Instructions: How do I stretch my ear tunnel myself?

Stretched ear piercings have a long tradition worldwide. Many Buddha statues show him with stretched ear piercings, and busts of ancient Egyptian kings who also had stretched ear piercings have been found in Egyptian tombs. So you could say that stretching ear piercings is an ancient cultural technique that, in addition to being a sign of beauty, also underlined the status of the wearer. Even today, stretching ear piercings is still common among many peoples, and the sight of stretched ear piercings is becoming more and more common in the western world too. You no longer have to belong to a subculture to want to adorn yourself with stretched ear piercings, and there is now a huge selection of great jewelry and accessories for pierced and stretched ear piercings.

Reason enough to ask yourself how this ear piercing stretching actually works. But first, two basic questions:

1. Can I stretch to my desired size immediately?
2. If I don't like my stretched ear piercings anymore, can I reverse the process?

The answer to the first question is a clear no! Above all, stretching requires a lot of time and patience. We'll come to why this is the case later.

The answer to the second question is yes and no - the stretched ear hole does contract again, but the extent to which it returns to its original shape depends on several factors. More on that later.

What methods are there for ear piercing?

1. You can have your ear piercings widened by a piercer. They will do it in the same way as you would do it yourself, but it is a good alternative for anyone who doesn't want to stretch their ears themselves. The costs vary.
2. A scalpel is usually used to cut larger holes. Sometimes an existing hole is corrected this way. Some people also enlarge a cut hole later.
3. Dermal punching involves punching a hole through the earlobe. A bit like baking cookies. Punched holes can also be stretched further.
4. Stretching with stretching sickles , expanders ( stretching rods ), spirals, 2 in 1 tunnel stretchers, and so on. More on that later.
5. Stretching with a Teflon band. Detailed instructions for this will follow later.
6. Unintentional stretching. This can happen simply because the jewelry moves in the ear hole or because it has a certain weight. However, this usually does not result in any significant stretching.
7. Intentional stretching using weights. There is little to say about this. It is certainly a traditional method, but is not recommended. There are now ways to do this much more safely and to avoid irregular stretching and tearing of the puncture channel, to name just two dangers.
8. Stretching with household items such as knitting needles, pens, matches and the like. This is also not a safe method and is also completely unhygienic. Given the fact that stretching rods, for example, can be bought at a very low price, you should not take any risks here just to save a few cents.

But now - the stretching:

Basics:

If you want to stretch your ear piercings, you should be aware that it is a process that takes several months, depending on the millimeter width to which you want the piercing channel to be stretched.

Even if you've already stretched a few levels, take your time each time you stretch to the next level. So don't stretch when you're on the run (sorry, Dr. Kimble) or on the run to your date.

A good time would be after you have bathed or showered, for example, because the tissue is still warm and relaxed and can be stretched better. Make yourself comfortable somewhere and proceed very slowly. This is also important - no rushing and no rushing and getting it done ;)

Then there is hygiene - this is also an important point: your fingers, your earlobes and the expander (or stretching crescent, etc.) should be absolutely clean.

And finally: You definitely need a lubricant for every stretching method so that the expander etc. can be pushed into the stretching channel more easily. Many recommend Vaseline, but not everyone likes it or can tolerate it. An alternative would be lubricant, as it is gentle and also serves its purpose here. You can also use lanolin. Some also use wound or healing ointment, which is useful if the area has already become slightly irritated.

To start with, you need a piercing channel that can be widened. If you don't have one yet, get one pierced by a piercer of your choice and wait at least three weeks until everything has healed nicely. At this point, you can already practice one of the most important stretching virtues - patience.

If you have waited long enough or have already had a healed ear piercing, you can now move on. Before you actually stretch, you should get some piercing jewelry that is a little thicker than normal ear studs. A ball closure ring with a diameter of at least 1-1.2 mm (depending on the size of your current ear piercing) or even a little larger is a good option. You should wear this jewelry for at least two weeks. This way, the piercing channel can get used to the larger diameter, there is no pain and the jump to the other stretching methods is not so big.

When stretching, you should definitely remember that you don't have to prove anything to anyone. It's completely normal for it to tug a little, but if you feel pain, stop, put the jewelry back in and give the tissue a little more time to get used to the current stretch level.

As far as stretching jewelry goes, the smallest plugs are around 3 mm wide, depending on the model, and flesh tunnels only start at 4 mm. Until then, you can use other piercing jewelry. Ball closure rings, for example, are very suitable. They come in various thicknesses from around 0.8 mm to 1 cm. They are comfortable and easy to wear, and those made of titanium or stainless steel can also be used in freshly pierced piercings.

Especially at the beginning, you should only use single flared, straight or screw-on versions of tunnels and plugs. They are simply easier to insert. Another alternative would be 2 in 1 tunnel expanders . More on these later.

During the first few days, you should leave your freshly stretched ear hole alone if possible and, above all, do not twist the jewelry, as this can lead to small tears in the tissue and thus to irritation and inflammation.

When you take the jewelry out, the stretched tissue contracts again. How far depends on various factors. You can expect a few millimeters. Scarred and torn tissue (eg due to improper stretching!) contracts less well and often leaves an effect that has an unflattering name that will not be repeated here.

Now to the individual stretching techniques:

1. Stretching with a stretching pin (taper):

With your clean hands, take out your current ear jewelry and then clean the entry and exit points of the stretching channel. Then take a small taper with a diameter of 1.2 or at most 1.6 mm and coat it with the lubricant of your choice. Tapers are also used by professional piercers, and you should seriously consider getting one of the practical sets, as they have all the stretching sizes you will need neatly arranged together. Now push the taper slowly and very carefully through the piercing channel. You can only move it forwards and not twist it, as twisting can damage the piercing channel. Take your time and take short breaks in between so that the tissue can get used to the larger width. When you have pushed the taper all the way through the ear hole, you can now carefully insert the new piercing jewelry. You now have to wait a month until the next stretching procedure. If your taper was 1.2 mm wide, now it's time for the 1.6 mm taper. You do the same as last month and insert the new piercing jewelry again. You slowly widen your piercing channel every month until you have reached the desired size. Many recommend increasing the distance between the individual stretching processes even with the larger widths, from 4 or 5 millimeters, and only stretching every six weeks to two months. That's pretty good advice. In any case, give the tissue enough time to recover and get used to the new stretching strength.

2. Stretching with an expander:

In contrast to the stretching rod, expanders are shorter and conical, with a point and a thick, flat end. The thickness specifications for expanders always refer to the thick end, and they are available from a thickness of around 1.6 mm up to around 12 mm. The most advantageous thing to do if you want to use expanders for stretching is to buy them in a set and work your way from the smallest to the largest diameter. To do this, you basically proceed as with the stretching rod and carefully push the expander, coated with lubricant, through the piercing channel. When you have reached the size where you can use a plug or tunnel, push the expander almost to the end and press the open plug/tunnel side onto the flat expander end. This makes it quite easy for the piercing jewelry to slide into the stretched piercing channel. The 2 in 1 tunnel stretcher is an expander variant in which the tunnel is screwed onto the expander, so you simply push it through as usual and then unscrew it. It couldn’t be simpler.

The expander differs from the stretching rod in another way - it looks great and you can also wear it as jewelry. There are also small rubber rings that can be pushed onto the expander so that they can later be placed in front of and behind the earlobe and prevent the expander from slipping out of the piercing channel. Some wear it during the stretching process, others find the expander too heavy for that.

3. Stretching with a sickle:

The name says it all about the shape. The stretching is similar to that of an expander, and the sickle is also often worn as piercing jewelry because of its great appearance. Here, too, rubber bands are used to fix it in place. To ensure that you don't miss any stretching stage, a set that starts at around 1.6 mm is recommended, as always.

4. Stretching with claw:

The stretching claw really looks like a predator's claw and works like the expander and the sickle for stretching. The claw is also available in a set, which starts at 1.6mm, and it can also be worn as jewelry (with rubber rings).

5. Stretching with spiral or snail :

In theory, this works by gradually pushing it through the piercing channel, but this is a little more complicated than with an expander, for example. Since the spiral is called what it looks like, you can imagine why. Most people wear the spiral, which gets thicker towards the middle and then narrower again in the middle, as jewelry in their ears and push it forward bit by bit, always allowing a few days or weeks to pass. This is where the problem lies, because the spiral practically invites you to push it around, for example while watching TV, and then maybe just a little bit further... This makes the process much more confusing than with expanders. Many people also find the spiral too heavy, especially with the larger stretch sizes. It also tends to get caught in their hair or sweater, which further irritates the freshly stretched piercing channel. Despite these flaws, many people like to stretch with a spiral, and it is also without a doubt a cool piercing jewelry that comes in some pretty nice versions. The spiral is also available in the set in the normal sizes.

6. Stretching with Teflon tape:

Teflon stretching is actually quite straightforward, although not immediately recommended. Everyone has to decide for themselves whether it is suitable for them. Teflon tape is available in any hardware store. You can only start with Teflon stretching at the higher stretch levels. Firstly, you need a tunnel or plug, which are only used at 3-4 mm, and then imagine how you would fiddle a wrapped plug into a 4 mm piercing channel. Definitely not recommended.

The Teflon tape is 0.1 mm thick, which means that you can stretch it about six times over the course of a month without irritating the piercing channel too much. To do this, wrap the cleaned plug or tunnel (straight or single flared) with one (!) layer of Teflon tape (don't cheat) and make sure that the tape is nice and tight. Then grab the lubricant of your choice and rub it into the wrapped plug or tunnel. You can then carefully push your creation into the piercing channel. Five days later, apply the next layer, and so on.

A little material science:

This is not intended to be a detailed material guide, just a few tips. Many recommend titanium or stainless steel, which is actually always an excellent choice and is also recommended for first piercings. Many consider silicone to be a good choice only for the larger stretch levels, and acrylic is very suitable because of its light weight and because it doesn't get cold in winter. However, this leads to the formation of sebum and odors, which is why the piercing jewelry must be cleaned regularly. Wood is an excellent material for fully stretched piercing channels and is very comfortable to wear. However, wooden spirals that are not sufficiently cared for or are made of low-quality wood can irritate the piercing channel. The same applies to horn and other organic materials. Glass is easy to clean, but must not have any cracks.

A little word about care:

To support the tissue, you can regularly massage in nourishing oils. These keep the tissue supple and flexible and also support the healing of small cracks. Jojoba oil and olive oil have proven particularly effective.

Hygiene:

You've probably already realized that you should clean your hands, the piercing channel, and the stretching instrument of your choice when stretching. But you should also regularly remove and clean your spiral, plug, flesh tunnel, etc. while you're wearing it. Otherwise, sebum and bad smells will build up - and that can be pretty unpleasant. It also provides a breeding ground for germs and can lead to infections. One point that many people overlook is the small rubber rings that you use to hold them in place. Firstly, you should never press the rubber bands too tightly against your earlobe because the expander (or whatever you're using) should still be able to move a little and because they can irritate the entrance and exit of the piercing channel. Then they get dirty over time, so you should clean them regularly too.

Complications:

Every tissue is different, and yours doesn't always react the same way. If you have difficulty with a stretching step, wait and try again a few days later. If you stretch roughly and hastily, the tissue can tear, which can lead to inflammation and, in the worst case, even scarring. This not only makes it more difficult to continue stretching, as scar tissue is not as flexible, but also means that the tissue cannot contract properly later on. If your earlobes are sensitive to touch and have become inflamed, chamomile or sage baths and disinfectant spray can help. If it doesn't get better at all, you shouldn't be afraid to go to the doctor.

But above all, have fun stretching!