Gauging ears refers to increasing the size of an existing ear piercing, generally in the ear lobe, and the technique is also known as stretch piercing.
Normal ear piercings are made with a gun or a needle, the best and most regular being a professional needle piercing, generally at what is known as 16 gauge, or 16g, equivalent to a hole diameter of about 1.
2 - 1.
3 mm.
Less professional piercings are smaller gauge - 18g to 20g (1.
0 mm - 0.
8 mm).
You have likely noted the converse way of gauging ears or their piercings, in that the lower the gauge the larger the diameter of the piercing hole.
Yes, that confuses some people, but once you get used to it is OK, and most people involved in stretch piercing are familiar with piercings of down to 0g (8 mm)and 00g (9-10 mm) and even larger - stated in mm after 00g.
Although gauging ears is the most common form of stretch piercing, people also have their septum pierced and stretched (the cartilage between the two nostrils) and their lips, and many cases carry out the gauging themselves.
It's not difficult to do, although you have to be careful about cleanliness and sterilization because any bacterial infection can damage the piercing and sometimes even terminate stretching at that site forever.
Before taking any steps to start DIY stretch piercing, you must be absolutely certain that the original piercing is 100% healed.
That means waiting at least 3 months, because although it might seem to be healed up the scar might not be strong enough yet to take much stretching without giving you pain or even bleeding.
That would then likely set you back another 3 months, so it's worth the wait.
Meantime, get together the cleansers and tools you will need for gauging ears, which are basically the same materials as for any other form of stretch piercing.
These are:
To start, you should first wash your earlobes in warm water or even have a shower to warm up your lobes and get them softer - this helps to avoid tearing the skin with the stretching taper, and so prevent bleeding that means you would have to stop and wait for it to heal.
Then wash the tool, your hands and your ears with anti-bacterial soap, and you are ready to start.
Insert the narrow end of the taper into your ear and push it through as gently as possible until the larger end is flush with the skin.
You should push from front to back, because you will be inserting the jewelry in that direction.
Then push the ear jewelry right in against the end of the taper, following it into the hole and then secure it.
You can also use an earring or other form of jewelry tapered just for this purpose, but it doesn't do the same job because the pin is tapered, and so will not create an evenly sized hole.
Insertion tapers are best although you could also use Teflon tape.
To use Teflon tape in gauging ears, simply wind a layer of Teflon round the pin, and push into your ear.
Repeat that several times over a period and your stretch piercing will eventually reach the size you want.
Professionals recommend that as a DIY ear stretching method, but the insertion taper is just as easier - in fact easier in some ways - and is more effective because you know exactly the size of stretch piercing you will end up with.
Normal ear piercings are made with a gun or a needle, the best and most regular being a professional needle piercing, generally at what is known as 16 gauge, or 16g, equivalent to a hole diameter of about 1.
2 - 1.
3 mm.
Less professional piercings are smaller gauge - 18g to 20g (1.
0 mm - 0.
8 mm).
You have likely noted the converse way of gauging ears or their piercings, in that the lower the gauge the larger the diameter of the piercing hole.
Yes, that confuses some people, but once you get used to it is OK, and most people involved in stretch piercing are familiar with piercings of down to 0g (8 mm)and 00g (9-10 mm) and even larger - stated in mm after 00g.
Although gauging ears is the most common form of stretch piercing, people also have their septum pierced and stretched (the cartilage between the two nostrils) and their lips, and many cases carry out the gauging themselves.
It's not difficult to do, although you have to be careful about cleanliness and sterilization because any bacterial infection can damage the piercing and sometimes even terminate stretching at that site forever.
Before taking any steps to start DIY stretch piercing, you must be absolutely certain that the original piercing is 100% healed.
That means waiting at least 3 months, because although it might seem to be healed up the scar might not be strong enough yet to take much stretching without giving you pain or even bleeding.
That would then likely set you back another 3 months, so it's worth the wait.
Meantime, get together the cleansers and tools you will need for gauging ears, which are basically the same materials as for any other form of stretch piercing.
These are:
- Anti-bacterial soap - preferably non-perfumed - for washing your hands and ears.
Jojoba or emu oil to use as a lubricant for the piercing tool - or any water-based lubricant will do. - Avoid Vaseline or any oil-based lubricant because they can breed germs.
- Sea salt solution - about 4 tablespoons in a quarter pint of water to wash your piercing daily.
Do not use peroxide - sea salt is best. - A note of the gauge of your existing ear piercing.
- Ear jewelry of a gauge down from your original - or from your last stretch piercing.
- Tapers of the correct size for gauging ears to the size you want - it should be marked with the target gauge, so if you are currently 14g, the size you want is 12g.
To start, you should first wash your earlobes in warm water or even have a shower to warm up your lobes and get them softer - this helps to avoid tearing the skin with the stretching taper, and so prevent bleeding that means you would have to stop and wait for it to heal.
Then wash the tool, your hands and your ears with anti-bacterial soap, and you are ready to start.
Insert the narrow end of the taper into your ear and push it through as gently as possible until the larger end is flush with the skin.
You should push from front to back, because you will be inserting the jewelry in that direction.
Then push the ear jewelry right in against the end of the taper, following it into the hole and then secure it.
You can also use an earring or other form of jewelry tapered just for this purpose, but it doesn't do the same job because the pin is tapered, and so will not create an evenly sized hole.
Insertion tapers are best although you could also use Teflon tape.
To use Teflon tape in gauging ears, simply wind a layer of Teflon round the pin, and push into your ear.
Repeat that several times over a period and your stretch piercing will eventually reach the size you want.
Professionals recommend that as a DIY ear stretching method, but the insertion taper is just as easier - in fact easier in some ways - and is more effective because you know exactly the size of stretch piercing you will end up with.
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