It currently seems to be all the rage to stretch your ears, particularly on the emo/hardcore scenes, although it has been around for much longer with tribes in Africa and Asia often stretching many piercings, including those in the lip. Whilst the process seems to be a simply task of inserting larger and larger jewellery into your ears it should be noted that ear stretching is still a body modification that is relatively severe as it involves radically, and permanently, altering the tissue of the ear lobe.

Holes up to 6/8mm will generally shrink back to normal piercing size with very little evidence of a stretching ever taking place, although if done too quickly the blowout may be a permanent fixture. Any stretching taken over this size will never truly heal and instead of leaving a small inconspicuous hole a slit/line will be visible (the size of which is usually that of a few mm smaller than your largest stretch), although all of the above is dependant upon the individual. Factors such as age, length of time taken to stretch, 'rest period' between each stretching session, skin elasticity and scar tissue formation affect the ability of the skin to not only stretch, but also to close up after jewellery has been removed.

Blowouts occur when the pressure on the inside of the piercing is too great, and the hole deforms itself by twisting inside out, resulting in a 'blowout' or section of tissue that appears as a circular flap/ring on (generally) the backside of the piercing. These can also develop into keloids. If you catch them in time there is the possibility of removing them by downsizing immediately and allowing them to reabsorb. A more extreme way to remove them is to physically remove them by tightly tying off the lip using an 'O' ring and allowing the tissue to die before removing it (not pleasant!).

If taken too far, or if done improperly, the damage caused can require surgery to repair, or could even be beyond reconstruction. Stretching too quickly can lead to a build up of scar tissue and create blow outs. This tissue has an unsightly appearance and often looks like a 'cat bum!'. Scar tissue is more difficult to stretch than regular skin, and can make further stretching difficult and painful.

One of the most popular questions we are asked in the shop is 'does it hurt'. The answer to which is always 'if you are doing it right, NO!' The number of times people come in desperate to have the biggest ears and the newest plugs with no regard for their health is beyond my ability to recall, the most recent being a boy who had got his ear pierced 2 days previously and proceeded to jam a 4mm stretcher into his ear in the middle of the shop causing it to bleed so badly we had to send him to the body piercers to get tissue (and to stop him p*ssing blood all over the carpet!). Without meaning to sound like your mother, and coming from a person with 16mm (yes, I realise when I first wrote this it was 12 but they just don't look that big any more!) ears herself...'THINK OF WHAT YOU WILL LOOK LIKE WHEN YOU GET OLDER!' By all means stretch your ears, take them to whatever size you would like, but do it properly, and most of all...slowly!

There are several methods available in order to stretch your ears:

Tapering

This is the most popular, cheapest and 'safest' way of stretching ears that there is. We only sell taper type stretching kits and stretchers as they are the easiest and most hygienic. This simply involves inserting larger and larger tapers (cone shaped plastic or metal devices) into the ear hole until a desired size is met. Tapering should still be done slowly although the desire may be to push the taper in a bit more each day this should be restricted to only when your ear has settled from the last push. Lubricants such as KY Jelly (!!) can be used in order to aid the process but should not be used to speed up proceedings! One of the most effective ways is th simply stretch in the bath/shower as the steam relaxes your earlobes making them more supple. It is recommended that after each 'push' of the stretcher/taper the ear is allowed to rest for at least 2 days (dependant upon your body) to allow the ear to adapt to the change made to it, helping to prevent blow out and scar tissue build-up.

Dead Stretching

This simply involves pushing larger and larger jewellery through the hole until the desired size is reached. This is never advisable as this can lead to blowouts and build ups of scar tissue that weakens the hole making it more difficult to stretch in future.

Weights 

This method is not so widely used, as it tends to cause piercings to migrate and can lead to a thinning of the tissue which can cause disfigurement and require surgery to reconstruct. It is a method that has been traditionally utilised by various tribes, such as the Dayaks in Borneo, that practice extreme earlobe elongation. Weights tend to be used by those wanting larger stretchings as it is more effective when the fistula (hole) has been made bigger.

Looking After Your Stretched Ears

All body jewellery should be sterilised but stretchers/tapers MUST be sterilised due to the nature of the hole they are being inserted into. All jewellery kept in stretched holes (tunnels, plugs tc.) should also be removed for at least a few minutes every day and re-sterilised (or at least cleaned!) to prevent the build up of 'ear cheese'. Plastic plugs and stretchers are the worst culprits for creating the vile smell that often is found in stretched ears (dead skin cells that are beginning to rot - yum!) and should be cleaned as often as possible. I find simply rubbing a baby wipe inside the hole and taking them out in the shower works fine for me, however my partner removes his plugs every night and moisturises the holes (his ears never smell!) yet if I do this they shrink up slightly causing me pain to re-insert the same size jewellery.

Even after years of having stretched holes your ears can still choose to reject the piercing. This has happened to several people I know, including myself, and is extremely painful. I find this generally happens during the cold winter months, for reasons unbeknown to me, and involves the ear becoming extremely painful to the touch, bleeding and sometimes puss inside the hole. Wearing plugs that are not thick enough for your ears can aggrevate the problem. To rectify the problem I simply went down a few sizes (from a 12mm to an 8mm) and sterilised my ear and jewellery every day to prevent an infection. After my ear had been settled for 3 weeks I began to slowly re stretch my ear until I reached 12mm again. I now pay special attention to my ears when the temperature begins to drop!

Stretched ears can look fantastic...as long as you recognise all of the issues that come with them and treat them with the respect they deserve! Enjoy!