Stretchers

Former Member

Heyy.
I decided i wanna try a stretcher in me right ear, but i don't know tones about them.
Just wondering if people had any advice on them and how to care for them.
Also bout sizes and how long to leave them in for.
Also was wondering what happens if you need to remove it for some reason, im working in a nursing home so would need to remove it during working and would like to while im sleeping as well.
Thanks alfiee

Former Member

Firstly - check out this http://wiki.bme.com/index.php?title=Stretching BME is very good and unbiased.

Ways to stretch -
You can get it dermally punched but you will always have a hole that big and it's hurts like a bitch.
You can use weights but you are for more liable to get a blowout (a small fistula in the skin), and that's what means you end up getting the cat bum look.
In my experience tapers are best. When starting from a tiny size - so 2mm, I found it best to use animal bone. It's fairly biocompatible, cheap at small sizes and easy to get hold of. Plastic works well but don't bother with metal until you get to 5mm or larger. Metal will Also smell more than plastic, Silicon or anything organic (wood or animal material). And when I say tapers I mean ones the curl around rather than the kind that are straight. It is so much easier to push them through too hard and too fast (and then end up with a blowout) if they are straight. At first when going up by .5mm you can leave it a week to 2 weeks. Take as long as you need - remember it might be a tiny bit uncomfortable but it should never hurt. If it does you need to back down and leave it longer - but making sure you do it when the skin is supple (after a shower or bath) an use some lube. Little o rings can be helpful when you are using a taper to keep it in place. Once you are going up 1mm at a time leave it longer - a month maybe? Just see how it goes.

As for hygiene - there is such a thing as cleaning too much. If it was a normal piercing then I would say with salt water once a day. At first, yes that might be a good idea (but use gauze not cotton wool balls or pads because you can easily end up getting bits of cotton stuck on/it it. Once you get to 5/6 mm where after a bath or shower with a little lube (must be water based if you wear silicon plugs, otherwise biooil works well), and you are finding you can stretch fairly easily, then you can do it once every other day. I now do it with wet wipes, although I wouldn't advise doing that! You can get special soap to use to clean them in the shower - which I used to use when my nipple piercing was healing, and that's good, just don't buy any antibacterial hand wash and use that - its really really not the same.

Keeping them hidden at work and night times - I really really would advise that you don't take them out. Instead wear little silicon keepers (otherwise known as retainers) at night and whilst at work - you can get flesh and clear coloured ones.

That's all I can think of off the too of my head, but feel free to ask me any more questions.

Former Member

Okay cool i ordered some ones of different sizes.
Are the retainers those round things that dont stick out? someone i work with wears one i think with a cartoon design on, because where i work i gotta have me hair up for infection control so have to take it out. Prob better than it accidently being ripped out tbh! But i will look at retainers
Thankss

Former Member

Nope they are plugs - retainers are made to look like you don't have a piercing.