often, it'll take longer to be fully healed, and remember an actual piercing is often a less traumatic wound than a tear from stretching, so it might take longer to heal well.

In the future always check your tapers and jewelry against a ruler or with calipers, and LISTEN to your piercings! Even if it's the right size, the pain should let you know it's too much, too soon.

[TheGreyEyedMonster]

twosharks i like your formula. i may just use that with friends