Measuring ears with stretched piercings

Earlobe stretching piercings can be obtained by measuring the ears to a specific piercing size, either all at once or through several successive earlobe stretchings. A lot depends on how big you want your piercing to be, and anything that is a larger gauge than the above will involve more of a stretch.

Lug sizing is carried out using ‘gauge numbers’ which refer to a specific bore diameter. For example, 20 gauge is written as 20g, and that refers to a 0.8mm diameter hole. 18g refers to a 1mm diameter bore, so as the gauge numbers drop, the diameter increases. Also, the gauges drop in pairs, so there are no odd gauge numbers. Thus, the sequence goes: 20g, 18g, 16g, 14g and so on up to 00g. Therefore, one gauge step down is from one even number to the next and from a lower bore diameter to a larger one.

When measuring ears, you should stretch the piercings in one gauge step. So if you want to change from 16g to 14g (1.2mm to 1.6mm), you can do it in one step. However, if you wanted to go from 16g to 8g (1.2mm to 3.2mm), you would have to do it in four steps, with four stretched holes, each one gauge level.

When getting your earlobes pierced with the intention of increasing the gauge to a fairly high diameter for some beautiful large diameter bars you’ve ever seen or even a fresh meat tunnel, consider the starting diameter first – the larger the starting diameter , less Earlobe Stretching Steps you’ll need to follow to reach your preferred diameter. Don’t get your ears pierced in a mall with a gun because they usually pierce at 20g or 18g max.

Start with a professional piercing

Have a professional perform the initial piercing of the earlobe with a needle. It’s well worth the extra expense, and a professional will pierce your earlobes down to 16g, saving you an entire step of measuring your ears to the desired size. Let the professional know your intent and you’ll be given some expert advice, and you might even agree to let the professional do the measuring for you.

It is possible for people to get their own stretched piercings, and most do, to be honest, but only once they are sure the initial piercing has fully healed. If you start too soon, you could pop the piercing or split the skin, and any attempt to measure your ears after that could be impossible. Calibrating the ears is a skill that must be learned, so follow all the advice you can find if you want to be able to show off these fabulous weights that you have seen.

It is also critical to wait until each stretch has seated properly, the skin has thickened and hardened properly, before moving on to the next gauge. This will take about 3 times the time it takes for the initial piercing to heal, but don’t rush it.

Ear jewelry: when measuring the ears and after

The ear jewelry available for stretched piercings is fabulous. When choosing the jewelry you will wear during the ear measurement process, you need to consider potential infections and allergies, and surgical stainless steel and titanium are best. However, once you’ve reached your target gauge and your stretched piercings have fully healed, you’ll have a wonderful world of amazing jewelry in materials too brittle to be used on high gauge pins or bars.

You can use bone, horn, wood, stone, and even amber and glass, many of which also help the piercing stay clean and not clogged with oils from your skin. You can also wear acrylic and metal ear jewelry in many shapes and sizes. Many are happy with large earrings, while others prefer large diameter hoops, barbells, and regular earrings. Others love to wear solid cylindrical plugs, either flared or held in place by O-rings and ear weights made of any material under the sun, though silver, bronze, brass, and copper are common. The really rich have theirs made of solid gold.

Meat tunnels are popular

An alternative to the regular type of ear jewelry is the type of hollow plug known as a flesh tunnel. These are especially used for larger diameter stretched piercings, and when measuring the ears this is usually the end goal. Flesh tunnels are available in many different materials and are held in place in the same way as plugs: with flares, o-rings, or with a screw on back piece. Some people have beads or other forms of decorative elements threaded through their flesh tunnels, and these are often used as a mark of how far a person has gotten with their stretched piercings.

Therefore, people carry out ear measurement with stretched piercings both for its decorative effect and to show their ear stretching skills. Whatever the reason, keep in mind the gauge of your initial piercing and that everything related to ear gauging should be sterilized and kept clean and germ-free. Make sure each stage is fully healed before starting the next, and you shouldn’t have any real problems.