I'm in the process of stretching the holes in my ear lobes. Right now, I'm at 8 gauge and I'm thinking of stretching them to 4 or maybe 2. I really want to wear tunnels with steel cbr's in them.
My question is, once stretched, are the holes permanently and forever the gauge they are stretched to. I don't mind if it is permanent, I just want to know what I'm getting into before I expand.
I realize this isn't a high traffic board, so I appreciate your responces. Thanks, Rae. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Heather <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Hey, ArcticNyx! <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

It may not be high traffic, but I like my quiet corner of the universe very much. And now that I've added the article on nipple piercings, the traffic stats are showing that the bodyart site may double in growth just in this month....

I have many ear piercings, in a series of sizes. I have had them for many years. They are still fluid in size, being that if I take out jewelry, the flesh will start to tighten up, inside the space of a day. I'm betting that if I took out the larger gauges and left them out for a few days, I might have to spend a few weeks getting back to the bigger sizes. I don't think they'd go down to 18g or 20 like conventional ear piercings, but mine still shrink.

I used to have my six major rings (3 in each ear) at 2g, 4g, 6g but that seemed too tight a fit. Now they are 2g, 6g, 4g or at least that is what is working with the styles of earrings that I am presently wearing. I have had periods of sizing u and down (did that a lot when I had most of the holes at 8g/6g) just for wearing specific jewelry. My technique for stretching was that I went slowly and used jewelry that got thicker while staying as light as possible, to stretch the holes out rather than down as the primary method of growth.

- Rae

Hi

I'm not too familiar with the US sizings, but there is a point youcan go beyond where the skin loses its elasticity, and will not shrink back, leaving the flesh saggy and loose.

Depending how big you wanna go, you should think carefully.

Z

Hey, Z!

I agree that there is a point of no return, where the hole does stay larger. However it varies a bit with individual skin elasticity, which body piercing is being stretched, how big it will be stretched and how much tissue is between the ring and the surface of the body.

I have some 2g earrings that still tighten down when the rings are removed. I know some people who stretched ears into the multiple-0 sizes and the loops stayed open a lot more.

- Rae

how much stretching is enough?

I myself have multiple ear piercings in each ear, and have found that 2g is about as big as I can go without having too much crowding. I used to have the rings in sequence, ie 2g, 4g, 6g, etc., but switched the sizes to be 2g-6g-4g at the bottom as I found having the smaller size in the middle is a better fit. I have also contemplated letting my ears go back down to 4g-6g-8g as an alternative.

Any comments or input to this?

Ink and Rings,
Rae