Going to start to stretch!

[zerousteve]

My girlfriend is going to pierce both my ears on Tuesday with some 16g earrings I bought. Then in about a month or so I'm going to do my first stretch to a 12g. And then go from there. Does this sound like a solid plan? Also is there anything I need to know before I start stretching. I've done a fare amount of research and know to use E-oil and salt soaks. Is there anything else I can do to help out with healing and making my ears nice and clean?

Thanks

[caadam]

For the benefit of your ears and just yourself, you really want to wait at least 5-6 months before you start stretching at all. Getting pierced at 16g is great, though! Nothing wrong with that. It's just that a new piercing takes longer to heal than a new stretch.

And while they heal, make sure to not handle them too much. Such as twisting them when you're bored, or twisting them when you're washing them. It causes scar tissue to form around the fistulas.

[corazon_de_oro]

I'm gonna start off by saying I'm not trying to be condescending or shoot down your entire plan, BUT you might want to do a little more research...
1. Is your girlfriend a professional piercer? Is she planning on wearing gloves, using sterile needles AND sterile jewelry (meaning autoclaved, not soaked in alcohol or something) and working in a clean area? If not, go to a professional. Not Claire's or Wal-Mart, a real professional who will pierce your lobes with needles and proper jewelry, not a gun.

2. After a piercing, you need to wait about six months before doing your first stretch. Your piercings probably won't even be healed after a month, and they definitely won't be ready to stretch. A lot of people think a piercing just has to be healed to be stretched, but it has to be strong enough to accommodate larger jewelry too. That just doesn't happen in a month. In a month they might seem healed on the outside and that's about it.

3. If you're starting at 16G, your first stretch should be 14G, not 12G. Never skip any sizes, even small ones. Those small sizes set the foundation for your whole stretching journey.


I would recommend getting pierced by a professional at 10G or 8G so you can already wear plugs and stuff while you're waiting to go larger. IMO it's the best decision you can make if you want to stretch but your ears aren't pierced yet.
Oh, and read this! http://www.bodyjewelleryshop.com/forum/ ... garding-It

Good luck!

[corazon_de_oro]

For the benefit of your ears and just yourself, you really want to wait at least 5-6 months before you start stretching at all. Getting pierced at 16g is great, though! Nothing wrong with that. It's just that a new piercing takes longer to heal than a new stretch.

And while they heal, make sure to not handle them too much. Such as twisting them when you're bored, or twisting them when you're washing them. It causes scar tissue to form around the fistulas.

Wow, we always reply to threads at the same time, haha. I have a life, I swear!

[caadam]

Wow, we always reply to threads at the same time, haha. I have a life, I swear!

HAHA! And what about me, right? LOL

Yeah. I'm a full-time student, so my days are riddled with studying, and I just usually stay signed on to my favorite forums and reply randomly when I study.

I was also going to say that you covered a lot more than I did in this thread. I'm still waking up on my side of the Interwebs, so it totally went over my head.

[zerousteve]

No, my girlfriend is not a professional piercer. But she has done all hers with no problem. What would you say a shop usually charges for piercings? Would it be cheaper if I brought my own earring? Or do they make you buy them there?

[corazon_de_oro]

If you're not willing to spend time and money on stretching it might not be the right thing for you to do, honestly. You can't just shove earrings through your ears, stretch them a month later, and expect healthy, attractive stretched lobes. The price depends on the shop, but don't just go to the cheapest place because chances are they're not the best.

[zerousteve]

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it. But I have no problem spending money on it. I already have. I have been wanting to stretch my ears since I saw my friend do it. Which was like 6 years ago. I'm going to get my ears pierced whether or not its at a shop. The time at which I stretch I don't know. I will see how I feel. Because I do want to do it right and I do not want awful looking ears.

[DJChildhood]

When I get off work, ill post nude lobe shots of both ears (right side is FUCKED, left is nice and pretty)
just as a kind of motivation to do this stuff the right way

[corazon_de_oro]

Here's some other stuff to be used as motivation: http://m260.photobucket.com/albums/blow ... =0&tr=prev